Locating mold in your home is every homeowner’s worst nightmare. Not only can it cause some serious health problems but it can be really hard to get rid of it. Besides looking disgusting, it can also cause severe damage to your house by weakening the walls, floors and the ceiling.
Oftentimes, you can have mold without even knowing it. How? Well, it can be located in some parts of the house that you do not check regularly, and it is usually not dangerous, which is why people live with it for years. In many cases, they only discover it when they put their homes up for sale and have them thoroughly inspected.
If you locate it in your house, or even if you suspect of having it, there are certain things that you need to do. In the following article, we are going to discuss them and also give you some tips on how to test for it and even treat it yourself.
Contents
1. Test for mold
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The trick when it comes to mold is that it can develop for years and you might not smell it until it practically ruins your home. This is something that has happened to many people who, in the end, had to hire a restoration company to take down the walls, floors, and to clean everything up. Because of this, checking every corner of your home is of crucial importance. But how to do this?
2. Go around the home
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As you can probably assume, depending on its location, it can be visible. Because of this, you should investigate each part of your home and make sure there isn’t any. It has a musty scent and it can be black, brown, white or green.
In addition, you should also check if there is any water damage on the walls or in the corners. Why? Well, this is where mold usually develops, and if you find any spots, you should investigate them thoroughly to make sure that there isn’t any damage inside the walls.
When it comes to the parts of your home, the first areas on your list should be the basement, utility room, small enclosed spaces like under the sink, ceiling corners, windows, shower curtains, air vents, and so on.
3. How to perform the test?
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Here, you have two options. Firstly, you can hire a mold inspection company and have professional comes to your place and check every corner of it. However, if they find any, they will not remove it. That is an entirely different service you have to pay for.
Your second option is to do the testing yourself. Nowadays, you can purchase in-home testing kits and follow instructions on the box carefully. Clearly, if the mold is visible, there is no need to perform this test. Nevertheless, you should know that this type of inspection can be quite complicated, and oftentimes results are unreliable.
4. What to do if you do have mold?
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If the test confirms your suspicions, once again, you have two choices. Before you do anything, don’t panic. Yes, it may look awful, but as already mentioned, not every kind of mold can harm you. Your first option is to hire a mold removing company. Do online research, inspect those that are in close vicinity to you, and opt for the one that has the best recommendations.
On the other hand, as if you can assume, you can try to get rid of mold on your own. This is something that you should try only if it hasn’t spread on the large surface, and of course, if it doesn’t pose any danger to you. Don’t forget, yours and the safety of your family should always be most important.
5. How to kill the mold on your own?
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A mold removal company from Atlanta at trueenviro.com advises that the absolute first thing that you have to do is to take all the precaution measures in order from mold not to appear at all. Allow the air to circulate around the room by opening the window or turning on a fan or a vent. Why? Well, both mold and the products you will use can irritate your throat, respiratory system, and eyes.
Secondly, put on some protective gear. This includes gloves, a face mask, protection for your eyes, but also you should wear pants, long sleeves, and rubber boots that are going to protect your skin during this process.
The next thing is to choose the products you will use. Carefully read the instructions on every label and make sure to use the item accordingly. Also, there are some products that should not be mixed because together, they can be poisonous. There are numerous websites where you can find this process explained to the last detail, so you should read a couple of those, just to be on the safe side.
6. Make sure that the spores do not spread
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When it comes to cleaning it, you have to ensure that the spores don’t go all around the room. In order to prevent this from happening, you should place a damp cloth on the area and leave it for a few minutes. Naturally, you should try to remove as much of it as you can with a scrub brush and products you choose. The last step is to dry the area of the wall with a fan or some other device because if you leave it wet, new mold can grow easily, and you will be right back at the beginning.
7. Wash your clothes
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Once you finish everything, the professional advice is to remove your clothes, put it in a plastic bag and then put it into the washing machine. Why the plastic bag? Well, the spores will be all over it and this is to only way to ensure that you won’t distribute them around the house. You have to thoroughly clean every item and add a little bit of vinegar to your regular detergent to kill every last spore.
