Mold can be a troublesome issue, and it's important to know how to handle it. In this post, we provide insights about mold and cleaning and share useful tips for cleaning mold on various surfaces. From identification to actions and preventive measures, here's what you need to know to tackle mold in your home!
First, what is mold? Mold is a collective name for all microscopic fungi that grow in Mold grows on a nutrient-containing substrate, such as wood, but mold can also grow on other organic materials, but it needs something to take hold of and start growing. Having a good basic cleaning routine and not giving the mold so much to start growing in is therefore often a good idea.
Mold can, for example, grow on inorganic materials such as concrete if the surface is damp, soiled with dust, dirt or other grime.
Surfaces that are inorganic and clean resist mold growth well, for example, clean tile. Mold thrives in a humid environment and often affects buildings where ventilation or moisture protection does not work.
This sofa had been in a damp place and, in addition, all the buttons were full of biological material (cheese puffs, breadcrumbs, etc.) that provided a perfect environment for mold to attack the furniture. We brought it in and cleaned it with soap spray and a cloth. When the biological material was cleaned away, the sofa was allowed to dry well, then the same cleaning was done once more and now the furniture is dry again without mold. The attack was therefore only superficial and local and was possible to clean away. (Use respiratory protection even for superficial attacks like this).
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Not all mold is dangerous, but it is very difficult to know if it is dangerous or not if you are not very good at mold, so ask for professional help if you have a mold attack at home. Mold can be harmful to both your home and health, so you should be observant. You can suffer from everything from headaches to poisoning caused by mycotoxins. If you suspect a mold attack in your home, it should be checked because it is not at all certain that it is visible or felt by the smell even if it is often both visible and felt by the smell.
Mold can of course also be good, for example, penicillium mold is used for the production of antibiotics and penicillin, but the chance that you would have the basement full of penicillin is small after all, so check it out!
But don't get mold panic, mold is after all everywhere around us and is a natural part of our environment, mold spores are always present in the air over land. In winter there can be as few as 10 spores per cubic meter but in summer it is common with over 10,000 spores per cubic meter in the outdoor air.
Here we have an obvious water damage. Here it is not possible to solve the problem with cleaning. Here you need professional help to remedy moisture damage and sanitize.
Over fields there is for example Alternaria, Cladosporium and Fusarium while Aspergillus and Penicillium are more common in indoor environments, sometimes also in forest terrain. We do not notice or get harmed by any of this. It is only when the spores start to grow and form mold that problems can arise. For this to happen, moisture, nutrition and the right temperature are needed.
Often, harmful fungi affect homes first at 5–10 °C. On a nutrient-rich substrate, however, mold can grow close to 0 °C, for example mold on fruit in a cold refrigerator.
Can you fix it yourself?
-Yes, if the mold is superficial then it works well. If, on the other hand, it is a bigger problem, a bigger attack, you need professional help.
For example, I found a football sock at the bottom of a laundry basket. It had been placed in the basket wet and with a wet towel over it, it had been there while we were away for a couple of days and yes it had become moldy. This is not a mold attack that needs to be addressed by a professional, it is local and the cause is obvious. Wet sock left at the bottom of a plastic laundry basket. All the conditions were there but it is easily remedied. I scrubbed out the laundry basket with soap and the towel and socks were washed in the machine.
If you have local mold to clean away, use a face mask for safety. Feel free to use gloves too and if there is a lot, feel free to use safety glasses too.
Locate the source: Try to find out why there is mold. Is it just a wet sock or is there an underlying cause, water damage, damaged surfaces, poor ventilation?
Clean with soap and water, alternatively baking soda. Fungi and mold thrive in an acidic environment but not in a basic one. Dry well and make sure that no water remains, ventilate and dry are keys to keeping mold away.
Mold and silicone sealant: Silicone sealant often gets black mold spots after a while and unfortunately they are often under the silicone sealant and then it doesn't matter how you try to clean the top.
The silicone sealant needs to be removed and redone. There is now mold-free silicone in the building materials trade. Feel free to use such silicone AND investigate carefully so that the basic problem is not water damage, then it needs to be addressed by a professional.
When you are done, check regularly so that the problem does not come back because then you need to investigate the source more carefully.
Mold and tile joints: Have the tile joints become discolored? It is not certain that it is mold, it can also be limescale or biological dirt, skin flakes, soap residue and so on, it is something that you get rid of with soap and a stiffer brush. And as mentioned above, mold needs something to grow on, if you scrub clean you reduce the risk of mold spores taking hold.
Fusarium is a fungus that becomes a little red/pink in color and it also thrives and is very common in shower and bath areas, you scrub it and keep it away with soap and a brush.
Vacuum cleaners and mold: If you have vacuumed up mold, the vacuum cleaner needs to be cleaned thoroughly and all filters replaced, otherwise you risk spreading the mold spores via the vacuum cleaner.
Here an interior door has been in a damp storage room. This was also only superficial mold and was easy to scrub away.
Quick recap
1. Use at least respiratory protection, preferably gloves and glasses too.
2. Find out the cause / find the source.
3. Clean and check that the mold does not return.
4. If the problem recurs or the source cannot be located, then you need to contact professional help and possibly also your insurance company.
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1. Vilka är de vanligaste platserna där mögel kan växa i hemmet enligt inlägget?
De vanligaste platserna där mögel kan växa i hemmet är på organiska material såsom trä, men det kan även förekomma på oorganiska material som betong om ytan är fuktig och nedsmutsad.
2. Varför är det viktigt att ta reda på och åtgärda källan till mögeltillväxt?
Att ta reda på och åtgärda källan till mögeltillväxt är viktigt eftersom mögel trivs i fuktiga miljöer och behöver en näring att växa på. Om källan inte åtgärdas kan mögeltillväxten återkomma trots rengöringsåtgärder!
3. Vad är fördelarna med att använda såpa och vatten för att rengöra mögel?
Fördelarna med att använda såpa och vatten för att rengöra mögel är att svampar och mögel trivs i en sur miljö men inte i en basisk. Såpa gör ytan basisk och därför mindre gynnsam för mögeltillväxt.