Mold in a home can be a really serious issue. But, thankfully most of the time this is something that can be easily removed and something you can do on your own – with careful planning of course. Removing mold from a wall could be just as easy as wiping it away using a wet cloth, but if you really want to get rid of it, its a great idea to use a mold killing option such as bleach to really kill the spores and keep them from coming back. Other options of mold killers are vinegar and borax, vinegar obviously being the safest option. On the other hand if you have an unpainted wall like drywall, you will, unfortunately, need to cut away the wall where the mold is forming.
When you have an issue with mold on drywall, its not just about surface mold, its about what is growing beneath the surface as well as inside the material, so removing it completely is not as easy as just wiping it down. If you want to be aware of some signs of mold on walls, how and why mold grows on walls and if you should paint over it, continue reading below.
Signs Of Mold On Walls
In some cases its really easy to tell if you have mold on your walls just by visually looking on the walls! You can usually see little spores or spots of mold growing and depending on the mold it will be a different color. Regular mold tends to be a greenish or brownish color. But, there is also black mold – every mold can be an issue, but black mold is definitely not something you want to be breathing in. When/if you see small spots of mold on the wall it can sometimes be a sign that on the other side of that wall there is a much bigger issue. Another sign to think about is a moldy odor, or if you have allergic reactions like asthmatic symptoms, sneezing or congestion in your chest. If you see mold growth on your walls, you should take care of this right now, not later on down the line because chances are in the future it will become a much bigger issue.
The How And Why Of Mold
Three of the most common reasons that mold happens inside a home is because of high humidity, water leaks and of course condensation. Condensation happens when water vapor inside the air meets a cold surface and then cools to liquid. Think of the inside of a cool bottle on a hot summers day. Condensation happens quite often in the home, but mostly on walls. Humidity is caused by drying wet clothes inside or even steam from hot water – which is why it’s really common by hot water tanks and sinks. If the humidity in a home stays the same for a long period of time you will start to see mold growing on the walls. One of the best ways to get rid of this humidity is by decreasing the humidity and ventilating the area by opening a window, but you can also use dehumidifiers as well.
Toxic Mold
As mentioned earlier, mold can cause allergy symptoms, however, if the mold is really bad or its a certain type of mold it can cause neurological symptoms as well such as headaches, dizziness, memory loss and more. If this happens, it could be a sign of a more serious issue such as toxic mold growing inside the home and its poisoning you. There are tests you can take in order to find out of you are being affected by mold. One way is to go to the doctors and get a physical exam for mold allergies by a general doctor. You can also get skin tests and blood tests as well. Things like Mycotoxins from toxic molds such as Stachybotrys chartarum can and will most likely have a mental effect on people and this is no ordinary cough or sneeze symptom, this is a really serious issue that needs to be taken care of ASAP. If you have toxic symptoms, chances are you have a mold like Stachybotrys chartarum growing in your home.
To Paint Or Not To Paint
Okay so it may seem a little irresponsible to paint over mold, right? That’s like covering up a gun shot would with a bandaid. But, actually if you are only painting over it with regular paint, is this a bad thing. There is actually paint out there that allows you to paint over the mold and it actually keeps the walls safe, you safe and in the process of painting, kills the mold and prevents another mold from growing in the future. Some of the things you should look for in a paint that will do this are: Fungicidal protective coating, Kills existing mold, mildew and prevents growth on paint film and Water-based EPA registered fungicidal protective coating. There are both mold killing and protective paints and primers and its best you use both to really have the best effect!
If you ever saw a mold patch in your home and let it go, you may be regretting it now. But, there are things mentioned above that you can do to remove the mold and keep it from coming back again. Try to take all the precautions you can and if you want, you can even hire someone to come in and remove the mold for you. If you plan on cleaning it yourself, always wear protective gear because you essentially never know how bad it really is or what type of mold it is, so make sure you wear gloves, protecting eyewear and make sure you have something to cover your nose and mouth while doing this process.