How To Remove Mold From Walls

Mold can damage your home and your health. The following advice tells you how to clean mold from the walls of your house and keep it off.

Size up the moldy area

First, you need to decide if you have a large or small area of mold. A small area is less than 10 square feet. If your area is larger than that you should consider professional mold removal. Seal the area from the rest of the house. Remember to always use protection. You need to wear gloves, goggles and breathing protection around mold. Make sure you cover all heat registers and ventilation ducts and remove all furnishings from the room. Open a window before you start to clean.

Never just paint over mold. Mold continues to grow even under paint.

Cleaning

Bag any moldy items and take them outside right away. Place them in a garbage container. Mold is removable from hard surfaces only. If your wall is glass, plastic or metal, you can scrub it with a non-ammonia soap or detergent. If your wall is made of a porous material, such as sheetrock, you must remove the affected wall area. If mold is on the wall stud, you need to scrub it. If scrubbing does not remove the mold from the wall stud, then sanding is your next step. Disinfect the area after the mold is removed. Bleach and water is a good choice for disinfection. A solution of 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of bleach to one gallon of water should do the trick. The surface needs to remain wet for 15 minutes to insure it is properly disinfected. Then rinse the area and dry with fans.

Once you have removed your mold, remember that moisture prevention is the only way to keep the area free from mold in the future. Fix any leaks, and make sure you have adequate ventilation.

You need to wear gloves, goggles and breathing protection around mold