How to Identify, Kill Black Mold and Remove it Without Chemicals
Black mold is a type of fungus that can and does grow indoors. Like all molds, black mold loves moist environments, so areas that are often damp, such as damp or wet basements, showers, bathrooms, and areas where there's a leak, are prone to mold growth. Because some kinds of black mold can cause allergic reactions such as, asthma attacks, and respiratory issues, it’s important to remove it when you find it in your home . The trick to killing black mold is penetrating the mold and killing the roots as well as the surface mold, and taking steps to ensure it doesn’t return.
- Identify black mold. Black mold grows mostly in damp or wet areas, places where there has been a water leak or water damage. The most common places to find black mold are basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. How to know if it is black mold:
- It appears black in color
- It grows in a circular pattern that look like dots
- It appears slimy on a wet surfaces and looks like soot on dry surfaces
- Seal the affected area. To prevent mold spores from becoming airborne and spreading, you can seal the affected room. Put up sheets of plastic to cover doors and vents that lead to other areas of the house. Use will want to use painter’s or construction tape to tape the plastic in place and seal the room.
- Cover all mental air vents including return vents, and heating and air conditioning vents. If present, leave any exhaust vents open.
- By sealing the area you will help will help prevent spores from spreading from one area of the house to another.
- Sealing doesn’t stop mold from growing elsewhere in the house. Mold spores are always present in the air, and mold can grow anywhere that there's moisture.
- Open your windows. The mold itself and the cleaning products you use to kill it can irritate eyes, skin, and lungs, so you need to provide yourself with as much fresh air as possible. In the area where you're going to be treating the mold, open all windows!
- If working in winter, still open at least one or two windows to let in some fresh air.
- Turn on all vents and fans. To help draw mold spores out of the room and out of the house, turn on any exhaust fans in the room you're working in. You can also position a fan in front of an open window and blow the air outside. This will similarly draw mold spores out of the room and push them outside as well.
- To prevent blowing mold spores around the room, avoid placing fans inside the rom. Put them in front of the windows.
- Wear personal protective equipment. Exposure to mold can cause upper respiratory illness, and the cleaners you use to kill the mold may also be damaging if breather. To protect yourself while you're cleaning, consider wearing protective gear, including:
- Safety goggles
- Non-porous gloves
- Mask or respirator
- Don’t mix cleaning solutions. You will have to choose a cleaning solution to kill the mold, and it’s important that you stick to that one cleaner. Never Mix different cleaners as this can be very dangerous, you can create unexpected chemical reactions.
- Never, never, never, mix ammonia or bleach together or with any other household cleaners.
- Consider replacing materials that are absorbent. Removing mold from absorbent materials can be extremely difficult. Most professionals will recommend that you remove and replace them, since it probably won’t be possible to remove the mold without damaging the material or causing further problems anyway.
- Absorbent materials that may need to be replaced include drywall, ceiling tiles, furniture, carpeting and rugs.
- Scrub the affected area with soapy water. Fill a bucket with warm water, and add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of liquid dish soap. Stir the soap around in the water to make suds. Dip a stiff-bristled brush into the soapy water and scrub the moldy surface with the brush. Re-dip the brush regularly and scrub until the area is saturated with suds. Rinse the area with water.
- By Pre-scrubbing the mold you will help break up the surface so that the cleaner can penetrate to the roots and kill the mold.
- Some cleaning mix solutions. There are a number of cleaning solutions and products you can use to clean mold. The most effective will be a commercial biocide or antimicrobial cleaner, which is specifically designed to kill mold. I will leave link for this in the comments below. There are other cleaning solutions you can try that have also proven effective.
- Equal parts of ammonia and water
- 1 cup (235 ml) of bleach mixed with 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water
- Pure distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of tea tree oil and 1 cup (235 ml) of water
- Equal parts baking soda and water, mixed into a paste in a bowl
- One part hydrogen peroxide mixed with two parts water (1 cup peroxide to 2 cups water)
- 1 cup (409 g) of borax dissolved in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water
- ¼ cup (102 g) of borax dissolved in ½ cup (118 ml) of vinegar and 4 cups (940 ml) of warm water
Expert Trick: Adding more vinegar to a solution with water will make the cleaner stronger. You can also use different types of vinegar, like apple cider or rice, to cover up the smell!
- Apply cleaner and let it soak. For liquid solutions, spray generous amounts of cleaner on the moldy surface that you pre-scrubbed. For pastes, apply the paste to the affected area with a knife, brush, or old tooth brush.
- Let the cleaner stand for about 15 minutes. This will give it time to penetrate the mold and kill it all the way to the roots, which will prevent it from growing back. The roots have to be killed to prevent re-growth.
- Scrub porous materials. When the cleaner has had time to soak in, scrub the surface with a stiff-bristled brush. This will help dislodge the mold and work the cleaner in even farther.
- You can use an non-abrasive scrubbing pad to scrub the area as well.
- Rinse and dry the area. To remove any leftover mold and cleaner, rinse the area with clean water. When the mold and cleaner are gone, wipe the area dry with a towel or a squeegee. This will remove excess moisture and prevent the mold from growing back.
- Mold can start growing on a damp surface within 24 hours, which is why it’s important to keep the area dry after cleaning.
- Know when to call a professional. Mold can be notoriously difficult to clean, especially in hard to reach places and on certain materials, such as dry wall and other porous materials. There are times when it’s best to call a mold removal professional, including if:
- Your cleaning effort wasn’t effective
- The affected area is larger than 10 square feet (3 square meters)
- You suspect there's mold in your heating, cooling, or ventilation system
- You have any health concerns about the mold
- The mold problem was caused by contaminated water or sewage
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