How to get rid of mold? It can appear in any room, causing various diseases, allergies, unpleasant odors. Unfortunately, not one of the modern finishing materials can resist this enemy. Information on how to deal with such a problem will be useful to everyone.
Reasons for the appearance
How to get rid of mold? To begin with, it is worth understanding what are the reasons for its appearance. If you eliminate them, the problem will disappear. So, what are the favorable conditions for the formation of moldy spots in various corners of a house or apartment? The following options are possible:
- high humidity;
- poor ventilation
- leakage of water pipes;
- freezing walls;
- roof leakage;
- soil moisture;
- insufficient heating.
How to get rid of mold: procedure
Ways to deal with this enemy are discussed below. Whichever of them is preferred, the work comes down to a specific list of actions. So, how to get rid of mold at home?
- Cleansing the affected surface.
- Mold treatment.
- Getting rid of all things that are badly damaged by the fungus.
- Ensuring normal indoor conditions. It is necessary to eliminate sources of high humidity, provide good heating and ventilation.
Means number 1. Antiseptic primer
How to get rid of mold in an apartment or house? An antiseptic primer, which can be purchased at a hardware store, will help solve this problem. Applying this product to the affected surface not only eliminates the fungus. The use of an antiseptic primer will also prevent the formation of mold in the future.
- The affected area must be thoroughly cleaned, remove material affected by the fungus.
- If the mold is deeply eaten, it is important to clean all layers down to the concrete slab or brick.
- Solutions are offered ready-made to customers. Some of them must be diluted with water. The required amount of fluid is indicated in the instructions. Then the resulting composition is applied to the damaged surface.
- It is convenient to distribute the primer using an ordinary paint brush. This is done only when the surface dries after cleaning.
- The protection layer should dry. Then you can do the decoration, for example, paint the walls, glue the wallpaper.
Tool number 2. Bleach
How to get rid of mold with your own hands? Bleach - a tool that is found in every home. It includes sodium hypochlorite, which has a destructive effect on spores of the fungus. With bleach, you can get rid of almost all varieties of mold.
It is important to remember that you can not always use this tool. Some materials may deteriorate, fade, and so on. It is strongly not recommended to choose this tool, if it is necessary to clean wood or drywall from mold, this will only worsen the situation. But it can be used without hesitation to clean tiles, glass and the like non-porous materials.
When working with bleach, it is important not to forget about safety. The use of this tool can lead to poisoning by toxic fumes, damage to the skin of the hands. It is necessary to stock up on protective gloves and properly ventilate the room. To prepare the solution, you need to mix bleach with water in a ratio of 1 to 10. To apply it, use a paint brush. Before work, it is important to thoroughly clean the affected surface.
Means number 3. Vinegar
How to get rid of mold in a house or apartment? To combat spore fungus, you can use ordinary vinegar. Weak acid is a potent poison for many varieties of mold. In addition, vinegar does not emit hazardous fumes, which makes its use absolutely safe.
Vinegar must be sprayed on the damaged surface, and then wipe it with a rag soaked in it. An hour later, the affected area is cleaned with water, after which the room must be ventilated. In difficult cases, you can repeat the procedure several times.
Means number 4. Hydrogen peroxide
How to get rid of mold quickly? In solving this problem, hydrogen peroxide can also help. This tool is also a poison for most types of mold, it can be purchased at any pharmacy.
For humans, the smell of hydrogen peroxide is not particularly dangerous, therefore, additional protection is not required. Before applying the product, the damaged area is thoroughly cleaned of mold. It must be remembered that peroxide has a whitening effect. Therefore, the tool is not suitable when it comes to painted surfaces. It is better to give preference to another tool, otherwise you can hopelessly spoil the materials.
Means number 5. Ammonia
How to get rid of mold with ammonia? This tool can be compared with bleach on the principle of action. With its help, you can easily remove spores of the fungus from hard surfaces, for example from tile. Unfortunately, ammonia is not suitable for cleaning porous materials.
To prepare the solution, you need to mix this product with water in equal proportions. Then it is sprayed onto the damaged surface. You can wash off the solution already an hour later, for this pure water is used. After finishing work, it is important to properly ventilate the room.
When interacting with ammonia, care must be taken. We must not forget that the pungent odor of this product can cause headaches, dizziness, and so on. In no case can it be combined with bleach, their mixing will lead to the release of toxic gases.
Means number 6. Baking soda
How to get rid of mold on the walls? Baking soda is another tool whose effectiveness has been proven for several generations. This method attracts with its simplicity and safety.
To prepare the composition, it is necessary to dissolve a teaspoon of soda in a glass of water. Next, spray the surface captured by the mold. If desired, you can treat the affected area with a sponge moistened in solution. An hour later, the surface is washed with water. However, it is not necessary to completely remove the soda. It does not harm the material and serves as an effective means of prevention.
Remedy number 7. Tea tree oil
Another effective folk recipe is based on the use of tea tree oil. The natural components that make up its composition are absolutely safe for humans. The only drawback of this tool is its high cost. The oil will need just a little bit, it has pronounced antifungal and antibacterial properties.
A teaspoon of the product is dissolved in a glass of water. The resulting mixture is applied to the surface to be cleaned using a spray gun. You can also treat the damaged area with a sponge moistened in the prepared solution. Rinse off the oil is not recommended, as it will protect the surface from the re-formation of mold. It does not represent any harm to the finishing materials.
We must not forget that tea tree oil has a pronounced specific smell. The fragrance lasts for a while, then evaporates. The prepared solution can be stored for a long time, it will not lose its beneficial properties.
Removing mold from walls
What other information is useful in the fight against this enemy? How to get rid of mold on the walls in an apartment? It is advisable to do this as soon as the spores of the fungus make themselves felt. Ten to twelve months is enough to mold deeply ingrained, get to brickwork or concrete. A damaged finish layer must be removed.
With lightning speed, the fungus develops on the wallpaper, so they will have to be removed. Only in the initial stages of mold development can this be avoided. You can try to clean the wallpaper with liquid ammonia or vinegar, but these products can slightly change their color.
Drywall walls have a porous structure. It is important not to forget that mold is capable of developing deep into the material. To combat it, in this case, it is better to use professional tools. If the walls are painted, then the spores of the fungus do not spread so much inward as in area. You can proceed to the process of neutralization after removing the paintwork, moving from simple methods to potent agents.
Smell
The above describes how to get rid of mold. We must not forget that the smell of rot can persist even after defeating the spores of the fungus. Airing does not always help to cope with this problem, so more effective solutions are needed.
You can pour a small amount of soda on the damaged area, and then collect it with a vacuum cleaner several hours later. This product is famous for its ability to absorb odors. Also, charcoal can be used as an absorber of unpleasant odors. Briquettes are simply distributed throughout the room for a while. Most likely, the smell will not remain even a few days later. Of course, it is necessary to ventilate the room as often as possible.