Getting Rid Of Mold On Custom

Black mold doesn’t have a hundred legs. It doesn’t have a venomous sting. You can’t hear it crawling inside the walls or building nests in the crawlspace above your head. But it’s just as dangerous and unhealthy as any other household pest.

Fortunately, black mold is a cinch to prevent. Just keep the darker and more remote areas of your home dry, and it won’t have any place to roost. Make sure your walls or roof don’t have any leaks. If black mold gets a foothold in your home, it can be a royal pain to get rid of. To do so, you’ve got to attack it where it lives. Get rid of every last speck of mold, every last spore, and make sure it never, ever comes back.

But how do you do that?

There are a variety of approaches. If your mold problem is advanced, you’ll need to call in a specialist. You’ll know if the problem is advanced: Black mold will have eaten away at the porous parts of your house like wood, concrete, drywall and carpeting. If it’s gotten this bad, it’s not a job you can do yourself; you need a qualified professional who has the right tools for the job.

But if you’re dealing with black mold on non-porous surfaces — things like mirrors, windows, tile or countertops — you’ve got a do-it-yourself project on your hands.

The first step is to ensure that the air in the affected area is as dry as you can make it without making it uncomfortable. That might mean installing a dehumidifier, or leaving a window cracked. Ultimately, reducing the humidity will make the area inhospitable to black mold, so you can be sure the problem won’t rear its ugly head again.

But you want to know how to get rid of the mold itself, don’t you? It’s fairly easy, but it requires some close attention. First, wipe up as much mold as possible with a wet paper towel. You can use a rag, but only if you’re able to wash and dry it right away; you don’t want to carry spores all over the house and risk contaminating other areas.

Once you’ve gotten rid of the mold, you’ll need to create a solution of one part bleach to 16 parts water (or, one cup of bleach to a gallon of water). Scrub the affected area thoroughly with this solution. You can also use commercial household cleansers — just make sure whatever you’re using has bleach in it. After you’re finished, be sure to thoroughly dry the area. You don’t want the mold coming back.

Take special care to clean up afterwards. Black mold reproduces by spreading spores, so don’t give it the chance. Place all your trash into a plastic bag and tie it up as tight as you can. Then place that bag into another plastic bag and tie that one up. If you can, avoid carrying the bag through your home. Try to remove it through a window, then take it immediately to an outdoor trash can.

Black mold doesn’t have a hundred legs. It doesn’t have a venomous sting. You can’t hear it crawling inside the walls or building nests in the crawlspace above your head. But it’s just as dangerous and unhealthy as any other household pest.