Mold inside your home or commercial property is something that no one wants to encounter. If you think that you might have a mold colony—or several—on your hands, the following steps will help you take care of the problem.

• Find it: When a mold colony develops, you will be able to see it, smell it, or both. Use your eyes to look for green, brown, black, and even yellowish patterns of mold growth on walls, in corners, and around air ducts. If you keep picking up on an earthy aroma in the air, it might be mold.
• Determine the cause: Cleaning the mold is necessary, but if you don’t fix the cause, it will probably come back. Is there a leak that is leaving moisture on the moldy area? Maybe you’re A/C needs an adjustment.
  • A/C tips: Your air conditioner might contribute to indoor mold. Make sure the fan is set to “Auto” and not “On”; if it is set to “On” all the time, then moisture on the condenser coils will not have time to drain off before the unit immediately blows it back into your vents, distributing moisture. Your unit might also be too big for the building it cools. If a unit is oversized, then it will not spend enough time dehumidifying the air that it circulates, which means that your home or office will constantly be delivered moist, mold-friendly air.
• Rip it out: Most mold can be wiped away with the right cleanser, but if you have drywall or cabinetry that has a large mold colony on it, your best bet is to remove the material altogether, wrap it up, and dispose of it. This will also give you more space to clean inside walls and a better view of the extent of the damage.
• Sanitize: There are mold cleansers available at the hardware store. You can also mix one cup of bleach with one gallon of water. We suggest putting your cleanser in a clean spray bottle and spraying down the entire moldy area, then wiping from top to bottom with a clean towel. As towels become soiled, throw them away in a disposable bag that you can later seal. Repeat the scrubbing process until all the mold is removed, and then allow the area some time to dry.
• Vacuum: Once the area is dry, you will want to use a HEPA vacuum. These vacuums have a special filtration system and are made by many manufacturers. Spend one minute per square foot. This process will remove debris and mold spores that may still be there, but are too small to see.

At this point, many people will use a paint or other agent known as a fungicide, which will help to ensure that the mold does not grow back. This step is definitely recommended, as is throwing away all of the rags, brushes, and cloths that are used for cleaning the mold. If you have questions about how to eradicate fungus in your home or commercial property, feel free to visit us online. If you do the job yourself and find yourself in need of some new drywall and paint or need some cabinets installed, we would be more than happy to help.

Sources:
Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services
Florida Department of Health
Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida

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Getting Rid of Mold Part One