Cleaning Black Mold

The need for cleaning black mold, especially within a home, is a problem that many homeowners can expect to encounter over the years. Water moisture or high humidity in the home’s environment are generally the leading causes of this issue. The thing to remember, though, is that black mold is just one of thousands of mold types. But it can be more than a nuisance if it’s allowed to build up over time to unhealthy levels, which could lead to allergic reactions in people in severe cases.

Acting Now: It’s important to remember that mold should be cleaned as soon as it’s found, and no later than 24 to 48 hours in any instance. Also, it may be a good idea to wear a good respirator when cleaning black mold. The recommended type is N-95, which is available in most any home improvement or hardware store. Because you’ll be breaking up these molds, it’s possible they might become airborne, and maybe inhaled, so the need to wear a respirator should be obvious.

Cleaning Solutions: On a mold colony no larger than 10 square feet, there are a number of available solutions on the market that’ll make it easy to eliminate the problem. Most are at least partly made up of chlorine bleach or a similar chemical, and all are safe for household use when proper precautions are taken.

Mold Pre-Cleanup: When you are cleaning black mold, you want to set up your area with a fan or turn on a ceiling fan, for good ventilation, and open a window, if available, to make sure any mold spores are exhausted to the outdoors. Begin the cleanup by spraying down any mold with a chlorine and water solution, by mixing 8 ounces of bleach into 64 ounces of water. The chlorine acts as what’s called a “biocide” and disinfectant, effectively killing the live mold. This also decreases the chances of it being spread around during cleaning up.

Mold Cleanup: In addition to a respirator, try to wear rubber gloves and a pair of goggles, mainly to protect your skin and eyes from the cleaning solutions. After that, you can use one of several commercially-available products out on the market. Most are specifically labeled as being good for cleaning black or other molds. Clean the area very well, getting into all possible nooks and crannies. Lastly, make sure you wipe down all treated areas with dry paper or other disposable type towels. The key is to make sure any treated areas have dried thoroughly.

After Cleaning Black Mold: Fix any moisture problems to prevent mold reappearance. Also purchase a good dehumidifier for the room or area, if needed. If black mold does pop back up, spray it down and clean it up with a mold cleaning product before it becomes too large, or turns into a serous problem again.