Mold, Mold Removal
Using bleach on these materials will kill the mold above the surface but the roots within the material will remain and the mold will soon return. How to Kill Mold with Bleach Bleach produces harsh fumes so make sure the area is well ventilated before you begin. You should also wear gloves during the process to protect your hands. For killing mold with bleach use a ratio of one cup of bleach per gallon of water ie about 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.
Apply the solution to non-porous surfaces with mold growth either by using a spray bottle or by using a bucket and a sponge or cloth. You don't need to rinse the surface afterwards unless it is used for food preparation or a surface which may be touched by small children or pets as the bleach will inhibit mold growing in the future. Does Bleach Kill Mold? Although the active ingredient in bleach, sodium hypochlorite, is the main ingredient in many mold removal products, there are many reasons to use alternatives to chlorine bleach when killing mold.
One reason is that bleach cannot completely kill mold growing in porous materials. The chlorine in bleach cannot penetrate into porous surfaces such as drywall or wood. The chlorine is left on the surface of porous materials and only the water component of the bleach is absorbed into the material, providing more moisture for the mold to feed on.
Some of the mold on the surface might be killed but the roots of the mold are left intact meaning the mold soon returns, leaving you in a cycle of repeated bleaching. Perhaps this is why some people believe that spraying bleach on mold doesn't affect it but instead just bleaches its color so you can no longer see it. Another disadvantage of bleach is that it can damage the materials it's used on as it is a harsh, corrosive chemical.
Chlorine bleach also gives off harsh fumes and it even produces toxic gas when mixed with ammonia. There are safer alternatives such as borax or vinegar which don't produce dangerous fumes or leave behind toxic residue. For these reasons try to avoid using bleach and if you must use it, only use it on non-porous surfaces. Mold Removal with Borax There are many advantages to using borax to kill mold. For starters, borax is a natural cleaning product and although it is toxic if you swallow it, borax does not emit chemicals or dangerous fumes like some other mold killers.
Borax, a white mineral powder, has a pH level of about 9 baking soda is pH 8. Borax is commonly used as a deodorizer as well as for cleaning toilets and drains. Borax is also used as an insecticide, herbicide and fungicide and it can be mixed with water in a solution to kill and remove mold as it is a natural mold inhibitor. You can buy borax in supermarkets for a few dollars from the laundry section. How to Kill Mold with Borax To kill mold using borax, create a borax-water solution using a ratio of 1 cup of borax per gallon of water.
Vacuum up any loose mold with a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner to lessen the number of spores stirred up into the air during the cleaning process. Use a scrubbing brush with the borax-water solution to scrub the mold off the surface. You don't need to rinse off the borax as the solution will prevent more mold beginning to grow on the surface again.
Leave the surface to dry completely. However it also has the advantages of being natural and safe. Vinegar is non-toxic and doesn't give off dangerous fumes like bleach does. How to Kill Mold with Vinegar To kill mold with vinegar, use white distilled vinegar which you can buy cheaply from the supermarket. Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle without watering it down.
What’s the Difference?
Spray the vinegar onto the moldy surface and leave it to sit for an hour. Wipe clean the area with water and allow the surface to dry. Any smell from the vinegar should clear within a few hours.
If you want to use vinegar to prevent mold growing on surfaces just spray vinegar on the surface and leave it. Repeat this every few days to ensure the surface will stay mold-free. You can even mop your tiled bathroom floor or other hard non-porous floors with vinegar if you are worried about mold growing on them. Mold Removal with Ammonia Like bleach, ammonia will kill mold on hard non-porous surfaces such as countertops, glass or tiles but it is ineffective at killing mold growing in porous material such as wood or drywall.
Another disadvantage of using ammonia is that it is a harsh, toxic chemical. Make sure you never mix ammonia with bleach because the gas they create when combined is toxic.
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Chlorine mixed with ammonia was even used as a chemical weapon during World War 2. Additionally, although ammonia can kill surface mold, dead mold and dead mold spores are still allergenic so you will need to make sure to remove them afterwards. Make sure the ammonia you use says "clear ammonia" on the label. Leave the area for a few hours before wiping and rinsing.
Often detergents or mold cleaning products will contain ammonia.
In that case just follow the directions on the label and be sure never to mix it with bleach. Mold Removal with Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide kills mold as it is anti-fungal as well as anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Hydrogen peroxide is a good alternative to chlorine bleach because it is safe to use and doesn't damage the environment, nor does it leave behind toxic residue or produce toxic fumes like chlorine bleach does.
Hydrogen peroxide kills mold effectively on many materials such as clothes, floors, bathroom fixtures, walls and items such as kitchen appliances. Since hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent it may also help fade the stain mold leaves behind. Spot test hydrogen peroxide on the material you're going to be cleaning to make sure it won't fade the material's colors. Spray the moldy surface completely so that the moldy areas are saturated with hydrogen peroxide.
Leave the surface to sit for 10 minutes while the hydrogen peroxide kills the mold. Then scrub the area to make sure to remove all the mold and mold stains. In the longer term, the documentation can help manage liability for your company or point to larger trends in mold growth. Mold may not always grow in one area, so you need to figure out how much contamination you're really looking at. Calculating the extent of the contamination will impact how you approach mold removal and clean up. The goal of mold remediation is to clean up mold growing within the home, and to avoid exposing homeowners to large amounts of mold.
These guidelines are widely used in the construction industry and recommend six levels of mold remediation based on the square footage of the mold and whether or not the mold is located within the home's HVAC system. Remediation will always involve cleaning up existing mold while avoiding exposure to oneself as well as homeowners, as well as preventing new growth by addressing the moisture source.
Based on your calculation of the contamination area, determine if you're working in an area up to 30 square feet approximately the size of a full sheet of drywall. If so, you'll be following the guidelines for remediation levels 1 and 2. Level 1 remediation is used for small, isolated areas of mold up to 10 square feet and Level 2 remediation covers square footage from 10 to 30 square feet. The clean up process is the same for Level 1 and Level 2 mold remediation and comprises these steps: Reference the remediation plan during the actual remediation to make sure it's being followed.
If additional mold is discovered during the clean up, the warranty supervisor should update the plan. For contamination areas greater than 30 square feet, many builders hire outside mold remediation firms to perform the clean up. In this case, you and your team switch from actually performing mold remediation to supervising a qualified contractor. Having a general understanding of the proper procedures an outside company should be following is useful. Just because the mold is gone and there's no dirt or dust doesn't mean that you're done. Your last step is to determine if your clean-up efforts have been successful.
While this last step is a judgment call, there are some options and guidelines to follow. The EPA document, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings , is a great resource that provides guidelines for helping you complete your clean up efforts. Some of these guidelines include: Depending on your company and the specific details of a mold problem, additional testing by an environmental testing company may be performed after the clean up to verify that all mold has been removed. When it comes to mold, the key is to implement a comprehensive moisture management strategy.
Potential liability and health issues from mold can be dramatically decreased by doing it right the first time.
Mold Cleanup in Your Home
Clean up must be immediate and thorough, following a process like the above steps. It may sound over-simplified, but the primary failure in response to homeowner complaints is simply the fact that builders don't respond fast enough, or with the emphasis that the issue is potentially serious. Minimum personal protection equipment for levels 1 and 2 remediation includes an N95 respirator, eye goggles without vents and rubber gloves that extend to mid-forearm. Following an immediate and thorough remediation plan is essential for getting rid of the mold and showing your customers you're committed to acting quickly.
Before entering a home to assess a mold growth situation, make sure you have the necessary personal protective equipment.
Mold Removal, How to Kill Mold with Bleach, Borax, Vinegar
Add new comment Mold has had its 15 minutes of fame over the last few years. Repair the water problem. This will help prevent new mold spores from growing. Isolate the contaminated area. Close all doors and windows between the contaminated area and other rooms of the home for both levels. For Level 2 remediation, also cover all doorways and any other openings with 6 mil polyethylene sheeting. Seal all seams of the sheeting with duct tape and slip openings in the sheeting to enter the contaminated area. Do this by misting the contaminated areas. Remove all wet and mold-damaged porous materials.
Place materials in plastic bags.