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Mold is a major problem for your home and your health. It will blacken your grouting, turn your drywall off-white (or worse), make your home smell musty, and rot wooden surfaces and structures. Its spores can cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems.

If you think you don’t have mold, think again. Most homes suffer with mold. In this post I’ll look the four steps to take to get rid of mold in your home and prevent it from returning.

Step 1: Identify

Mold is everywhere, but thrives in warm, damp, dark environments. The most visible type of mold is mildew. It starts as small black spots and grows rapidly. Most commonly, you’ll notice this in bathrooms, grouting, decks, and painted siding.

If you dab a couple of spots of bleach on the suspected mildew and it lightens, then it is mildew. If it remains dark, the surface is simply dirty.

If your home smells musty, check for mold on carpets, damp walls, crawl spaces, etc. A spongy drywall could be a sign that the mold is located deep inside.

Use our step-by-step guide on how to kill mold in carpet and read our post that tells you everything you need to know about how to remove mold from drywall for tips about getting rid of mold from these specific surfaces.

Step 2: Clean

The first thing to remember when removing mold from your home is to take precautions. Wear old clothes, safety glasses and a mask. A box fan in a window will help to keep a room ventilated while working in it.

If the infestation is on a large scale, such as across a carpet, you may need to cut away and discard.

In bathrooms, decks and sidings, use a mix of bleach and water to scrub away the mold. If the mold is inside a wall, you’ll need to open up and clean and repair from the inside out, taking care not to cut through electrical wires.

Use a vacuum to remove the final debris after a clean – you should throw away the filter and wash the tank and hose with a solution of bleach and water, too.

Step 3: Repair

Put dehumidifiers out to dry the room atmosphere, and check every few days. If there is more mold growth, you’ll need to go through the clean process again.

Seal all wood surfaces, and repaint walls with a latex paint.

Step 4: Prevent

Waterproof coating on walls and surfaces will help to prevent mold growth in your home. However, there are other things you can do, too. These include:

  • Not laying carpet on concrete floors
  • Using fiberglass insulation between floor joints and above the ceiling
  • Filling gaps in your flooring with spray foam
  • Using plywood as a subfloor on top of foam
  • Making sure rooms are ventilated
  • Using dehumidifiers
  • Letting daylight in!

For more tips on how to get rid of mold in your house, or if you have a stubborn mold infestation that simply won’t go away, contact us today. We’re available 24/7 and we’ll be happy to help.

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(973) 835-4150