A common occurrence in a surprisingly high number of attics, particularly in the warmer northern climates, is the growth of mold. A common cause of the problem is inadequate ventilation into the attic and with warm moist air rising through the ceiling and into the roof it can get trapped providing the perfect conditions for mold growth.
You may become aware that you have a problem with attic mold if you have noticed a musty smell throughout the house and could never pinpoint where it came from. It is unlikely that there will be any visual evidence to alert you from the fact. Similarly if you have a constant problem with your air conditioning not seeming to do the job adequately, it could mean that there are problems in the attic.
Attic mold can spread completely through the entire length and breadth of the attic. If the mold that is growing in the attic is black mold then there is a health risk involved in the attic mold removal and it would be best to call in the mold remediation experts. Living under an attic full of mold poses a relatively minor health risk because air flow generally travels up and out rather than down and in.
That being said, it is still advisable to initiate some kind of attic mold treatment to remove it from the rafters, insulation or other parts of the attic affected.
Before attacking the mold in an effort to remove it, it is best to take a sample of it to get it tested so you know exactly what kind of mold you are dealing with. The kind that you want absolutely nothing to do with is black mold which can cause some serious respiratory illnesses. Stachybotrys is the black mold type that you are likely to find on wet or damp cellulose material such as the kind you would find in insulation.
If the mold in the attic is not terribly heavy you may simply choose to leave it alone and simply install attic ventilation instead. Attic ventilation fans or soffit vents will ensure that sufficient air is getting into the attic to dry the area out so that any mold will be killed.
You may be concerned that by installing attic ventilation fans and vents you will be compromising the effectiveness of your insulation. In fact, the fans and vents are a necessary part of the cooling and warming process of keeping the temperature in your house controlled. Attic fans will cool hot attics by drawing cooler outside air into the attic through the vents and will also push the hot air out.
Heavy mold infestation should be cleaned completely and the safest way to do this is by calling in mold remediation specialists. It is unlikely that you will find someone who only specializes in attic mold remediation and the best place to look for someone to do the job is to find a fire and water damage restoration professional.
For further reading on mold damage and remediation :
Cleaning Mold From The Ceiling
Mold Detection and Treatment of Clothes
Prevent Mold From Taking Hold In the Home
Restoring the Home From Mold Damage
Repair Mold Damage In Books
Showing posts with label mold restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mold restoration. Show all posts
Cleaning Mold From the Ceiling
Mold thrives in any moist, warm environment with rooms such as bathrooms or kitchens a perfect place for it to grow and spread quickly. It is not only unsightly but can become a health risk as it spreads by releasing spores and these spores can affect breathing. Mold will grow on any organic material and, given the right conditions will do just as well on non-organic material.
A danger for your home when you’ve got mold growing in one or many rooms is that it actually consumes the object that it is living on and can release an acid that will permanently mark the wall or ceiling. Whether your ceiling is made from ceiling tiles, sheet rock or wood, mold is just as likely to begin growing with rooms that are often moist, such as the bathroom, the most susceptible.
Black mold is the most common type of mold that will grow on the ceiling and it can be identified as black spots of varying sizes dotting the ceiling in clusters.
Cleaning a Mold Damaged Ceiling
It is important to appreciate the danger mold poses to your health, so before you start cleaning the mold from the ceiling, ensure you have taken necessary safety precautions and have put on gloves, goggles and a face mask.
In the room you will be cleaning, close off any accesses to other parts of the house such as doors or vents. Open the window to allow the room to dry out.
An initial wash of the ceiling with a mild detergent and warm water will start the cleaning process. A quarter of a cup of bleach mixed with a quart of water can be used to follow the clean up and, if necessary, can be repeated after allowing the first application has dried. After the second application the ceiling should be allowed to dry out completely.
There are alternative products available to the bleach solution mentioned above that will remove the topical mold and also kill the remaining spores. It might be worth seeking out one of these products to be comfortable that you have thoroughly cleaned the room.
To safeguard against the return of mold in the room, all water leaks should be repaired so the environment isn’t constantly moist. If there are no leaks, it might simply be necessary to introduce more ventilation into the room. Finally, a regular clean of the bathroom to remove or kill and stray mold spores should be carried out regularly.
Make sure that if you are going to be painting the ceiling you have completely removed the mold. Painting over mold will not solve the problem and the mold will simply return in full force. It is possible to buy paint with mold prevention chemicals already mixed into it. I have actually painted such a product on the ceiling of my bathroom and have never had a problem with mold in that room.
This mold damage clean up advice assumes that the mold damage is not too extensive and that you can tackle the job yourself. If, however, the mold damage has become completely out of control, it may be necessary to call in a professional who specializes in this kind of damage clean up.
Other mold damage articles:
Prevent Mold From Taking Hold In the Home
Restoring the Home From Mold Damage
Repair Mold Damage In Books
Mold Detection and Treatment of Clothes
A danger for your home when you’ve got mold growing in one or many rooms is that it actually consumes the object that it is living on and can release an acid that will permanently mark the wall or ceiling. Whether your ceiling is made from ceiling tiles, sheet rock or wood, mold is just as likely to begin growing with rooms that are often moist, such as the bathroom, the most susceptible.
Black mold is the most common type of mold that will grow on the ceiling and it can be identified as black spots of varying sizes dotting the ceiling in clusters.
Cleaning a Mold Damaged Ceiling
It is important to appreciate the danger mold poses to your health, so before you start cleaning the mold from the ceiling, ensure you have taken necessary safety precautions and have put on gloves, goggles and a face mask.
In the room you will be cleaning, close off any accesses to other parts of the house such as doors or vents. Open the window to allow the room to dry out.
An initial wash of the ceiling with a mild detergent and warm water will start the cleaning process. A quarter of a cup of bleach mixed with a quart of water can be used to follow the clean up and, if necessary, can be repeated after allowing the first application has dried. After the second application the ceiling should be allowed to dry out completely.
There are alternative products available to the bleach solution mentioned above that will remove the topical mold and also kill the remaining spores. It might be worth seeking out one of these products to be comfortable that you have thoroughly cleaned the room.
To safeguard against the return of mold in the room, all water leaks should be repaired so the environment isn’t constantly moist. If there are no leaks, it might simply be necessary to introduce more ventilation into the room. Finally, a regular clean of the bathroom to remove or kill and stray mold spores should be carried out regularly.
Make sure that if you are going to be painting the ceiling you have completely removed the mold. Painting over mold will not solve the problem and the mold will simply return in full force. It is possible to buy paint with mold prevention chemicals already mixed into it. I have actually painted such a product on the ceiling of my bathroom and have never had a problem with mold in that room.
This mold damage clean up advice assumes that the mold damage is not too extensive and that you can tackle the job yourself. If, however, the mold damage has become completely out of control, it may be necessary to call in a professional who specializes in this kind of damage clean up.
Other mold damage articles:
Prevent Mold From Taking Hold In the Home
Restoring the Home From Mold Damage
Repair Mold Damage In Books
Mold Detection and Treatment of Clothes
Mold Detection and Treatment of Clothes
Mold is the common term used to describe a downy or furry growth on the surface or organic matter, caused by fungi, especially in the presence of dampness and decay. These microorganisms feed on living organisms or dead organic matter.
In order to prevent the growth or spread of mold growth you have to deny the spores the moisture content they need to germinate.
The mold microorganisms need organic materials for the nutrients to grow and so, any material that was once living, including wood, paper, clothes such as cotton, linen and leather are susceptible. It doesn’t really stop there, either. Inorganic materials such as some plastics can also come under attack from fungal growth.
You need to get rid of mold because it will permanently damage the materials upon which it is growing. It will stain textiles as well as structurally weaken them, paper will be stained with spots known in the industry as “foxing” and leather will be permanently marked. Inorganic materials can be etched by organic acids produced by the fungus as a by-product of their presence.
Removing Mold From Your Clothes
The ideal scenario is that you catch the onset of mold growth early on in its life. As soon as that moldy smell becomes noticeable from the cupboard it is essential to pull all the clothes out and closely examine them for signs of mold. Remember, mold will cause deterioration in the material that it is growing on so the longer you leave it, the more chance your clothes will not be salvageable.
When the mold has been identified there are some steps you can take to remove both the mold and the mold smell.
Firstly, when you deal with mold you should use gloves and a protective mask or goggles. Take the clothes outside and then brush the loose mold growth off each item. When transporting the affected clothes you should be careful not to disturb the mold because you don’t want to spread mold spores through the house.
After the clothes have been brushed off, leave them in the sun to dry so that the heat from the sun will kill any remaining mold that is still in the clothes.
It may be necessary to wash the affected areas in a weak bleach solution although if you’re dealing with colored clothing you may want to substitute the bleach for a lemon juice and salt combination. After the clothes have been given a thorough clean with these disinfectants, they should be laundered as you would normally do and then put out to dry in the sun. Ensure that the drying process is completed to avoid a regrowth of mold.
A fungicide spray can be used on the clothes to remove any trace mold odor that may persist. Care must be taken with respect to the different materials that you are trying to remove the mold from. Materials such as silk, nylon and wool can be damaged when applied with chlorine bleach.
A product such as Moldergent, which is a 100% organic mold cleaning detergent, can be used in the laundering process. This type of product has been specially formulated to remove mold and mildew from clothes.
As mentioned earlier in the article, at the first sign that the clothes in your wardrobe have been affected start the mold restoration process immediately. The process is not too burdensome and the longer you delay cleaning and drying your clothes the more chance that they will be ruined beyond repair.
In order to prevent the growth or spread of mold growth you have to deny the spores the moisture content they need to germinate.
The mold microorganisms need organic materials for the nutrients to grow and so, any material that was once living, including wood, paper, clothes such as cotton, linen and leather are susceptible. It doesn’t really stop there, either. Inorganic materials such as some plastics can also come under attack from fungal growth.
You need to get rid of mold because it will permanently damage the materials upon which it is growing. It will stain textiles as well as structurally weaken them, paper will be stained with spots known in the industry as “foxing” and leather will be permanently marked. Inorganic materials can be etched by organic acids produced by the fungus as a by-product of their presence.
Removing Mold From Your Clothes
The ideal scenario is that you catch the onset of mold growth early on in its life. As soon as that moldy smell becomes noticeable from the cupboard it is essential to pull all the clothes out and closely examine them for signs of mold. Remember, mold will cause deterioration in the material that it is growing on so the longer you leave it, the more chance your clothes will not be salvageable.
When the mold has been identified there are some steps you can take to remove both the mold and the mold smell.
Firstly, when you deal with mold you should use gloves and a protective mask or goggles. Take the clothes outside and then brush the loose mold growth off each item. When transporting the affected clothes you should be careful not to disturb the mold because you don’t want to spread mold spores through the house.
After the clothes have been brushed off, leave them in the sun to dry so that the heat from the sun will kill any remaining mold that is still in the clothes.
It may be necessary to wash the affected areas in a weak bleach solution although if you’re dealing with colored clothing you may want to substitute the bleach for a lemon juice and salt combination. After the clothes have been given a thorough clean with these disinfectants, they should be laundered as you would normally do and then put out to dry in the sun. Ensure that the drying process is completed to avoid a regrowth of mold.
A fungicide spray can be used on the clothes to remove any trace mold odor that may persist. Care must be taken with respect to the different materials that you are trying to remove the mold from. Materials such as silk, nylon and wool can be damaged when applied with chlorine bleach.
A product such as Moldergent, which is a 100% organic mold cleaning detergent, can be used in the laundering process. This type of product has been specially formulated to remove mold and mildew from clothes.
As mentioned earlier in the article, at the first sign that the clothes in your wardrobe have been affected start the mold restoration process immediately. The process is not too burdensome and the longer you delay cleaning and drying your clothes the more chance that they will be ruined beyond repair.
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