Many homes have problems with damp and ensuing mold, whether it is black mold that you can see or it is a problem that you can only detect by its damp, musty smell.
This situation can be due to some kind of water leak somewhere, due to worn pipes and pipe joints, a dripping tap, poor drainage and poor ventilation among other reasons.
The most common areas affected include the garage, the attic, the kitchen, cellar and bathroom. It is very important to deal with the problem as soon as possible because it can represent a danger to health, especially if the mold spores are breathed in to a great extent such as when clearing away old damp carpet that has been stored in a garage, or clearing old musty herbage from gardens.
What procedures should be taken?
The best procedure when clearing or cleaning moldy items is to wear a protective breathing mask. This helps protect against the possibility of contracting any diseases caused by toxic mold and also helps you to avoid breathing in any fumes from cleaning chemicals that may be being used for the cleanup. Mold exposure symptoms may show up as sneezing or wheezing, coughing or rashes. If these signs start to show up when you are in a mold problem area then it is best to get it checked up by your local health practitioner to eliminate any chance that you have been infected or to get appropriate treatment if needed.
How do I clean Up?
You can probably deal with, or kill mold by yourself in most cases, as long as you know what you are doing and it is not always necessary to call in the remediation specialists. You could prepare yourself by reading a mold removal guide first. The first step would be to check out the source of the problem. Is it a leaky pipe? Is it down to there not being enough circulating air in the room? Have you recently had a flood?
Fix The Pipe!
Once the root cause has been identified, do something to fix it. Fix the leaky pipe, invest in an air ventilator, air purifier, air conditioner or dehumidifier. Take whatever steps you need to take to make the area dry and well aired. Spray any smaller visible mold areas with bleach, or a solution of Moldzyme, which is one of the latest eco friendly mold solutions, remembering to wear a protective mask at all times. This is because whenever you are doing remediation work on mold infected areas the spores will be disturbed and start to fly around in the air, so of course you don’t want to breathe them in. For larger areas, you may want to make use of a fogger or a hose attached to a garden pump.
Mold Prevention Measures
Once the area is free from contamination it would be advisable to cover it again with a protective antifungal or fungus resistant coating. A natural product that some people would recommend is somthing called liquid colloidal silver, which acts as a natural fungicide. It kills any fungus or bacteria by literally ‘smothering’ the spores or microbes and you can even learn how to make it yourself in larger quantities for regular household cleaning and medical use. You can research some of the guidelines for use and general information about colloidal silver if you click here.
