It’s important to know how to remove mold from drywall because of the serious health problems it can pose to humans, pets, and even plants. Not only can it lead to serious health problems, but it just makes a room look unsightly.
The truth is that you’ll never be able to fully remove mold from your home as there will always be tiny, invisible spores. Mold fulfills a necessary process in nature as they decompose dead organic matter like fallen leaves & dead trees. However, when these slimy, unsightly organisms colonise is when they become a problem.
In this blog post, we’re going to discuss how to remove mold from drywall in your home or business.
Stop The Source Of Moisture
Mold needs six things to flourish. Without one of them, the colony will eventually die out.
Mold Spores: The first and most obvious source of mold would be mold spores. Of the six elements, mold spores are really the only thing you can’t prevent in your home. Mold isn’t found under the ocean because of the lack of oxygen and isn’t found in the arctic because it’s too cold and dry.
Moisture: The longer you allow for wet climates to exist, the more chance you’re going to give mold colonies to take root and grow. Like we said earlier, we can’t prevent mold spores from traveling outside to inside, but we can prevent them from getting their most needed resource, moisture.
Moisture can get into your walls a number of ways:
- Seeping through cracks in foundation of your home
- Leaky water lines or drain pipes
- Rain or flood water
- Poor ventilation in the bathroom
- Wet floor mats & towels
- Steam from pots, pans, etc in the kitchen
- Leaky downspouts and gutters
Food Sources: Indoor sources of mold include cellulose-based materials like wood & cardboard as well as in this article’s case, drywall.
Oxygen Supply: If you were thinking about limiting the oxygen supply for mold to limit its growth, you might as well throw that idea away. Mold doesn’t require a lot of oxygen so we can almost guarentee that you’ll run out of oxygen first in a game of chicken.
Lack Of Sunlight: Ultraviolet sunlight (UV) from the sun kills most mold and spores. This is why you’re most likely to find mold in closets and basements.
Temperature: Most mold can’t grow at below 40 degrees fahrenheit, which is why food is refrigerated at 39 degrees. The ideal temperature for mold to grow is 77 to 86 degrees, however, anything above 40 degrees is fair game as long as there’s a food source, moisture & oxygen.
Without further ado, let’s get into how to stop mold in its tracks.
Prep The Area & Put on PPE
You can’t just start spraying mold killer around the problem areas and call it good. You have to take the necessary prep steps or else you may actually exacerbate the problem & open yourself up to health risks.
Ventilate the room
Mold cleaning solutions with bleach and other detergants can have harmful chemicals that shouldn’t be inhaled.
Protect surrounding areas
Accidental spills from the cleaning agents are likely to happen. The last thing you want to do is add more moisture to the problem room. The simplest way to avoid this is by applying a drop cloth to the floor.
Protect yourself
You’ll want to protect your eyes, skin & respiratory system from mold and spores. Wear a mask/respirator, gloves, goggles & clothing that covers your skin.
Select Your Mold Killing Agent
Baking Soda
Unlike other mold killers, baking soda has a harmless pH of 8.1 making it safe for your pets and family. Since baking soda is a deoderizer, it will also kill off the moldy smell that lingers. Lastly, mold will draw out the moisture that keeps mold coming back even after its been removed.
To kill mold with baking soda, combine a quarter tablespoon of baking soda with water in a spray bottle and shake until it has dissolved.
Vinager
Did you know the acetic acid inside of vinager, which makes it a powerful mold killer, can kill of 82% of mold. Acedic acid is a colorless organic compound that gives vinager its sour taste and powerful smell.
Vinager is a common ingrediant in household cleaning products, but you can skip the middle man and the other harmful chemicals included in industrial products by making your own mold killing solution.
To kill mold with vinager, simply pour white distilled vinager into an empty spray bottle WITHOUT mixing with water. You can also mix in some baking soda if you’d like to get even more strains of mold.
Other mold killers include tea tree oil, bleach, borax, hydrogen peroxide, clove oil & grapefruit seed extract.
Start Removing Mold
Take your choice of cleaning solution and pour it into a spray bottle being sure to mix it well. Spray small amounts of the cleaning solution onto the wall. I’ll emphasize small amounts because you want to be careful with the amount of moisture you add to the room.
We prefer to apply solution to an area on the wall, then use a brush to scrub until the mold is no longer visible in that area.
Do this on all areas that contain mold, then completely dry the area.
Prevent Future Mold Growth
- Install a dehumidifyer
- Install a whole house air filter
- Clean up spilled water immediately
- Keep your whole house well lit from the sun
- Clean gutters and downspouts often
- Run your fan &/or open a window when you shower
