Removing Mold And The Equipment You Need

The process of removing mold from your home can be a long and tedious one, depending on how large the infection is and whether you are choosing to take care of the problem yourself or have a professional take care of the problem for you. The most efficient solution for those who have the money, but not a lot of time is to have a professional mold remediation company remove the mold and all affected materials from the property, but not everyone can afford to have this done. So, the option of removing the mold yourself is available, but only for those who have the knowledge and proper equipment to do so.

You can perform most mold removal projects on your own, but projects that require you remove material from walls, floors, or ceilings are best undertaken by those who have experience in interior remodeling and renovation. Scrubbing mold off of certain areas of the home is fairly easy and is an efficient way to deal with a mold problem, as long as the mold has not embedded itself into the surface. Drywall is particularly at risk for having to be replaced if the mold infection becomes too extensive.

You will need buckets of water and the cleaning solution of your choice, along with sponges, rags, or whatever you decide to use while doing the cleanup. Wearing latex or rubber gloves is recommended for this, since coming into contact with mold can cause skin rashes. Heavy trash bags will be needed to dispose of waste in.

Something else you may want to purchase is a respirator, particularly if you are going to be opening up any walls and releasing mold spores into the air. An N-95 respirator can be purchased from your local hardware store and is the lowest level of protection available. If you want more protection than that, you can purchase a half or full face mask respirator with a HEPA filter attached to it.

Wearing disposable protective clothing is also recommended if the mold problem is extensive in any area of the house. Protective shoe covers should also be worn and duct tape used to seal up the gaps in the suit on the wrists and ankles.

Something else you may want to purchase is an air purifier with a HEPA filter built into it. This will help clean the air in your home and remove almost anything you can think of, including mold spores stirred up by the removal, and your health will improve. Depending on your financial situation, you may not be able to afford this, but if you can afford it, purchasing one of these air purifiers will be one of the best health investments you can make.

Mold Prevention All Over the House

Mold growing in your home can be a serious problem not only for you, but also for the building itself. The negative health effects it can have on you, your family, and your pets are bad enough by themselves, but when you add the structural damage it can do, what it costs to have it removed, and how unsightly it can be, it is a nightmare for any homeowner to deal with. There are a number of places in your home that are at risk for mold growth and you should do a casual inspection of these areas often, since it can start to grow in about 48 hours.

The bathroom is the worst area of the home at risk for mold because this room sees so much water going in and out of it every day. Hopefully everyone in your home takes a bath or a shower at least once a day and if they do, then this is somewhere around or even over a hundred gallons a day. Steam collects and becomes soaked up by the ceiling and will cause mold to grow there over time. Ceilings have been known to collapse due to this kind of moisture buildup, so having an exhaust vent installed in the room to let the steam outside into the atmosphere is a good idea. The bathroom floor should also be waterproofed. Hard, non-porous surfaces are not good environments for mold to grow on, but if they get underneath to the wooden sub-floor, they will thrive.

The kitchen is another area of the home at risk and an exhaust vent should be here, too, and preferably located over the stove. This is also an area that needs to have a water tight floor, since it is also a place where spills of liquid happen often. Dishwashers and ice makers in the refrigerator also have a tendency to malfunction if they are old or in disrepair.

Basements have their own humidity problem to deal with most of the time and you can fix this by repairing any water leaks that may be there and installing a dehumidifier can also help. If you do laundry or have an extra bathroom here, an exhaust vent is a must. Replacing window wells and piling more soil around the foundation of your house can help stop water from seeping inside, as well.