Common Areas and Clean-Up Recommendations for Mold Infestations in Your Home

Mold growth within your home is an unsightly problem that can often promote fear due to its toxic properties and dangerous health effects. In addition to the illness mold spores can cause, it also damages the surfaces and materials that it grows upon, so it makes it a highly problematic condition in your home that you should take seriously and clean it up immediately when you encounter its growth. Here are some of the most common areas and causes of mold that can grow in your home and how you can treat them.

Mold-Prone Areas

When you want to stay on top of mold problems and get to them before they become a huge problem, it is helpful to know areas in which mold spores thrive. Mold requires moisture within an area for it to grow, as it is what activates dry mold spores that have settled upon a surface. Mold can also thrive in a dark and cool environment and also in a dark warm environment, depending on the type of mold. So be on the lookout in your basement and other dark areas of your home.

Periodically inspect your home's basement, such as in a crawlspace, within closets, under bathroom sink vanities, and in the shower. It is also a good idea to check behind your washing machine and inside your dishwasher for mold spore growth. Keep an eye on your basement foundation walls, which can often seep moisture from excessive saturation in the soil outside or just after a heavy rainstorm. If your basement space is finished, you can feel the carpeting or smell for a moist earthy smell, which can be signs of mold growth in your basement.

Clean-Up Treatments

After discovering mold in your home or basement, immediately dry the area out and wipe up any visible mold growth. Use a cleaning rag and a solution of bleach and water or straight vinegar. You can also use a liquid dish detergent mixed into the cleaning solution to lift up any remaining mold spores. 

It is a good idea to let the bleach and water solution dry on the cleaned surface, which is to kill off any remaining mold spores that are present on the surface. Just because you cannot see the mold does not mean there are not mold spores still present. Mold spores can grow within some porous materials, such as drywall, wood, and concrete, so it is important to treat the area after to eliminate any potential for future mold growth.

It might not be safe to address mold on your own. For bigger issues, consider working with basement mold remediation companies.