How to Prevent and Remove Mold in Your Home

Another place where mold can grow for Northern viewers is in a closet that is on an exterior wall(not proper building practice). And mainly because of the pack rat tendency of people to stuff the closet full, against the cold outside wall, Resulting in no air circulation and a higher humidity level.

Mold need water and food(wood,paper).Water comes from not only leaking pipes and or rain leaks, but condensation.
Condensation can be caused by uninsulated area which allow the air to cool and condense -such as a cold water pipe behind a wall or showers and baths. The moisture can condense on light fixtures etc.The point is that water comes from the air in many ways.The growth that occurs usually is in a cold damp place.So keep things insulated and vented .If you have mold and get it removed,make sure you fix the reason it(mold) grew there in the first place.

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How do I remove mold & mildew from my vinyl siding, I seen a brief demo on the weather channel, however, I only seen the last few seconds. What was the mixing of the solutions?
Also, I believe I have water leaks within the walls of my home. I’ve had the builders return a few times and they assured me that it is the pipes contracting and expanding. I still hear what sounds like water leaking even when no one is using any water source. The problem I have there’s no access for me to inspect for water leakage. The house is a 2003 ranch with basement, that has no crawl space nor anyother void that I can get into to conduct checks. Any suggestions?

Greg,
To remove mold from vinyl siding, spray on a solution of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water with a little detergent mixed in to make it stick better. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes then hose off. As far as the water leak goes, monitor your water meter and see if it changes when no water has been used.

Thanks Ben

I have a reoccuring problems with mold in several spots in our house, particularly on the ceiling in the master bedroom. There is some condensation buildup overnight, and this room is shady in the morning. To try to counter this we open up windows and ventilate as much as possible, but the mold continues to return. I have cleaned with a mixture of bleach and water to no avail? Do you have any other suggestions to try and fix this long term (should we use a dehumifier at all?).

Thank you very much.

I just saw your program on going green. You had a segment on removing mold using a non-toxic product. I missed the product’s name. Instructed to go to your web site for more information. What is the non-toxic product’s name to remove mold?
Thanks!

Janet says:November 8 2008 We have a problem: When I do laundry I get dizzy when the machine empties out and spins and also how do you find a broken vent pipe in the wall if that is the problem. Thanks

Hi Mike,
It’s called Concrobium and is available at The Home Depot. I rented their fogger and used it to fog the crawlspace under our house. Find out more about it in our episode article (678) How to Go Green on a Budget

Danny,

I have green mold on copper pipes underneath the sinks in my vanity in bathroom. Do you have any suggestions on how to clean these up.

I HAVE A PAVER BLOCK PATIO.THIS YEAR WE HAVE GREEN MOLD IN SOME SPOT OF THE AREA.WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET RID OF THE MOLD.I KNOW THAT BLEACH KILLS MOLD,BUT WILL IT HARM OR DISCOLOR THE PAVERS?PLEASE CAN YOU HELP? THANKS

i watched your show sun am re placing plastic in your crawl space.. and topping it with a substance.. was it foam?
what is the reason for the topping.. other than holding
the plastic in place.. i would appreciate your answer..
we have a crawl space.. and need to make it as safe as
possible.. thanks.. sylvia 6-7-09.. morning show at 5:30am

i want to know what topping was placed on the black plastic
over the crawl space.. sun 5:30am 6-7-09.. thanks

The topping put on top of the black plastic in the crawl space in the Safe at Home episode was a layer of clean, dry sand. The purpose was to hold the plastic in place, as well as to absorb any excess moisture caused by condensation.

We have a large patio made of patio blocks, and have quite a bit of mold between the blocks. I am afraid to use the powerwasher on it for fear it will dislodge the blocks. What would you recommend for getting rid of the mold?
Thanks, Jan

We had a house built last year and yesterday I noticed that some of the hvac vents were not blowing any cool air. So I went into the crawlspace to check it out and found a horrible problem. All the insulated flex vents were full of water and so heavy they fell off the main trunk line. Also there is mold growing everywhere. I can see of the walls are wet and one of the floor beams is soaked. I went ahead and cut just through the plastic covering to the insulation on all lines just to drain the water so I could connect them back up as we live in the south and have to have AC. I also noticed the builder never sealed the area between the house and the Heatpump outside so there is a big gaping hole that any animal could crawl in and after seeing a mouse in the crawl space they obviously have been. I have a 2-10 warranty, but have no idea what is covered and what isn’t and with past dealing with my builder after closing to fix a few things he has not been at all helpful. He was great before the closing, but as soon as he got paid that ended. I don’t even know where to start.

One effective way to combat mold problems is by the use of desiccants like Silica Gel. These are the same small sachets you find in packaging of various products like electronics, garments, etc.

Silica Gel works by absorbing the moisture in its surrounding area. For most mold challenges, it does the job pretty well. Small sachets cost less than a dollar. It truly is a cost effective way of protection from moisture.

please help.

we just bought our first home, yesterday we put shrink plastic on the very leaky window(s). All of them this morning had condensation on the room side. One of the windows had enough condensation to form a small pool of h2o. For this winter how do I solve this? We live in northern Ontario Canada. Thank you in advance for your input.

I have read many places that you should NOT use bleach, what is the right thing to use/

Killing and cleaning the mold is one thing. Finding and controlling the source of moisture is another key factor. However, in places like HVAC systems where moisture is a by product of the system, CONTROLLING the mold growth is very important. If you don’t, you can clean it with bleach or other cleaner all you want, it will come back. In this case using an EPA registered Mold inhibitor every few months can keep you and the people in your house or space safer…oh and don’t go out and buy a mold cleaner, it won’t do the job. Check the EPA website for approved chemicals.

I just put away my Christmas decoration and discoverd green mold on my attic ceiling. This was not there in November. We have had a very rainy winter and it seems more moist then usual up there. I’m not sure if there’s a leak, but in October we had sealed up some spaces in the roof ,and I don’t have any vents or fans up there. I do have a window. Should I open the window or would it only add to the problem due to the damp conditions outside? Trying to figure out what I should do first? Intall proper ventilation and then spray with bleach and water? WIll the mold go away on it’s own with proper venitlation and what type of ventilation would I need? Soffit and ridge vents and a powered fan?? Thanks for your help!

I have a storage shed containing all of my furniture. My leather lounge suite is at the very front of the shed (just inside the door) and is now covered in green mold. We have had a very wet summer which has created a havean for mold to grow. I know what to do to clean and treat the leather lounge suite however, I need to know what I can do to prevent mold growing over all my furniture. At this stage it only appears to have grown over my lounge whcih is at the front of the shed closest to the door, the rest of the furniture is at the very back of the shed and doesnt seem to have been affected witht he moisture.

Danny, I was watching your daughter’s first home bathroom renovation and noticed she had a mold problem. We too have a mold problem on the ceiling. How did you get rid of this problem? We have green board around the shower and a ceiling fan vented outside, but the mold is back even after using Kilz. What can we do to get rid of the mold and prevent it from returning? We also can not put in a window.

Thanks, Dave

Danny, I have an ac outside drain pipe(floor level) upper drain lines stopped dripping, that is continuously leaking water. I’ve had my ac man blow out lines in attack, made sure all sink drains are operating but still water leakage. Should we check the coils? What’s causing this?

removed laminate floors in the house and the concrete had moisture on the floors when it rain the water run down the house and it is coming in the house help. thank you

We have a 26 year old house that has a 20 foot vaulted ceiling in the living room with 2 hollow wood beams. We have a heat pump with air conditioning which we run all the time. The beam located at the highest point of the ceiling has grayish looking mold. The beams were stained a cherry finish. We’ve not had any leaks from the ceiling or any leak stains to indicate a leak. We recently changed out our heat pump & a/c with a new system. We’re not sure if the mold started before or after the new system. We live in south Texas so humidity is a way of life. Never had this problem before. At this point, we’re not sure what to do next. Help!

we had a fridge leak that damaged kitchen cabinets and have to replace them. what can we do to protect new cabinets from future leaks before installing them?

I have a little problem.

We have a house that was closed up for about 9 months, with the AC on about 74. In the south. By a lake. With high humidity.

When we opened it up there was a lot of mold. Mostly, if not completely, the green kind. All of the doors are stained (with wood stain) but not sealed. The mold is on them (although mostly around the edge of the doors), on the fake-wood panellig, on the furniture (fabric sofas and chairs and a leather easy chair), and on other ‘unfinished’ wood. I am sure that it is in the ducts of this 2-1/2 story house, too.

It does not seem to be on the sheetrock (and it isn’t really that bad on the fake-wood panelling), the kitchen surfaces and appliances, and maybe the carpet (although I just can’t imagine that it isn’t). It isn’t in the attic spaces (two small areas on each side of the 2nd floor) either.

We have deployed Damp-Rid throughout the house.

We don’t have any water problems. I figure the water that the mold used was from the condensation on the windows from the AC.

What should I do?

Thanks!

Just purchased a 50 yr old home. Mold found on
First floor level around floor. I have cut out the drywall 4 foot up, repaired the water source, and have had the mold tested. Testing results were 60/70% chaetomium, 5/15% cladosporium! and 5/15% bacterial matter. I have used borax mixture, to clean all surfaces around the area. The drywall above 4 feet shows no sigh of mold. What else do I need to do to be sure this is a healthy house?

I have a white like chauk substance on the floor in the cold storage.We have never used it as a cold storage.It has been closed up for years.It doesn’t seem to be spreading But I can’t get rid of it

HI…. we live on the lake,therefore we could not put a basement under, we have a 4′ crawl space with cement walls . Ontario has been blessed with Rain & more Rain now we have water under the house in the crawl space I had put down 3 layers of plastic which i AM IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING. what DO i DO WITH THE REMAINING ODOUR & DAMPNESS!! THE FLOOR(??) IS NICE BEACH SAND and wet!!! please help!!!!!

The drain hose and the inside hose on my ac plugged up and water spilled out in my ac closet which is located above my return air vent. I cleaned out the drains and ran bleach down them several times, pulled out the insulation and dried out the return air vent hole under the unit, and dried everything. I am now getting a musty odor from my ac unit. The whole house smells musty when I return from being away from the house. I can’t find anything else to clean or dry up. What can I do to get rid of this odor? My house was renovated 3 years ago and I did not have this smell until the ac unit water spilled out. I have a concrete foundation and no where for water to be standing.

I LIVE IN A DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME–I HAVE BLACK MOLD ON DIFFERENT ROOMS IN THE CEILING–WE HAD A METAL ROOF ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO AND NEVER GET US ANY TROUBLE–AC WENT OUT ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO AND GOT HJEAT PUMP PUT IN AND STILL NO PROBLEM–I WENT UNDER THE HOUSE AND IT IS SILLED FINE–I JUST GET WATER AND WAS IT OFF BUT STILL COMES BACK IN ABOUT 3 MONTHS OIR MORE–I HAVE CHECKED THE ROOF AND THE SHINGLES WERE NOT DISTURBED BUT CAULKED ANYWAY WHERE I NEEDED TO–DUMB CAUSE THE SHINGLES ARE STILL ON THE TOP–I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT IS COMING FROM THE VENTS ARE IN THE FLOOR PUSHING AIR TO THE CEILING–MAYBE THAT IS WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM–THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING A HUMIDIFIAR BUT NOT SURE THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM–DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM—IF SO–I AM ALL EARS!!!THANKS

Hi, we have a step down living room with hardwood floors with a barrier on concrete that we are bringing level with the rest of the house. Immediatly upon removal of the wood floors closest to the outside wall, we stated to smell mold and meldew. The wood planks also smelled of it, but no signs of mold or damage. We looked under the barrier and at the base of the wall for any sign of water coming in or stains, and everything looks great. We took the outlet off that wall and looked to see if we can find any evidence of water damage in the walls and still nothing. We are at a loss as to where or what is causing this odor. Any information is appreciated, thanks.

9/27/14
Hi, we live in Maryland US. We’ve had a musty smell come and go over the years. And recently we’ve smelled it traveling room to room under the floor. We have a crawl space and have checked for creatures and mold. Last year we tore out the wall under the windows to see if something was living in there and found btw the wall studs a bunch of excrement and figured that’s where the smell came from. We replaced all insulation and repaired the wall. Now the smell is back and seems to travel room to room. Any ideas as to what on earth it could be?

I have a home owner that has had a moisture barrier under my home with a sump pump installed. I have double paned windows. and there is black mold/mildew on the steel frames of the outer window pane. I want to be able to rent this room out and I am worried about a possible law suit. Your help is appreciated. As I am a widow trying to keep my home and have tried to do everything I ca to make my home safe.
Sincerely,
Victoria

I own a older mobile home and recently found out my sink had a leak that had run under my cupboards into my living room under my laminate flooring .After finding the leak and removing 3/4 of my flooring .Ive done the dehumidifier ing and now on the infrared heat to kill any molds I can not see .Under my trailer was full of water from the sink to the front of my trailer ..ugh .We have punctured holes to release the water and will be romoving all wet insulation tomorrow. ..Turning on industrial fans to dry it out .Can you recommend any thing I should be spraying under there after its dry to prevent any mold from growing? As are frigged Alberta weather is getting closer I just want to make sure im good to go .

Yes, my home has a 4 ft. crawl space and we live in a wet area. When it rains we get water under the house. What can I do to help keep it dry?

we have a somewhat musty smell in our basement and when we are not using the heat or AC, the smell seeps thru the vents into the rest of the house. It is especially strong in rooms where the door is kept shut. our new dehumidifier is expected to arrive soon.
Our basement is dry, however one ceiling rafter is turning black…possible mold? all the others beams look normal.
do I need to worry about mold in my HVAC vents? should I bleach that beam?

thanks, Bonnie

I have made several tree stump tables ,,, all of a sudden after finishing and sealing them mold has surfaced through a few of them . I’ve remanded them and I’ve cleaned with a solution of javex and water , but it is still returning . They are birch tree stumps . I have had them dried for months near a wood stove ,,, please help

Hi, I bought a house three years ago. I have a walking closet underneath the attic (you access it from that walking closet). The walking closet has been having a musty smell, so I had an AC / Insulation company inspect the attic. They told me there is mold (little black spots) on the ac lines, and the box, but not all over the attic which they say is ok and very well built (all wood). They propose to change everything. They are not sure what cause the mold to form. I starting having asthma again after 20 years of having it under control when I moved to this house. AC’s are new and functioning very well according to ac inspection. What do you suggest? Do the expensive work and change all lines and box and disinfect attic? Install dehumidifier in my walking closet? I live in south florida, so there is no ventilation in the attic. Thanks much for your help.

Bleach doesn’t actually kill mold. In fact, bleach leaves behind a layer of carbon. Mold feeds on carbon. Any time you use bleach to “kill” mold, you are really fertilizing the mold and it will come back stronger than before.

Hello,

I have a problem with my bedroom that also has a small bathroom with shower. The ceiling of the whole house is wood also including the bathroom up above. Black mold is growing on the. Our ceiling fan is old and doesnt seem to work during summer and winter. It is worse with mold growth in the winter. I have used Mildrew remover cleaner on the wood. But it is continual! It is diffcult since it is up so HIGH on a ceiling. I let it set for 1 1/2 hr then try to climb on step stool and wipe it off with a Swifter mop with a dry pad since its unreachable!
Do you recommend something else? Or how can you help me?

thank you for the response,
kara

Our post and beam home has a bathroom with a wooden ceiling and no fan (there is a window). We have black mold growing on the wood. We clean it off occasionally, using bleach, but we’re wondering if (1) bleach is the right choice; (2) if there’s a spray or paint that can prevent the mold from re-occuring and (3) whether a dehumidifier would help as we don’t have the $ to install a proper fan right now. Do we need to replace the wood with sheet rock?

Thanks!

December 1, I will be in my house for 3 years. In the toilet area of the master bath, there is a musky,dirt smell. It’s coming from the vents. My home is on a slab and I have no clue how to find the problem. My home was built in 2011.

I live in the Asian country where it is very humid. I have mold problem in the house particularly my room. My cupboard is always fill with mold even after cleaning with anti mold spray or bleach. Every time I’m away for few days (all windows in the house are closed), the mold will start attacking. What can I do because I’ve change cupboard a few times. Also, will my items in the cupboard be a mold carrier and infect other cupboard even after I wipe them?

Hello – I have the same issue as Lisa Jo — post and beam house with wood ceiling in the bathroom, which seems to be a mold magnet. We do have a vent but it is on a side wall and has no impact. Would love any suggestions on how to avoid the mold. Thanks!

I have been renting a basement apartment for 1 year. I had to clean it while moving in because it had been vacant for a long time. I realized it had mold, thinking it would go away after cleaning up and living in the area with movement and activity. I started to notice a fine layer of white film on my black clothing and realized it was mold. I cleaned all clothing and started using a fan and cracked windows for ventilation and increased heat in evening. None the less this was still an issue so I talked to my landlord about it, hoping to resolve the issue. I moved out this last weekend and unpacking my clothing I again have more severe mold all over all of my clothing. Please help me with any suggestions or tips to save my wardrobe and inform landlord he should resolve this issue.
Thank you, Tawnya

What causes mold in air vents and how to remove it.

I have discovered, from my christmas tree that I must have had a leak and in the lines in between each plank of prefinished hardwood, it appears there is mold. How do I clean this. I first tried vinegar but it appears to still be there. Thank you for you help. Kristen

My husband and I just purchased a split level home that is approx 20years old. The drive way is going towards the house and there was an old issue of water going into the garage, but now there is a drain system so no more issue of that. Down stairs is connected to the garage and we noticed there is a moisture smell. We made sure all vents are open, fan turned on and we even put a dump rid in the room and there is no more smell. But we are getting surface mold all over our stuff in the garage. Its only been a few weeks and i found out that for a few years, the house had a mold issue all down stairs. There is no air vents in our garage and only one garage door (we have two single doors) has insulation on it, and the back door in garage that goes outside just had the weather strip replaced. What should i do to prevent this moisture problem turning into mold all over my house? I feel like there should be more i can do instead run a dehumidifier 24/7. I know there is no mold in the house down stairs because we had to open part of the walls and there is a vapor barrier on the insulation and no mold seen on the two walls that we opened up. The two walls was one shared with outside and the other shared with the garage. any advice on what we could do to prevent?

Every summer I get a light grey mold in my cabinets have cleaned with bleach and vinegar trying both. Is there anyway to prevent this mold?

We have had trouble with excess moisture in our basement, used Concrobium to take care of some mold issues (works great), and finally noticed a “dip” in the dirt around the foundation and filled it in. So my question is, knowing that water has been coming in through the block walls, will there be standing water inside the cement blocks? will that standing water have/cause mold growth inside the blocks? If so, how can I fix this issue and of course dry out the wall?
if not, how can I make sure that the problem has been corrected by replacing the soil.
Thanks

We more less have the same problem Richard (above) has but only we live in our home for 15 yrs now and never a problem. We were using a portable air conditioner for the summer due our central act tore up .but I got noticing about a month ago that the bathroom cabinets and doors and the stuff under cabinets wer getting a film of green mold on it.its happening in every room and we don’t have any leaks inside or out so we are guessing that the problem is from getting hot during the day and cold at night and it’s causing a moisture problem in our home and even on our grandkids toys. I’ve bleached every thing down but it’s coming back a couple days later. What can we do to keep it from coming back?? Plez help me !!! Thank you, Mrs. Moore

I have a Studio.. A room built in barn area. The floor is cement, walls are drywall with insulation. We installed a heater/air conditioner/ dehumidfier free standing unit early in summer. Since installing it seems that I am having a mold issue. The unit is vented to the outside along with an additional pipe for condensation. I have turned the unit to the dehumidifier position and gets lots of water? Have no idea where the water is coming from. Cement floor is bone dry and so are walls.. We removed some drywall and there is no moisture behind drywall or insulation either. No water source in room either.. The mold is growing in cabinets that are installed in room. Not sure what else to do or check.
Help. Thanks, Donna

I keep getting green and yellow mould on the back of my wardrobes and drawers, keep cleaning it of but it comes back. It is untreated wood.

Thank you for the help. I think that I found some mold in the crawl space of my house. I am not sure if I should clean it myself. Would it be more thorough if I hired a mold remediation service to clean then prevent mold?

Hi, I just moved into a brand new apartment building about 35 days ago. On the 30th of August they powered washed the out side breezeway That evening I noticed puddles of water in main bedroom, a totally saturated rug, the next day found water in front of front door and coat closet. I called office and emergency maintence number that evening August 30th 2016, no one came out or called. The office manager two days later on Monday morning, after I went to office, he insisted that I listen to him and turn the air on. I didn’t turn air on wasn’t hot. A few days later was told about damp rid, I hung some in coat closet and main bedroom closet after starting to see some green mold on things. I also bought 3 tubs of damp rid and put one in each closet and one under bathroom sink where there is now small amounts of green mold showing up. Today Sunday the 10th of September, 11 days later I am finding green mold on boots, bags, computer chair, back of headboard. I wiped things down and took pictures. Office still hasn’t sent anyone out to look at the problem. The bags in both closets are half way filled with water. I am going to turn on air tomorrow, but it seems like there must be a bigger problem here. Any help/ insight would be appreciated. Thank you, Mary

To get black mold off drywall, use a soft brush to scrub the stains with a mixture of water and bleach until the spots are gone. Vacuum up any mold that may have fallen on the floor, and eliminate all excess moisture from the affected rooms as quickly as possible.

I let my brother and his wife and my mom live in my empty house in Antelope CA. They are only paying for utilities. Problem is they don’t turn on heater and ac to save money. Uses portable fan and heater. My concern is mold and bulking of wooden floor. paid $8000 for wood floors all over the house. I demanded to use heater and keep it about 68. Am I right? tried to help my family financially but it is going to ruin my house.

Very informative post!

Leak in 2nd floor bathroom waterline caused water to leak down nearby inside wall and HVAC air intake filter on 1st floor, then under 1st floor wooden floor (causing some blanks to buckle) and eventually out under the floor through the under-the-wooden-floor DensDeck boards & fiberglass insulation and finally onto the open cement pad under the house (via a slow steady drip). Leak was fixed and for the last seven days a fan has been running through a wall cutout in a closet wall to help dry out the internal wall where water ran down.

What else can we do including getting professional help to prevent/minimize mold from developing in the areas affected by the leak. For instance, would applying Concrobium Mold Control with a cold (ULV) Fogger be an effective way to eliminate/prevent mold? Thank you in advance.

This post very effective to me. This article is very informational.4 and 6 point is very good. Thanks for helping me understand how our health is being affected by these molds. I will request for a mold testing at the soonest possible time.

I live in an area of high humidity in the summer in the Southeast. In addition to having HVAC evaluated it was recommended to me to buy a dehumidifier. I found one that is installed in the wall and has a drain so you don’t have to keep emptying the tank. You just clean the filter every couple of months. it was sold by a company called Innovative Dehumidifier Systems. It has been awesome.

That’s a good point that sizing air conditioners can help reduce humidity. I was wondering why I am having mold problems in my house, and I think I know the reason now. Thanks for sharing the information. I appreciate it.

It’s definitely important to avoid mixing bleach with other cleaning products when cleaning mold because that can create a harmful gas. My wife and I recently discovered some mold growing on the tiles of our bathroom behind the toilet – gross!

Thanks, DANNY LIPFORD! I’ve always been a fan. To remove mold, you suggest warm water and detergent for mild cases and bleach solutions for more severe problems. Apart from that, to prevent mold, you recommend checking AC drain leaks and Ductwork condensation along with others. Done and done!

Protect the area through closing all rooms for avoiding cross-contamination this could be done through using duct tape and plastic sheets. Make sure that you provide moisture to the affected surface, this will help in halting the mold spores from travelling via air. Once you remove them store them inside a plastic bag and dispose them off. Afterwards run a vacuum and clean the area with a scrub dipped in solution of ammonia and water.