Unless you’re making cheese or soy sauce, keeping your home as fungus-free as possible should be a top priority. Knowing how to clean mold and mildew will bring you that much closer to a neater, not to mention healthier, abode. If the mere presence of mold leaves you in a cold sweat, don’t worry. Experts tell us that it’s normal for homes to have some level of mold.
What is mold exactly, you may wonder? Essentially, the thousands of different types of microorganisms that we think of as mold or mildew are fungal growths that set up shop on a surface and spread anywhere where moisture is present, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mold and mildew can appear on the shower grout, in the basement, and around the sink.
That’s to say, regardless of whether mold growth is large or unsightly, the issue should be tackled as soon as possible. That’s because unabated mold growth and exposure can make your home uninhabitable and lead to health problems like allergies and other lung conditions for you and your children, your pets, and anyone else spending a lot of time on your property.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to call a mold remediation expert. Common household products like hydrogen peroxide and bleach are good solutions to try if you’re wondering how to clean mold and mildew. Here’s what to know about this pesky fungus.
Is there mold in my house?
When thinking about mold in the home, the image of fuzzy green globs clinging to old food comes to mind. Often, mold formations look like large groups of blackish or greenish discolored dots or abstract shapes. But depending on the material, unsuspecting colors could arise. “With certain kinds of things, like vinyl wallpapers or vinyl tiles, you’ll actually start to see yellow or pink splotches on it, and that’s mold on the backside,” says Ethan O’Donnell, an editor at Family Handyman magazine who has undertaken numerous bathroom and kitchen remodeling jobs with mold or moisture damage issues. “Drywall does that sometimes too.”
When looking for mold, don’t just engage your sense of sight—use your nose too. “If you only see a small patch of mold, but your whole house smells musty, check it out pretty seriously,” O’Donnell adds.
Be aware especially if a room feels “off” and you’re experiencing unexplainable health issues, like constant colds or new allergies, says Glen Apfelbaum, the president of Home Healthy Homes, which remediates mold and waterproofs basements in the New York City area. “In many, many cases in the work that I do, the mold is not visible—it’s a smell, it’s a feeling, it’s an allergic response, and [residents] just don’t know.”
Apfelbaum recounts an instance when a newlywed couple moved into the former home of the bride’s parents. The husband soon abandoned the home because he claimed it he felt terrible and the house was “killing him.” No one believed him. But when mold testing and blood analysis were done, the results showed that the groom had an allergy to a type of mold present but not visible in the home. Oops!
How can I proactively prevent mold accumulation?
Molds love moisture, so minimizing wetness and humidity while increasing air flow is key to prevention. Ensure pipes and anything else constantly conveying water is in good working order—no drips! And don’t let any soggy materials—like rainy clothes or wet towels—pile up. And if you live somewhere rainy or humid, that means breaking out a quality dehumidifier with a hose that dumps into a sink or some other drainage point; Apfelbaum recommends keeping humidity in the low 40s. It also means plugging in the dehumidifier or flipping on the air conditioning months before your environment becomes highly humid.
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How to Clean Mold and Mildew and Stop It in Its Tracks - Architectural Digest
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