Black specks on the walls, in the tile gaps and near the ventilation. It’s not dirt, it’s mold. The fungus is not only aesthetically unpleasant, it is also dangerous to our health. We tell you how to get rid of mold in your apartment once and for all.
Contents
Basic Facts About Mold in The Apartment And Its Types
Mold in houses and apartments, unfortunately, is a very common phenomenon. It can appear in air conditioners, dishwashers and washing machines, refrigerators, trash cans, kitchen hoods, flower pots, and it multiplies especially actively in damp bathrooms.
Mold is the name given to colonies of single-celled fungi that develop from spores that are constantly present in the air of even the cleanest rooms. Spores come to life and multiply intensively as soon as they find themselves in a favorable environment: they need warmth and high humidity.
Molds belong to the fourth, most dangerous group of pathogenic microorganisms. This means that they can cause severe and deadly diseases of the lungs, internal organs and the body’s immune system. This is especially critical if people spend a lot of time at home.
How to Get Over This Plague
So, mold appears in warm rooms with high humidity. That is, especially in bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens. Mold especially loves unwashed dishes, leftover food, and refrigerators. Mold does not live in freezers, but where food is stored at a minimum but positive temperature, mold can actively multiply.
Personal Precautions And Necessary Tools
The most effective way to combat mold is to constantly eliminate the conditions for its appearance and growth. Regularly wipe off dust and wash the floors in the apartment, but be sure to dry any traces of wet cleaning. Ventilate all rooms. Pay special attention to bathrooms and kitchens.
When working with mold-infested areas, wear a respirator or medical mask on your face and gloves on your hands. This will protect your lungs from inhaling mold spores and your skin from direct contact with the fungus.
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How to Get Rid of Mold on Walls
The simplest, but quite effective way to combat mold on the walls is to spray them with table vinegar from a spray bottle, after putting a respirator on your face. Regular treatment of stains that appear will destroy them. After which you can repeat the procedure, but with a baking soda solution. Dissolve a spoonful of powder in a glass of water and use the spray bottle again. This method is less effective, but there is no smell of vinegar, and not all people like it.
– Sometimes Moldy walls will need to be ripped out completely then treated for mold and re-drywalled so you do not risk becoming sick or any health hazards”
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How to Get Rid of Mold On and Under Wallpaper
It is necessary to remove areas of wallpaper affected by mold and scrape off the top layer of putty or plaster with a spatula. In household chemical stores you can find special mold repellents, which are often available in spray bottles. The effect of most of them will be immediate. The effectiveness of each product must be personally verified in practice.
How to Get Rid of Mold On The Ceiling
Radical measures are needed here. The paint or whitewash from the ceiling will have to be completely removed and the entire surface treated with a factory-made mold remover or copper sulfate. Blue stains are guaranteed, but the product is very effective.
After the vitriol has dried, treat the entire surface with a deep-penetrating primer with antiseptic properties. Repeat the treatment two more times, after which you can paint the ceiling or glue wallpaper on it. The same procedures are recommended for combating mold on walls.
In The Kitchen
You should not leave leftover food on the table or unwashed dishes, even for a short time. And regularly treat the corners under the kitchen sink, walls and interior of the dishwasher with vinegar, and then dry the room by ventilating. If mold does appear, then you need to wipe everything you can with vinegar and treat it with an anti-mold spray.
Toilet And Bathroom
Mold can grow not only on the walls of the bathroom and toilet, but also on the back wall of the washing machine and on the underside of the shower tray. And here, too, the most important means of combating is prevention. Watch for possible leaks, dry the bathroom thoroughly after bathing or washing, and regularly treat corners and crevices with vinegar or antiseptics. Improve the ventilation system to reduce humidity in the bathroom. Vinegar is ineffective in the bathroom; immediately resort to anti-mold spray. If you are facing major mold problem, you may need to look for portable toilets rental for your temporary bathroom situation while your mold problem is being fixed.
In a Ground Floor Apartment
Mold penetrates into apartments on the ground floor from unfinished basements. Walls and ceilings must be treated with copper sulfate and antiseptics.
The basements of multi-story buildings often flood, becoming a breeding ground for mold. This problem has to be solved with the involvement of utility workers. The basement must be completely drained, and the water supply and sewer lines must be inspected, as well as a ventilation system must be installed. But, unfortunately, utility companies do not always take measures in a timely and efficient manner. Consider installing an Acudor A-FPS flood-tight floor panel to help prevent water intrusion and maintain a dry basement environment.
In the apartment itself, it is necessary to install waterproofing in the kitchen and bathroom to prevent moisture and mold spores from penetrating inside. It is recommended to do this in any case if you do not live on the first floor. At the first symptoms of mold, it is necessary to immediately carry out all the above-described measures to combat it.
In an Old Home
This task is the most difficult to accomplish, since it is necessary to stop all possible ways of dampness entering the home and provide enhanced ventilation. And the condition of old housing often leaves much to be desired.
First, you should invite a specialized team of disinfectors with professional equipment and antiseptics. Similar services are provided by the regional “Federal Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology”, the former SES. The price for such work depends on the area of the room and the degree of mold infestation.
All of the previously listed methods must be carried out regularly, that is, treat areas where mold is likely to appear with antiseptics, preventing the fungus from gaining a foothold and growing. When repairing, thoroughly treat walls and ceilings with antiseptics, including copper sulfate.