How to Deal With Household Mold
- 1). Don a cotton mask, goggles and gloves before searching for mold. This will help protect against dangerous spores.
- 2). Search for mold throughout your entire home, especially enclosed places like an air conditioning duct. Mold comes in many shapes, sizes and colors so snap a picture of the infestation to help you identify it. Identification of the mold will tell you whether to try to clean it on your own or to contact a professional immediately.
- 3). Examine everything in the room, including photos, furniture and rugs. If you see mold on anything, set it aside to clean or simply throw it away in a sealed trash bag.
- 4). Move all your uninfected furniture, pictures and wall hangings to another location of your home. Ideally, leave the infected room completely empty of all uninfected items until you completely finish cleaning it.
- 5). Seal away the infected area. Block all ventilation or any escape route the mold spores may have. This prevents the mold from spreading to other parts of your home.
- 6). Scrub the infected area with a stiff-bristled brush and a mild detergent. Allow the surface to dry before continuing.
- 7). Wipe down the wall with a diluted bleach solution. Dilute the bleach by pouring 1/4 cup of bleach into a container. Pour 3/4 cup of water into the same container. Dip a sponge into the solution and rub it over the infected area. Allow it to dry.
- 8). Apply a borate-based soap over the wall. Borate prevents the recurrence of mold. Do not rinse the detergent off the wall, though, or it will not be effective.
- 9). Vacuum the entire room. Wash any linen in the room as well. Open the vents, doorways and windows to let the room air out for two hours. Move the furniture back into the room once it has aired out.
- 10
Throw your clothing into the washing machine. Use hot water and bleach to wash them. You may also consider throwing your clothes away entirely.
