What should you do if you see black mold in your home? And is DIY mold removal even possible?
Spotting black mold in your home is a major red flag, but it doesn’t always require a major restoration budget. If the problem is localized and the source is clear, you can often take matters into your own hands. But DIY mold removal is about more than just bleach and a scrub brush… It’s about safety and prevention.
What Is Black Mold?
Black mold is a type of microfungus that most often grows in a damp or moist environment indoors. You might see some mold grow inside your bathroom near the shower or on the corners of the tub. This is just one example of how it can quickly grow indoors, but bathroom mold is easy to notice and can be scrubbed off immediately. The real problem is when you see black mold growing in the basement or in a room with no sink or water pipes.
DIY Mold Removal at Home
If you spot black mold in your Ohio basement and can clearly see the source of it, whether the washing machine hose came loose and started leaking in a specific area, then you can solve the problem yourself.
⚠️ That said, remember that mold spores are easily agitated and can cause respiratory irritation. Never skip these precautions:
- Gear Up: Wear N95 mask/respirator, goggles (without vent holes), and rubber gloves. You want to avoid breathing in spores or getting bleach on your skin.
- Ventilate: Open basement windows and use a fan to exhaust air outward. However, do not point a fan directly at the mold patch before it’s wet, as this will blow spores across the room.
- Containment: Keep the basement door closed to the rest of the house while working to prevent spores from traveling to upper floors.
- Check the Material: Bleach works well on non-porous surfaces (tile, trim, sealed concrete). If the mold is deep inside drywall or insulation, those materials usually need to be cut out and replaced, as bleach cannot penetrate deep enough to kill the roots.
- The “Rule of 10”: If the mold patch is larger than 10 square feet (roughly a 3ft x 3ft area), the EPA recommends hiring a professional.
Once the proper precautions are in place, follow these steps:
- Using a mixture of one quart of water and half a cup of bleach, you can safely scrub the mold off a wall or wood trim with a soft brush.
- After safely scrubbing the mold stains, allow the solution to sit on the wall until it’s dry.
Remember, this is just a quick tip for DIY mold removal where you can see why it’s growing in a particular area.
Call the Mold Experts in Southwest Ohio
If the black mold you’ve noticed in your basement has no apparent source, don’t try to solve the problem alone. Inhaling black mold is very harmful and can make your family and pets sick. We will prevent cross-contamination, kill or encapsulate the mold with our spraying techniques and ensure that the surfaces are left clean and dry with HEPA vacuuming. After further inspection, we may advise installing Crawl Space Encapsulation or Crawl Space Liners to help prevent moisture accumulation.