In every corner of your home lies different blind spots that can be susceptible to different stains and formations. But more often than not, some of these spots are also easy to detect and thus are more prone to catching different formations. A common nuisance that can plague these spots and objects in your home is mold.
As one of the biggest enemies of the cleaning department, mold formations are pretty tough to beat and remove. They infect and spread a number of surfaces in your home — from blackening the grout lines in your shower to discoloring your walls and even tainting your furniture with tiny dotted spots. Even worse, they pose a threat to your health and safety once left untouched. Mold can trigger different allergic reactions and even cause nasal-related issues such as runny nose and sneezing. Additionally, its strong and unpleasant smell can be irritating and unhealthy when inhaled.
Although it may seem difficult, removing mold from different surfaces is possible. With the combination of the right set of cleaning and disinfecting tools coupled with the proper steps of removing them, mold stains can be beaten. So the question still remains: how to get rid of mold? In this article, we’ll show how you can exactly do this and make your home free from mold once again.
How to Identify Mold
Mold is a fungus type that grows from tiny spores and travels through air by way of floating. It can grow almost anywhere in your home and can inhabit moist spots with a suitable temperature of 4 to 37 °C. Since it can be quite ubiquitous once it has formed in an area, spotting and identifying it is also easy.
Spotting mildew, the most visible type of mold, is a practice that you can try before proceeding to remove and clean these annoying fungi. Mildew usually begins as tiny black spots that ultimately grow into larger colonies. One obvious sign to tell if it’s mildew is by looking for black gunk in the grout lines of the shower, on damp walls and shady areas. Oftentimes a surface infected by mildew can be quite difficult to differentiate from one that is simply dirty. A good way to work around this is by dabbing a few drops of your household bleach on the infected or blackened area. After 1-2 minutes, check the dark spot for any signs of lighting — if this is the case, you have a case of mildew in your hands. But if it still remains dark after a few minutes have passed, then it’s most likely that it’s just dirt that needs proper and thorough cleaning.
Since mildew is a less advanced type of mold, it is less likely that it can cause too much destruction in your home. However, it still doesn’t mean that you should rest on your cleaning laurels and ignore mildew formations in your home. This is all the more urgent if you can smell a strong musty odor emanating from the affected area. If this is the case, then you have a high concentration of mold currently rotting away in your area. Before cleaning it, it’s best to inspect all areas in your home first — from carpets, walls, floors, tiles, and other damp surfaces. After you have determined the areas that need cleaning, it’s time for you to kill mold and get your home extra clean from mold once again. Here are just a couple of mold removal cleaning tips that you can try when getting rid of mold from different surfaces.
How to Remove and Kill Mold From Different Surfaces
- Clothes and Fabrics - If your clothes have acquired mold and bacteria, it can be almost impossible to salvage them. But if your fabrics have just gotten mildew more recently due to dampness, it can be removed. First, you need to clean these items outside in open air to prevent any more spread inside your home. If the fabric is washable, it is recommended to wash it off using the hottest water advised in the label’s washing and care instructions. Afterwards, add a disinfectant to the mix. If the stains are still unable to be removed, you need to create a special solution made of oxygen bleach and water and have the fabric soaked in it for at least 8 hours. Don’t worry, oxygen bleach is a safe solution and can be used on any washable fabric! On the other hand, you can remove mildew from non-washable fabrics by brushing them away. Once these stains have been reduced in texture and volume, go to a professional cleaner and have them specifically removed through dry cleaning or a special mold cleaning process.
- Leather Shoes, Coats, Furniture and Accessories - Similar with any mildew removal, it’s best to take these items out to prevent any spread of the mold inside your home. To clean these items of mold, try wiping their surface with a cloth that has been dipped in distilled white vinegar. Afterwards, wipe them with a leather soap mixed with warm water. To finish it off, dry the surface with a soft cloth and air the items out completely. Once dry, add another last layer of protection by putting on a special leather conditioner to the items.
- Books and Papers - Books and papers infected with mold should first be dried out before cleaning. For faster drying, try placing these items in a sealed container infused with a material that absorbs moisture such as a silica gel. You can also try sprinkling a pinch of cornstarch between the pages for this process. Once dry, use a cloth or soft paint brush to gently brush the fungi away from the materials. Protect each page and corner by placing waxed paper underneath from any damage. Finish this off by using a clean and soft cloth dipped in hydrogen peroxide to wipe each page. Afterwards, leave the items to dry in the open air.
- Home Appliances - Essential home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and even coffee makers are highly prone to mold and must be treated accordingly when cleaning. To clean washing machines, just run a hot water cycle mixed with chlorine bleach to wash the mold away and do this monthly. For refrigerators and coffee makers, using distilled white vinegar to wipe clean the items of mold is also effective.
- Walls, Flooring and Carpet - To clean walls and other flooring infected with mold, wash them with a solution containing detergent, bleach and water. Apply the solution with a sponge or a mop and use protective gear when cleaning to avoid getting it on your skin. For carpets, using a wet or dry vacuum is recommended before letting it dry out completely.
- Wood Surfaces - From cabinets, panelling to furniture, vacuum the loose mold spores with a soft brush. Afterwards, clean the infected areas using a cloth laced with a dishwater detergent and water. Rinse all surfaces with a clean damp cloth and dry using an electric fan.
- Upholstery - Clean mattresses or upholstery by vacuuming them first and tossing the accumulated mildew in a bag to prevent them from further spreading. If stains still remain, clean the surface by using a cloth mixed with water and alcohol. Afterwards, rinse it by doing another round of wiping, this time using a sponge dampened with water. Dry the item under the sun for several hours to remove any additional odor that has remained.
- Tile and Grout - To clean your bathroom tiles and another area infected by mold, create a solution using one cup of bleach to one gallon of water and apply it to the surface. You can also add in some baking soda into the mix. Let the solution remain for at least 15 minutes before scrubbing it thoroughly until the mold is gone. To fully clean mold away, rinse with water afterwards.
- Exterior Home Surfaces - Using chlorine bleach to clean mold out of pretty much every exterior surface at your home is recommended. From mould on walls to other area panels, just mix one cup of chlorine bleach with one gallon of water and apply it to the surface using a garden sprayer, a power washer or even hand-scrubbing with rubber gloves.
Get Rid of Mold and Keep Your Home Clean and Mold-Free
From floors to appliances and your personal items, keeping your home mold-free is extremely important as it keeps you and your family away from the high risk of contracting health-related problems associated with these formations. Whether you have mold on walls, a big mold growth or you simply want to clean mold or kill mold, it's best to refer to these cleaning steps for best results.
However, if you need additional and professional help to remove and get rid of these mildew formations away, try giving us a call at Homefresh! We have a team of expertly trained professional cleaners on call to help you with mold removal. Our cleaners are equipped with complete cleaning products that should ease away your mould removal concerns. Book us now and experience quality home cleaning in an instant.
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