Last Updated on October 26, 2023
Have you noticed mold in your bathroom? Probably you have. Almost every home gets mold infestations once in a while. What matters is how faster you identify it and remove it. Molds can be a nuisance and you need to identify them and clean them before they get out of control. Molds will grow everywhere. You can remove them by following the simple steps discussed below.
Step 1: Identify the mold
• You cannot clean-up what you have not identified and so the first step is to identify the mold. Mold will grow in any substance provided that there is moisture and oxygen. Don’t assume that there areas where mold will not grow.
• Start with the damp areas in your house. This is because mold will grow in areas which are damp. Have a thorough inspection of your bathroom. Check your kitchen probably because of the water that spills on the surface when you are washing the dishes. Don’t forget to check below the carpet. It could have been left damp when you were cleaning it.
• After checking the damp areas check the other places in the house. This includes on the walls, below the chairs, on the deck boards surfaces, behind your television. ..The list is endless but the bottom line is ensuring that you generally inspect all the rooms in the house. You will be surprised to get mold growing in unexpected areas.
• Mold also produces a bad smell and you can use this to detect it. If there is a bad smell in your house then chances are that there is mold. Check for mold on wet floor, damp carpets or even in damp walls. The source of the bad odor in your house could be as a result some mold hidden somewhere.
Step 2: Take precautions
• After identifying the areas with mold, you have to prepare to do the clean-up in those areas. Mold exposure can be risky and you need to take precaution when cleaning the areas that are covered with mold in your house. This is not the normal type of cleaning that you normally do every day. Safety measures have to be observed. You also don’t want to contaminate the entire house in the process.
• The first measure is to wear protective clothing. You need to wear clothes that will cover your entire body. Avoid shorts. Wear a pair of long pants and a long sleeved shirt. You also need to wear shoes. Consider also wearing old clothes and shoes that you can throw away after the clean-up or launder.
• You will also be required to have protective respiratory equipment. Gloves and goggles must be worn as well. Exposure to mold can have respiratory health effects and you need to take precaution.
• You also need to have enough ventilation when doing the cleaning. What you can do is to set a cheap or an old box fan in one of the windows to ventilate the room that you are working on. Throw this box fan after you are done cleaning because spores cannot be cleaned. It is almost impossible to clean spores.
• While you are working, you should moisten moldy areas with a sprayer to control airborne spores. You also need to tape and wrap any moldy material with a plastic bag and dispose it off.
Step 3: Clean up
• The final step is to clean up the mold. Clean the surfaces with a damp cloth and detergent. You can add bleach to the cleaning water because bleach kills the mold. The work of the detergent is to lift the mold off the surface thus preventing it from returning as fast.
• Ensure that the entire house is clean. Some mold may not be visible with the naked eye and so don’t leave some areas assuming that there is no mold. It could be growing but not in the visible stage yet.
• If you notice that the mold is not disappearing after a light scrubbing, reapply the mixture, give it time to sit then repeat the scrubbing process.
• When you are done scrubbing the surfaces, ensure that the bleach solution penetrates into the surface and let it dry there. Do not dry off the surfaces with a piece of cloth. Allow bleach penetration to the surfaces.
• After the cleaned surfaces a thoroughly dry, seal them to slow the process of moisture penetration in the future. You do not want the mold re-growing simply because you failed to seal the surfaces.
• If you have to repaint the cleaned walls, use a regular latex paint which contains mildewcide. Mildewcide controls surface mold in damp areas.
All in all, what you should remember is that the best way to stop mold is have dampness control. Even after all this process, keep in mind that if the moisture returns, the mold will return as well. Although the DIY steps seem simple enough to be carried out on your own at home, most people do not have the time to handle the task. Also, some people might not be thorough in their efforts to remove mold. You should also know that there are health risks you are taking when you tackle mold removal on your own. In such cases, using professional mold services is always the best way to go about it.