How To Safely Clean Up Mould

 

How To Safely Clean Up MouldUndoubtedly we’ve all seen some mould growth in our homes at some point. Whether it be some black spotting around windows, black or green growth on bathroom tiles or more significant mould growth on walls, it’s all mould. There is no such thing as a mould free environment with absolutely no mould growth and no airborne mould spore activity. However, a mould growth issue affecting the indoor air quality or a mould infestation is not normal either and is certainly not good air quality or healthy.

So what are we to do when we see mould in our homes? How do we safely clean it up?

They key is deciding how much mould you are dealing with and how much you will be agitating or disturbing. Think of mould as a microscopic dandelion. When you blow on the dandelion or disturb the seeds, they fly everywhere. This allows the dandelion to flourish and grow more dandelions somewhere else. Mould is very similar. By simply spraying a chemical, rubbing, cleaning or otherwise disturbing it…mould spores become airborne to settle somewhere else in the home and grow more mould. So the less mould you disturb the less mould your spread and inhale.

As a rule of thumb, if you have more that a square foot of mould growth (added up not continuous) you’re beyond a DIY job for you to clean this up safely yourself. You will make it worse, you will grow mould somewhere else and you will inhale lots of mould spores that could be toxic. So we’re going to focus on less than 1 square foot of mould for the purposes of this blog.

5 Things you will need to safely clean up mould.

  1. A proper respirator with a HEPA or P100 cartridge that snuggly fits your face without gaps.
  2. Disposable gloves
  3. Googles that are non-vented and fully seal your face.
  4. HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner
  5. Rags or paper towel

Don’t bother with all the sprays, chemicals and anti-fungal product on the market. They don’t work anyway. Killing mould has absolutely no benefit…zero! If you have mould and it is a species capable of producing mycotoxins, the mycotoxin will remain on the spore even if your spray it with a biocide to kill the viability of the fungus. In other words…dead mould is just as toxic and live mould. So why bother spending the money. An anti-fungal is helpful after the mould is cleaned up to prevent re-growth in very damp situations but not at the clean up stage. Actually, we have done our own field testing where spraying these products on actual mould resulted in millions os spores being released into the breathable air immediately on contact. So using these products in the cleaning stage actually aggravates the spores so you can now spread and inhale them.

To clean up mould make sure you are wearing your respirator, eye protection and gloves. If you have mould allergies or any health issues, consult your doctor first.

The best way to clean mould. 5 Easy Steps:

  1. HEPA vacuum the mould first to remove the first layer of spores.
  2. Prepare some water dish soap and white vinegar in a spray bottle (similar to washing dishes, floor or the house). Stay your rag or paper towel first (not the mould growth).
  3. Wipe down the slimy layer of black, green or red growth on the surface that has the growth. Repeat several times (always spray the towel or rag not the mould).
  4. Use a scrub brush while holding the HEPA vacuum cleaner near the mould that is remaining.
  5. Wipe down again with the soapy water and rag. That’s it.

This is for surface mould only, less than 1 square foot added up and is for surface mould growth only. If mould growth is inside a wall cavity or could be more than 1 square foot in growth you should get a mould inspection or mould growth assessment to determine the extent of the actual growth and how much airborne mould spore activity you are starting with.

Call us for all your indoor mould growth questions or to book a mould inspection in the Toronto and GTA area.

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