Every Fact About Mold Removal

A common problem that most homeowners face is controlling mold and mildew in the home. This situation should not be taken lightly. Prolong exposure to mold can cause fatal health problems for you and your family.

Watch this video below for steps to rid your home of mold and mildew.

In the video above, bleach is used to clean and kill mold. I would not recommend using bleach to clean / kill mold as bleach would release harmful fumes which are equally bad for your health. White vinegar is a safer alternative to bleach for cleaning mold and mildew.

To clean and kill mold with white vinegar, mix 1 part of white vinegar to 1 part of water and spray the solution onto the problem spots. You may use undiluted vinegar solution to treat stubborn mold stains. Let the solution to sit for at least 15 minutes before scrubbing off with a mixture of Borax and white vinegar. Repeat this process until all the mold and mildew are gone. Rinse well with clean water or wipe clean using damp cloth if rinsing is not possible. Allow the areas to dry completely.

Mold is a major problem that many people come across in basements and older homes.  More often than not, a mold problem comes from excess moisture and water leaks.  It is highly advisable that you check the house completely for any sign of a mold problem. If you have a mold problem and it is not taken care of properly you or your family could become very sick. This is not a problem that you can afford to post-phone dealing with.

What to Do if You Encounter a Mold Problem

If by chance, you do encounter a mold problem, the first thing that should be done is to eliminate the source of the moisture or water.  Then you should dry the area out by using a dehumidifier.  To further eliminate the mold problem, you need to scrub the surfaces that have mold with mold removal products. You can use normal household cleaners to minor mold infestation. The next step to solve the mold problem is to bleach the affected areas and to do a weekly vinegar rinse. Then it is highly advisable to paint with oil-based paint if possible.  This eliminates any future mold problem by trapping any remaining mold spores.  It is also recommended to use an air purifier to eliminate airborne spores from the area.  This is what you should do if you encounter a mold problem in your home.

In my previous post, where I discussed about mold removal products, I mentioned about using bleach to kill mold. Today I will talk about the effectiveness of bleach as a mold removal product, its usage and limitations in killing mold. To learn about other mold removal products, you may refer to my previous posts.

Bleach is the product we have known for years to be good at killing bacteria and viruses. Some believe bleach can kill mold as well. Yes, bleach is a mold killer, but that’s limited to molds grow on non-porous materials such as counter-tops, tiles, bathroom, shower glass, tubs, etc. When dealing with mold infection on non-porous surfaces, you can use a mixture of less than a cup of bleach to one gallon of water to effectively disinfect and kill molds.

However, the use of bleach to kill molds on porous materials is not recommended for the fact that bleach contains 99% of water. When bleach is used to clean and disinfect porous materials like wood and drywall, the Iodin structure of bleach prevents Chlorine from soaking into the materials to kill the roots of molds. While the water element of bleach penetrates through the surfaces and feed the roots. Therefore remediating porous materials with bleach is said to accelerate mold growth rather than stopping and killing it.

Bleach is corrosive. It releases harmful fumes that can cause serious health problems. When bleach is used as mold removal product, make sure you follow proper safety measures to protect yourself from inhaling the toxic fumes.

In conclusion, bleach can be used as mold removal product for non-porous surfaces like glass, tiles, tubs, counter-top and etc. Do not ever use bleach to kill mold on porous materials like wood and drywall. It expedites mold infestation due to the water content of bleach. Remember to put on protective gears whenever dealing with any mold removal product such as bleach. Do not mix bleach with ammonia, as this will create toxic fumes. Bleach is not registered with EPA as a mold removal product. Thus the effectiveness of killing mold with bleach is not proven.