How to get rid of mold: housewives advise

Mold is familiar to all of us: its white, green or black deposits appear on stale products, in cellars, cellars and any other damp and dark places. Besides the fact that mold spoils things and products, it is also unhealthy.

How to get rid of mold forever with your own hands and, most importantly, how to make sure that it never appears?

What is mold, and how is it harmful?

Mold is a microorganism of the genus fungi. Mold fungi can grow in any damp and warm places. In unventilated rooms without access to sunlight, colonies of microorganisms grow very quickly, hitting everything around: wood, concrete walls, furniture. A tree affected by mold spores quickly becomes worthless, concrete loses its strength, begins to crumble. People who regularly come into contact with mold are at risk of getting serious illnesses, since many of its species secrete mycotoxins, poisons that cause damage to the nervous system, internal organs, and allergies.

Prevention of occurrence

The appearance of mold is easier to prevent than to combat its manifestations, therefore, competent prevention will save your time, money and maintain health. Moreover, mold can be noticed with the naked eye only when its colony has already begun to grow rapidly.

The following conditions are necessary for mold to appear:

• favorable conditions - heat, high humidity, poor ventilation of the air in the room;
• the presence of mold spores in the air and on objects;
• a nutrient medium on which spores could propagate - organics, paper, wood;
• storage of spoiled products.

In very favorable conditions, mold will multiply on all objects, including glass and plastic. The most favorable for mold is the lack of air ventilation. In a well-ventilated area, most spores are carried outside by a stream of air. In stagnant air, spores settle on all objects and begin to multiply exponentially.

In order to exclude the appearance of this unpleasant fungus, it is necessary to create conditions in the room that prevent its reproduction. First, determine the causes of high humidity. In an apartment, it can be open containers with water, leaking taps and water pipes, a leaking roof on the upper floors or a flooded basement on the lower. Until it is possible to significantly reduce the level of humidity, the fight against mold will give only a temporary effect.

The next step in the prevention of the appearance of the fungus will be a revision of the ventilation system. Check all ventilation grilles and clean the clogged ones. As a rule, all modern houses are equipped with exhaust ventilation, creating a constant small draft.It allows air to circulate constantly and carries out the formed spores outside. To enhance the effect, you can regularly open the air vents, best of all through. Also, the clutter of the room interferes with normal air circulation. It is advisable to remove all excess furniture and things.

Spoiled products must be thrown away immediately, the places where they were stored, thoroughly washed with disinfectants.

Wooden surfaces that are not coated with paint and varnish should be coated with a special antiseptic.

Regular mold cleaning using disinfectants interferes with the development of mold spores. In an apartment, ordinary detergents for flooring, plumbing, and furniture are applicable.

Mold Remedies

If mold sometimes still appears, you need to add sodium hypochlorite solution, hydrogen peroxide, dissolved laundry soap to the water for cleaning. Other mold control products include:

• copper sulfate;
• sulfuric checker;
• concentrated citric acid;
• ammonia;
• strong salt solution;
• boric acid;
• bleaching powder.

In some cases, surface treatment with an open flame, such as a gas burner, helps.

All of these tools should be used with caution so as not to spoil the thing or surface. It is also necessary to use personal protective equipment: a respirator, safety glasses, gloves.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can get rid of mold in different places (from the apartment to the cellar) in order to get rid of it forever and not spoil things.

How to get rid of mold in the apartment forever?

In a damp and poorly ventilated apartment, mold can form almost everywhere. Most often it appears in such places:

• on the walls;
• on the windows;
• on the ceiling;
• on the wallpaper;
• in the washing machine;
• in the bathroom;
• in the closet;
• on the balcony.

Wallpaper, strongly spoiled by the fungus, it is better to remove completely. If there are few spots, you can try to remove them with bleach.

You can get rid of mold on the walls in this way: the wall must be cleaned with a spatula to concrete in damaged places, washed with bleach and dried. The same recommendations apply to the ceiling. The best remedy for walls and ceilings against mold is a special antiseptic primer. It will destroy the existing mold and will not allow the formation of a new one. The walls on which the fungus has already appeared, it is advisable to cover it with breathable finishing materials - water-based paint, paper wallpaper - after treatment and not put up close furniture.

If the wall becomes damp, air should not stagnate near it. For wallpapering, you need to choose glue, which has antiseptics in its composition.

How to get rid of mold on windows?

Mold usually appears on plastic windows. It is easy to wash plastic from it with any detergents. Regular ventilation and a reduction in air humidity will help prevent future occurrences.

How to get rid of mold on the balcony?

On the balcony, mold may form from the water flowing from the roof of the roof if the building has poorly equipped water drainage. It is necessary to isolate your balcony from the flow of water and remove from it all unnecessary objects that interfere with air exchange. Mold damaged concrete slabs can be treated in the same way as walls in an apartment: cleaned, sanitized and primed.

How to get rid of the smell of mold in the closet?

Mold in the cupboard can form from storing un-dried items in it. Any musty smell appearing from the closet should alert the owner. The cabinet needs to be sorted out, wash and dry things. Ventilate the cabinet itself and, if necessary, rinse with bleach. After drying, coat wooden parts uncoated with varnish and coat with an antiseptic.

How to get rid of black mold in the bathroom and shower?

Good ventilation is required in the bathroom to prevent mold.After using the shower, you need to wipe the walls from drops of water and ventilate the bathroom. The black mold that has appeared on the ceramic tile is washed with citric acid, the joints between the tiles must be cleaned from traces of the fungus and re-coated with waterproof sealant. The walls and ceiling in the bathroom are treated in the same way as in the room. It is advisable to use breathable finishing materials with the addition of antiseptics.

How to get rid of mold in a washing machine?

If there are traces of mold in the washing machine, you can start it for a full washing cycle with the most hot water, and pour a packet of citric acid into the main washing compartment. After washing and draining the water, wipe the machine dry and leave it open for ventilation.

In the kitchen, you need to carefully ensure that the products are properly stored and not spoiled. Throw away the spoiled immediately, the places where they lay, rinse with bleach. The refrigerator must be regularly washed, dried and the proper storage of products in it.

Mold in non-residential premises

In non-residential premises, more powerful products can be used to remove mold traces.

How to get rid of white mold in the bath?

If a fungus is found in the bathhouse, you need to clean the logs with an iron brush. It is better to cut out a badly damaged log and insert a new one. After cleaning, treat the logs with special compounds that are suitable for baths. Subsequently, make sure that the bath is dried after use through products.

How to get rid of mold in the cellar?

The mold in the cellar is easy to destroy with the help of sulfur drafts. It must be used strictly according to the instructions. Before using the checkers, all metal objects and electrical wiring, if any, should be removed from the cellar. When burning checkers, the released sulfur dioxide combines with water molecules in the moist air of the cellar and forms sulfuric acid. It settles on metal parts and causes severe corrosion.

You can cope with the fungus in the country or in the garage by any suitable means, since the garage does not apply to residential premises. After carrying out the work on the destruction of mold, it is necessary to equip the summer cottages and the garage with good ventilation and keep in order. These measures will significantly reduce the risk of an unpleasant fungus in the future.

How to get rid of the smell of mold in the apartment?

The pungent and musty smell of mold anywhere is a sign that it has already appeared. You need to find the source of the smell, carry out the necessary work and ventilate this place.

Modern tools without big problems make it possible to cope with mold at any place of its appearance, but it is much easier to prevent its occurrence and thus keep its property intact, and not endanger unnecessary health.