When there is a mold problem in the house, what most people do is they start thinking about how they can clean it up themselves. One reason for this is because they want to save money instead of calling the professionals. The other, more dangerous reason is that they think cleaning up mold is easy.
Don’t be one of those people who just instantly jump on the mold without having any relevant information at hand. It requires protective measures, tools and certain detergents to do it properly. You also need to understand that just because you can’t see the mold, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
This is mainly related to the bleach problem we are going to talk about first. But there are plenty of other common mistakes we are going to talk about in this article. Mold is harmful, toxic and it spreads in various ways. These should be quite convincing reasons why you need to do the research before you start killing mold.
1. Using Bleach to Get Rid of Mold
You should definitely not use only bleach if you want to get rid of mold in your house. Bleach is great for loosening up the structure of mold at the beginning but it can’t kill mold in of itself. In fact, it is highly recommended to use a 30 to 1 mix using water and bleach.
Then, you should grab a sponge and scrub it until the mold is fully soaked with the mix. The reason why you should do this is because starting with the strong detergent right away is not going to be as effective. Applying it after the bleach-water solution, however, is going to make a huge difference.
There is nothing in bleach that can help you kill fungus in your house. It is only a myth that somehow became commonplace among households. If you would try to get rid of mold using only beach and water, it would grow back rather quickly in the exact same spots.
What is worse, you would only provide additional moisture for it to grow even faster. If you don’t want to clean the same spots in your house every 3 or 4 months, then forget about bleach and find something stronger.
2. Mold-Resistant Paint Won’t Get Rid of Mold
There is a reason why it is called mold-resistant paint and not mold-killing paint. There is literally no chance that this type of paint is going to kill mold for you. You can use as much of it as you want to paint moldy surfaces at home and it’s still going to be only a temporary solution.
It would have been great if a quick fix like that would exist. It would make our everyday life much easier. The sad truth is that the mold-resistant paint will only sit on top of the mold. It will grow bigger and bigger under it until it eventually becomes visible.
If you want to completely eradicate mold from your house, then you will need much stronger detergents. Also, by using mold-resistant paint, you only make it harder for yourself to remove the mold later. Since the mold is still under the paint, it releases its scent and spores that will continue to cause health problems.
Do yourself a favor and kill that mold properly. Then, make sure it doesn’t return ever again. It might require some time and effort but it is surely worth it. If the surface is dry and free of mold, then you can consider applying mold-resistant paint.
3. Not Using Protective Gear When Cleaning Mold
Being exposed to mold while cleaning is not the same as living your everyday life around it. It is much more intensive. While you scrub it with your sponge, it emits a huge dose of spores that can cause immediate respiratory damage.
Without protective gear, you will cough, wheeze, your throat will become irritated and you will have a runny nose. Obviously, the symptoms are worse for allergic people, not to mention those who have asthma. Therefore, you should respect all the protective measures for the sake of your own health.
Mold is not only harmful but it can be very toxic depending on the type of mold you are cleaning. There are more than 10 types of mold that can appear in your house. You should buy protective glasses, rubber gloves, a mask and wear a long-sleeved shirt while cleaning.
4. Not Treating the Cause of Mold
If there is even a small water leakage in your house, then mold is going to re-appear in your house indefinitely until you fix it. There is no other way around it. The only thing mold needs for growing is moisture and around water leakages, there is plenty of it.
Maybe it is not a broken pipe. Maybe it is just a water line that is not connected properly to the refrigerator or the washing machine. Either way, something is producing leaks of water that sink into the drywall, the carpet or any other insulator or furniture in your house.
If the particular spot is wet for a long period of time, then there is going to appear some mold eventually. In those cases, cleaning up the mold is not the most important thing. You should rather focus on fixing the problem that provides enough moisture for the mold to grow.
Then, all you need to do is to clean the surface and problem solved.
5. Using Only Home Remedies to Get Rid of Mold
There are numerous home remedies that are effective against small amounts of mold. The reason why so many people praise these remedies is because they have dealt with a minor mold problem easily. However, the information given by some blog or one of your acquaintances might not apply to your case.
If you are dealing with a lot of mold or a particularly nasty type, then you need to follow some different rules. There are plenty of detergents for mold removal that actually work no matter which type of mold you are dealing with. Also, if you have tried out various home remedies and none of them worked, then maybe it is time to call the professionals.
Dealing with this type of fungus is not always easy. If you are not careful, it can further spread in the house and you can end up with a lot more mold than before. There are so many different home remedies that you can’t be sure which one works and which one not. It only depends on the circumstances.
Therefore, it is important to do some research and find a website that is truly reliable when it comes to killing mold. Instead of finding the remedy that worked for a handful of people, you will find the one that works for everyone. Then all you need to do is grab the protective equipment and get to work.
How to Prevent Mold in Your Home?
When there is mold, there is certainly a moisture problem as well. Without that, it is impossible for any type of mold to grow. First off, the humidity of air in your house shouldn’t be above 55%. If it is for a longer period of time, then don’t be surprised if you find some mold in it one day.
Humidity sensors are not expensive at all. The easiest way to prevent mold is to test the air every now and then. If it’s too humid, then you need to open the windows more often. You might also need to get a fan to facilitate the air flow in the house.
One of the main reasons why mold starts to grow in basements, for example, is because people rarely clean them up. The same applies to any other room that you forgot to clean for a long time. Making it a habit to clean up all the rooms in the house every now and then can help a lot when it comes to mold prevention.
Conclusion
Hopefully, by reading this article, you have realized that cleaning up mold is not as easy as many people think. If you value the health of your family and want to clean up mold effectively, then you should be aware of these common mistakes.
Reading this article takes only a couple of minutes, yet it provided you with plenty of information on how mold should be treated. It may be not as simple as you thought, but it is not that difficult either. Doing some research and then investing a few hours into killing mold will definitely pay off in the long run.
The professionals are always there if you need help. They are not only experienced but also have highly effective tools for killing mold. You can also call them if you are not sure whether the mold is completely gone or it’s still there. There is nothing worse than putting in some hard work only to realize it later that the mold is not gone.
