Black Mold Removal - Can You Safely Do It Yourself?

Black mold is a hazard in your home and needs to be removed quickly and carefully. If you only have small area that is infected you can remove it yourself following our guidelines. A large area would need professional advice. As the spores of black mold are very toxic you need to take care that they do not spread through the house while you are cleaning and be careful not to breathe them in.

Always wear protective clothing including gloves and breathing masks while removing the black mold from your home. You also need to make sure that you not only remove the black mold that you can see but any that is growing in unseen places such as inside walls, inside appliances and in your cupboards and closets. A favorite place for black mold to grow is inside air-conditioners and around the vents of clothes dryers where the air is humid.

Find out the Damp Places in Your Home

Before you start to clean up it is a good idea to identify any places in your home that are damp and to fix the problem. Moisture can accumulate from condensation in poorly ventilated bathrooms and basements and from leaking pipes, roofs and gutters. Do a thorough inspection of your home looking for signs of dampness which can include stains on ceilings and walls. Inspect your roof and especially the chimney which can often be a source of leaks. Make sure your gutters are not blocked and fit grills to their tops to prevent leaves and debris collecting in them. Also make sure that downspouts do not lead water into the foundations but away from your home.

During this inspection look out for black or greenish stains on the wall that will tell you that black mold is growing in all these out-of-the-way places. Once you have fixed all the problems and identified areas where mold is growing it's time to do the cleanup.

Preventing Black Mold Spores From Spreading

The first thing you need to do is to think about how you are going to prevent the toxic spores from the mold from spreading during your cleanup. You need to clean one room at a time and completely seal it. You can use plastic sheeting sealed with duct tape on all the windows, doors and any ventilation grills. If you have a ventilation system in your home turn it off. To make sure spores do not enter the atmosphere while you are cleaning spray all the areas lightly with water to dampen down. Do not concentrate only on areas where black mold is visibly growing as any area can be infected with the tiny, invisible spores and all the surrounding areas need to be cleaned.

Cleaning Up the Black Mold

All the areas that are affected and the surrounding areas should be cleaned with soap to remove as much of the mold as possible. The area can then be treated with a specially purchased disinfectant made to kill mold. Clean everywhere even if you cannot see mold growing. Some materials will be so damaged that they need to be removed especially porous materials like paper, insulation and ceiling tiles. Non-porous materials like metal, hard plastic, cement etc. can be reused when thoroughly cleaned. Place any damaged materials in heavy-duty plastic bags sealed carefully with duct tape. When you are finished thoroughly dry the whole area.

Disposing of Waste Material

It is extremely important that you dispose of any infected material very carefully. Do not carry bags through your house as spores clinging to the outside will cause black mold to spread. Instead pass the bags through a window directly to the outside where they can then be taken to a landfill to be disposed of properly.

Black Mold Prevention

After all your hard work you do not want black mold to return and reinfect your home. You must make sure that the conditions that allowed the mold to grow are dealt with by removing any source of moisture that is creating damp areas. Perform regular inspections of out-of-the-way places such as attics, basements and inside cupboards and air conditioners and deal with the first signs of re-growth immediately.

Conclusion

It is possible to deal with small areas of black mold safely yourself. However seek professional advice if you have a very large area. If you deal with the conditions that allowed the black mold to grow you should be able to prevent this toxic substance from invading your home in the future.

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Comments

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 at 3:30 PM, by Certified Mold Removal Specialist
Mold lives off moisture and the spring time means that the humidity is high and the mold in your home is thriving and growing at a remarkable rate. Mold is commonly found in damp humid areas of the home and is usually found in basements, attics, and bathrooms under sinks, behind toilets, and around the window seams. When mold is growing behind your walls it can be very hard to find, in many cases it is impossible to find without help from the professionals and their equipment. . If you have suspicion of mold poisoning in your home you should contact a professional mold removal specialist immediately to assure that you and your family is safe.

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