Black mold doesn’t go away on its own. The longer it sits without getting cleaned, the more it will grow. This can result in all sorts of health complications, particularly for those with respiratory health problems.
Mold damages whatever it grows on. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says the best thing to do with black mold is to clean it as quickly as possible. To clean the mold, you’ll need to contact a professional.
What Is Black Mold?
Stachybotrys chartarum, often known as “black mold,” has a slimy, dark green or black surface. Black mold is a collection of black spots or stains that spread outward in haphazard circles. Toxic mold grows best in damp and humid places, like homes and buildings that have been flooded.
Is It Okay to Clean Black Mold?
Yes, it’s okay to remove black mold. When mold is discovered, you should have it cleaned as quickly as possible. In only a few days, a little black mold colony can expand into massive colonies.
The most probable spots for mold growth in your home include the bathrooms, the basement, and any rooms with high humidity levels. Make sure to check these areas and other parts of the home regularly for mold growth, and contact a professional if you find any.
Letting professionals remove black mold has several advantages, particularly for your health. This is especially true if there is a large area of mold to clean.
Professionals Wear Personal Protective Equipment
With black mold being so dangerous, professionals who clean it will always wear a mask, gloves, and protective eyewear. There are several steps involved in professional mold removal.
1. Get Rid of Excess Water
There’s no point in removing mold if you don’t fix the moisture problem. This is why professionals start removing mold by getting rid of excess water.
The water source influences which remedy to use to stop the water. If moisture is soaking through a wall, drywall services will be needed. Fortunately, we use leak-spotting technology to pinpoint water leaks. When we find the source, we let the remediation team step in.
2.Dry the Affected Area
Once the water problem is fixed, the repair team will use dehumidifiers and fans to dry the area quickly. It’s not uncommon for teams to use industrial fans during the drying process.
3. Identify All Affected Areas
With the moisture problem under control, it’s time to inspect all areas for black mold. These areas may or may not be isolated with plastic sheets. Usually, they are sealed off from other parts of the home, primarily when heavy amounts of black mold are found. Sealing these areas helps avoid cross-contamination and mitigates spreading spores to other parts of the house.
4. Removal and Clean Up
After moisture issues are resolved and the house is fully dried out, the black mold removal process can officially begin. This process consists of cleaning mold spores and using a HEPA filter to clean the area of airborne impurities. Any surface with black mold gets vacuumed, wiped down with a cleaning agent, and sprayed with an antimicrobial.
Removing mold can take several days, especially if there are large areas of it. Once all of it gets cleaned, removed, and properly disposed of, any additional repairs to the home, such as re-tiling the floor, will occur.
How to Prevent Black Mold Growth
Keeping humidity and moisture levels low in the house will help prevent mold from growing. Professionals generally say to shoot for a humidity level below 60% and to wipe down all wet surfaces as quickly as possible to keep moisture from turning into mold. They also say to use a dehumidifier to control humidity and make the home more comfortable.
There are many types of mold. Removing them depends on their exact specimen. Since so many have a musty smell and look alike, you’ll need professional testing to determine which type you have in your home. Regardless of the exact kind, almost any mold growing in a colony will hinder your respiratory health. This means that no matter the type, you should have it removed as soon as possible.
If your home is flooded, you may need to replace the carpets. Areas with standing water must be dried quickly to prevent mold growth. If you can’t dry the areas within 24 hours, you should consider removing the carpet, treating them for mold, and laying new carpeting.
When painting your house, mold professionals recommend using paints with mold inhibitors. Some paints come with the inhibitors already mixed, while others require you to buy the inhibitors separately and mix them in.
Keeping your roof in check is another effective way to keep your home safe from black mold. Any time you notice a leak in the roof, have it fixed with a permanent solution immediately. The same applies to any leaks you find in the walls or plumbing. Even the smallest of leaks can result in disastrous mold problems.
If your home has exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms, use them as much as possible. These fans do an excellent job removing indoor moisture from the house, particularly during high-moisture activities like showering. Keeping moisture to a minimum in these areas helps protect them from mold growth.
Using dehumidifiers will reduce indoor moisture, but these devices heavily rely on one thing: a human emptying the water collection bin once a day. If it doesn’t get emptied, it can’t suck moisture out of the air because it has no place to store it. If you can commit to emptying the bin once a day, though, many professionals and health experts recommend using a dehumidifier.
A lot of moisture is created when you dry wet laundry. This moisture is supposed to go outside the house through ductwork, but what if the ductwork is loose? All that moisture stays inside your house. This is why professionals recommend inspecting all ductwork and venting systems for black mold prevention.
Professionals suggest repairing all leaks and considering moisture barriers in basement areas. Moisture barriers come in the form of specialty coatings to keep out the presence of the earth’s moisture. You create a space that doesn’t absorb moisture from the earth’s soil.
Does Black Mold Always Grow Back?
Black mold won’t fix itself. You won’t wake up one day and find the mold has died and gone away. It will linger, and any and all moisture will feed it to grow larger. The only way to face the problem is by contacting a professional.
Get Rid of Black Mold in Your Home Today!
Do you have a mold problem that’s gotten out of hand? Pur360 understands your frustration and offers quick and simple mold removal. Contact Pur360 now and let us help you create a home free of mold with mold remediation, mold testing, and restoration services.
