Clean, Kill, or Remediate: How to Get Rid of Mold For Once & For All

12/14/2022 (Permalink)

Mold is incredibly common and can grow in a variety of different places, such as your bathtub or refrigerator. It’s also one of the most dangerous types of bacteria. While you may be able to remove mold yourself with some hot water and bleach, you should always call a professional if there’s serious black mold growth or you see signs that the mold has spread beyond one room.

What is Mold?

Mold is a type of fungus that grows in damp spaces with humidity levels over 60%. It's found almost everywhere and can be identified by its distinct color and texture.

Mold spores are microscopic, so you may not even notice them in your home or office until they've spread throughout the space. Mold likes to grow on porous materials like wood, drywall, ceiling tiles, paper products (like books), carpets and fabric furniture.

How to Kill Mold

You can kill mold by killing the mold spores. The mold spores are microscopic and float around in your home's air, so you must get them before they land on surfaces where they can grow into colonies.

The first step is to clean up all the visible signs of mold growth: stains, fuzzy spots, etc. You should also wash down any porous materials (ceilings, walls) that have been contaminated with water because this may help to prevent additional spores from growing there later. This will make sure no new spores can latch onto your newly cleaned surface as well as prevent recontamination from other parts of your home that aren't yet fully disinfected.

Removing Mold from Different Surfaces

Cleaning Mold from Hard Surfaces

One of the most well-known ways to remove mold is by using soap and water. The trick is that you need a special type of soap, specifically one that's safe for cleaning and decontamination purposes. You'll also want to keep in mind that if you're trying to clean up a larger area, you may need more than just one bucket of soapy water—you'll want as much space as possible to soak all your items in.

Removing Mold from Fabric (Carpets, Clothing)

If there's any chance that your clothing or carpet could have been contaminated with mold spores and are now growing something undesirable on them, be prepared for an unpleasant surprise when removing it! It's essential that both the garment itself and any areas where the fabric was exposed (such as shoes) should be treated with bleach before being washed or dry cleaned.

Preventing Mold Growth in Your Home

To prevent mold growth, you need to keep humidity levels below 50 percent and avoid storing food in damp areas. It's also important to keep windows open as much as possible and avoid moisture sources near your home.

Some common ways that moisture forms in your home are:

• Clogged gutters. If water isn’t draining away from the house, it can seep into the foundation and cause mold growth in basements or crawl spaces.
• Overflowing rain barrels or containers used for watering plants on your porch or patio (or other things like these). These might be made from wood which would trap moisture inside them, causing mold growth if left unchecked for too long.

Maintaining proper indoor air quality is essential for preventing a buildup of harmful organisms such as mites or bacteria that could contaminate our food supply!

When To Call a Mold Remediation Company

It may be time to call in the pros if:

• The mold is growing on a surface that is not easily accessible, such as under your sink.
• The mold growth is in an area that is difficult to clean, such as behind your refrigerator or other appliances.
• You're unsure about how to clean the mold yourself and need help with knowing what products are safe for use around your family (or pets).

To sum up, mold can be a difficult thing to remove. It’s important to know what type of mold you have and how best to get rid of it as quickly as possible before it spreads further. If you are unsure about what kind of mold is growing in your home or business, call a professional who specializes in this area so they can help identify and treat the problem quickly.