Cleaning Mold

Ever walk into your bathroom and scrunch up your nose, wondering where in the world that musty smell is coming from? Well, if you have, you are certainly not alone. No matter how new or old your house might be, that musty smell is a lot more common than what most people would like it to be. What's the typical cause of that mustiness? Most likely, it is coming from black mold. And let's face it - you can light as many candles and use as many air fresheners as you want, but if you can't eliminate the leading source of the musty smell, your black mold will continue to wreak havoc. Unfortunately, black mold is one of the most common battles that even the cleanest of homeowner's has to deal with. However, there are many ways to combat black mold and ensure that it doesn't continue to win any wars.

For a lot of people, cleaning the bathroom is a dreaded chore. You may get those self-cleaning sprays that you can spray onto your shower walls after taking a shower, and while they work well, you will still have to do some cleaning on your own in order to get rid of the mold. The main reason the black mold, especially in bathrooms, is so successful in its existence is because it is typically the one room of the house in which the ventilation and moisture is at its worst. A lot of moisture will provide a perfect breeding ground for black mold. In fact, sometimes it will seem like it just appears overnight. One of the best ways to cut down on black mold is to increase ventilation. If your bathroom doesn't have an overhead vent to take the heat and moisture out of the air, it is something that you should consider installing. If you allow for all of that moisture and humid air to simply linger in your bathroom, it is just encouraging the mold to reproduce on its own free will.



One of the very best and most powerful methods of cleaning your bathroom is to use bleach. Regular cleaners typically work fine and there's nothing wrong with them. However, bleach is incredibly strong and will kill your black mold on contact. Of course, if you are going to use bleach, take all of the necessary precautions before doing so. If you can't seem to get into some crevices with the bleach, find some creative ways of doing so. Some families will keep old toothbrushes on hand just for cleaning purposes. One of the most common places for black mold to flourish is underneath any cracks and crevices in your caulking. If the caulking around or inside your shower or tub is a bit cracked, you can guarantee that mold is trying to makes its presence known. Stripping the caulking and reapplying it may be necessary. Once you have the caulk stripped, clean underneath of where it was with bleach.

If you truly want to get rid of black mold, be aggressive. Make some changes and keep the changes in place. You may end up saving some money on those air fresheners and candles and find that a clean bathroom that smells like bleach is pretty rewarding.

Every homeowner dreads it. The musty smell may be the first indication that it is happening and then once you take a few moments to look around, you will see it. The dreaded black mold is hiding in little cracks, crevices and other hard to reach places. It could even be in plain sight taunting you. So, now you have mold and need to figure out how to get rid of it before it becomes an even larger problem.

Black mold removal can be a nuisance and not a fun experience. It can be time consuming and seem like it has to be done over and over again. If moisture and humidity in your household is a struggle, it may seem like black mold removal is definitely happening too often. The fact is - mold loves moisture and doesn't take very long to grow. Once it starts, it spreads quite rapidly and then it can become hazardous to not only your house, but to your health also. The first step in black mold removal is to possibly determine how and why it is happening. The most common rooms for mold growth are in bathrooms and basements. Those two locations are known for having high amounts of moisture present in them and that is something that can be changed. If your bathroom doesn't have an exhaust fan, install one. The key is to remove the moisture from the room. Perhaps you can get a dehumidifier for your basement. If you have both of those deterrents in place, then you may have to get a bit more creative. Lighting can also be a problem for mold. Installing brighter lights or light bulbs can be a slight help in black mold removal as well.

Once you identify and fix the source of moisture, you can move on to the actual black mold removal itself. You may want to have any children or family members vacate the house for a while when you take on the challenge. Before you begin, make sure that your windows are open and your house is ventilated. Also, turn off the air conditioning and heating units as well. You don't need those mold spores being distributed into other rooms to cause chaos where there doesn't need to be chaos. Your black mold removal project should be contained to only the affected rooms and not be noticed throughout the house. Once you're ready to start your black mold removal, there are some things to keep in mind. If the mold is dry, make it wet. Not soaking wet, but mist it in order to keep the spores contained. Once the mist is provided, you can begin the black mold removal with soap and water. Use a cloth that you don't mind throwing away after you are finished.



You may want to wear gloves as well and old clothing. Using soap and water is the best way to begin black mold removal, but make sure that you use disinfectants immediately afterwards. Even if it looks clean to the naked eye, those black mold spores do still remain. Use whatever disinfectant you want, but something containing bleach would be ideal. All in all, black mold removal on common surfaces is not difficult. It is time consuming, annoying and frustrating. But, it is possible and the best thing that you can do is to take precautions to ensure that it doesn't continue to happen. After the proper steps are taken, your black mold removal days will become simply bad memories!

Carpet mold is probably one of the most concerning problems that you can find in your household and yet, one of the most common. It is something that usually isn't discovered until there is rather large problem and at that point, you need to make a decision on how to deal with the mold. Before you even make any attempts to remove the carpet mold or even buy new carpet, you need to figure out what caused it in the first place. It doesn't just appear out of nowhere, it is something that forms slowly over time and is triggered by moisture or humidity. You can do all that you want to remove it or replace the carpet completely, but if you don't remove the cause of the mold, it will simply continue to appear in the future.

In rooms in which moisture and humidity are commonly a problem, avoid placing carpet in the first place. Bathrooms are incredibly prone to moisture issues, which means, putting carpet in a bathroom may lead to some serious problems. Carpet mold runs rampant in bathrooms and musty basements. If you have a room, such as a sunroom or a basement that you know has issues with humidity & moisture, invest in a dehumidifier. By using this common product, you might be amazed at not only how much more comfortable your room may feel to you, but it will also help in preventing the conditions that are a breeding ground for carpet mold.

If you have had leaks, flooding or spills of any kind, if it isn't taken care of immediately, chances are, you will find yourself dealing with carpet mold. Any carpeted area that gets wet or is subjected to any forms of moisture needs to be dried immediately. The longer a carpet remains moist or wet, the more carpet mold that will breed.

Is carpet mold harmful? Absolutely! Living in a house in which carpet mold has marked its territory can be hazardous to your health. It can have long term health effects or you might just notice allergies and a lot of minor breathing issues. However, any side effects that come from having carpet mold are not healthy and need to be dealt with quickly.

There are ways to get rid of carpet mold. You can scrub until you're blue in the face with various chemicals; that may work perfectly. If you choose to use chemicals and attempt to clean the carpet mold on your own, make sure that the room in which you are working is properly ventilated. You could replace the carpet, after you make sure that you've resolved the problem of moisture, leaking or humidity - the original cause of the problem. Or, you can hire a professional to come out, evaluate your situation and help you decide what course to take. Whatever method you choose, don't procrastinate in making the decision. The health of your household could depend on it.

Bathroom Mold

Let's face it - who can enjoy a bath or shower when you're surrounded by mold? Even fastidious homeowners can find themselves facing an onslaught of mold. If you are like many people, your bathroom isn't as ventilated as much as it should be in order to prevent bathroom mold from forming. Mold loves warm and moist environments and most bathrooms make a great breeding ground.

Of course, mold doesn't just crop up in bathrooms. In fact, it can appear anywhere the conditions are ripe. Bathrooms are just an easy target.
Bathroom molds love poor circulation and high humidity. Almost any bathrooms can fall into that category. Poor lighting can aggravate the growth of mold also.

How can you fight back against bathroom mold? Well, while it may still show its ugly rainbow colors, it is possible to use a few deterrents in order to control it. One simple thing you can do is to turn on your bathroom fan. Those fans are supposed to pull moisture from the bathroom, leaving better circulation and well, less moisture and humidity. If you don't already have a bathroom fan, consider getting one installed.

Clean your tub and shower regularly using bleach products. Bleach kills mold spores and will result in bathroom mold that may not spread as readily as it would if left untreated. Or use vinegar, which can not only deodorize and kill bathroom mold instantly, but can reduce or eliminate those musty odors that are produced by bathroom mold. Baking soda has a similar effect of counteracting odors.

Some other areas that bathroom mold loves to hide is the cracks and crevices of caulk around your bathtub. Maybe the caulk has loosened up a bit over the years and that mold is just impossible to remove when its packed into those little hiding places. Take some time and remove those old strips of caulk. Use new caulking that is especially for bathrooms and designed to come into contact with moisture. This will be an aid in reducing bathroom mold as well as making your bathroom look newer and updated also. Often, minor upkeep is all you really need to do in order to end bathroom mold. Replace those leaky faucets if need be.

Clean your shower and tub more often and make sure that you're using products designed to fight bathroom mold before it gets out of hand. Not only will your bathroom smell fresher and look more inviting, but your health may end up improving from the change as well.

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