Troubleshoot Mold on Interior Walls
Given the right circumstances, mold takes hold of a home or business property and spreads throughout the interior. You can easily find out how to troubleshoot mold on interior walls, though, to create a gameplan to address the issue yourself or to work with a professional to remove your mold issue.
Steps
- Realize what factors cause a good breeding ground for mold within buildings. Mold needs a combination of five things to thrive, and these are moisture, air, the right temperature conditions, a food source and a surface on which to grow.
- Some common causes that can contribute to these five factors include flooding, water leaks, damp basements, HVAC duct systems or shower or cooking steam.
- Identify which mold factor or factors you have in your home. Is moisture leaking into the home from the exterior (seeping through the walls)? Do you have a leaky roof that is running water down the wall? Is your mold in a dark, unventilated area?
- Repair the cause of the mold to stop what is feeding it. This could include such remedies as fixing your roof or stopping a sprinkler from hitting the house.
- Determine if the mold is not only on the exterior of the wall or if it has also made its way into the interior of the wall as well. If it's inside the walls, call a professional under "Fire and Water Damage Restoration" in the phonebook. You will also need to consult a contractor to help with repairing any of the behind-the-wall materials and/or woodwork.
- Begin addressing the mold issue.
- Move furniture to another room. Address the furniture's risk of mold damage after you finish your room.
- Seal off the room from the rest of the house to avoid contamination to other rooms.
- Dampen your surface to avoid as much airborne mold as possible.
- Remove wallpaper if the mold has adhered to that. Begin scrubbing the walls with a plastic scrubber sponge and a mild detergent.
- Sand any areas where scrubbing doesn't sufficiently remove the mold.
- After the mold removal, disinfect the area with a gallon water (approximately 3.78 liters) mixture that contains approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 mL) of bleach. Allow the surface to disinfect for 15 minutes, and then rinse off the wall. Make sure that you wear gloves and that the room is adequately ventilated.
- Dry the surface as quickly as you can by taking advantage of dehumidifiers and fans and/or the natural ventilation of the room.
- Apply a paint with antimicrobial properties after you have properly cleaned and dried the surface to help combat future mold.
- Don't forget about your wood trim work. Because wood is semiporous, you may need to clean and/or replace the trim on your walls.
- Monitor the area frequently to prevent or address any future outbreaks.
Tips
- Always wear a mask when trying to remove mold in your home. Mold spores can go airborne and end up in your lungs if you are not careful.
- Hire a professional for areas that exceed 10 square feet (.93 square meters) as per EPA recommendations found at http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcleanup.html.
