Removing Black Mold

For many of us our homes are our single most important asset. Working tirelessly to save the money to purchase our homes, and then toiling month in and month out to improve and maintain what we worked so hard to achieve in the first place. It would make sense that we would do what ever is necessary to protect our home from anything that could represent a danger. This is evident through our purchasing of home alarm systems, deadbolt locks and protective window coverings. All these things protect your home to some degree, but how many of us have taken the time to consider other factors that can affect not only our homes but our families too. Black mold is a problem for many households across the country. This silent infestation can creep into the fabric of your home and saturate walls, floors and ceilings with its dangerous components leaving not only your home but also your family at risk of chronic injury.

Removing black mold the second it has been brought to your attention can be critical. Outside of the aesthetic benefit of the mold being gone, the eradication of the black mold can pay dividends for your family. Black mold, each year, causes numerous health ailments including:
-          Skin Rash/Irritability
-          Chronic Coughing
-          Nose & Throat Irritation
-          Irritable Bowel Syndrome
-          Body Ache & Fatigue
-          Respiratory Complications
These side effects can be a nagging, chronic health issue for most adults. However, when dealing with people with compromised immune systems, like the elderly or infants, they may not be able to sustain the onslaught brought on by these toxic spores. In extreme cases if left unchecked complication resulting from black mold can indirectly lead to death. The only way to ensure that these health effects are eliminated is to get to the root of the problem and stop the black mold from growing.

Mold growth is closely associated with moisture. More often than not where you have excessive built up or persistent moisture you will have a breading ground for black mold growth. In bathrooms mold can be a chronic problem. To combat this make sure you have a functioning exhaust fan. A great test is to turn on your exhaust fan and hold a single sheet of toilet paper up to the grate. The fan should have the strength to hold the paper to the fan, if not, you will need to replace or clean the existing fan. Allowing for proper ventilation of moisture can greatly reduce the potential build up of mold and spores. If the mold growth is in a broader area like a basement or garage, you may need to investigate the foundation to determine if there is a persistent or chronic leak. While this is considerably more work; however, doing it right will result in the assurance that your mold issue will not come back.

Cleaning and treating black mold at the onset is critical. Removing black mold can be a simple process; however, you will need to take the necessary precautions when dealing with this toxic substance. Any time you are dealing with cleaning or removing black mold you should always be wearing a face mask. This will protect your lungs from inadvertent inhalation of the spores (which can lead to some of the symptoms outlined above). In addition the infested area should be blocked off by a door or plastic partition to prevent the inadvertent dispersion of the mold spores. Cleaning or treating the mold all depends on where the mold is actually growing. For areas that are non porous like, shower stalls, glass windows, metal/hardware, floors you will have an easier go of removal. On more porous surfaces such as sheet rock, ceiling tiles, insulation, furniture, carpeting you may have a more difficult job ahead of you. Getting started it is important to check to see if the mold is dry or if it is still moist. Dry mold when agitated with release mold spores into the air resulting in the potential for them to be ingested by you, or travel to a new location and start another infestation. It is important to spray the mold with a solution (preferably a 3:1 ratio of water to bleach) to limit the spread of the spores. Use warm water & bleach solution (outlined above) to clean the mold. It is best to use a stiff bristled brush to actively scrub the surface clean of any lingering mold. This method works best for removing black mold on harder surfaces. Should you need to remove black mold on a more porous material like furniture of carpeting you will need to purchase or rent a steam cleaning machine. These high powered devices will allow you to kill the mold, disinfect the area and prep it to be dried and mold free. Depending on the level of infestation you may need to completely remove some furniture or carpeting due the spread of mold. If there has been complete permeation of drywall or ceiling tiles you may need to completely remove the material and bring in new construction materials to complete the task. All of these points are rendered moot if you don’ first treat the source of the mold, presumably a leak allowing for water penetration.

There are a variety of products on the market now that will help clean, prevent and destroy a black mold outbreak. The strength and capabilities of the product depend only on the extent of the mold issue you are dealing with. Removing black mold, while dangerous, if done the right way can be a simple process. You will need to take your time and methodically go about your cleaning/removal. If all else fails you can always call in a professional crew that will do the cleaning and treatment for you. The most important part is that you treat the problem before it turns into something more sinister.