How To Get Rid Of Mold On Walls Permanently?

So, you keep cleaning the mold on your walls but it keeps coming back. The mold may stress you out and you feel like there is no solution to this problem.

If it’s any consolation, this happens to more homeowners than you might think. However, no need to be down, I will help you get rid of the mold for good.

The most efficient way to get rid of mold is to get rid of the source of the problem. As you may know, mold grows only when there is moisture present in the air. A bleach detergent won’t help you if the conditions for mold growth are available.

If you are thinking, what am I doing? I already know this. Just relax, and keep reading for a thorough explanation.

Where is the Mold?

More precisely, in which room is the wall that has mold on them? The room pretty much, tells you the location of the cause. The obvious suspects are the bathroom and the basement, these places generate a lot of moisture.

However, the obvious areas are usually protected, I like to think that a big number of homeowners took the necessary precautions. Usually, you will find mold on walls only after a water leak.

Either way, both situations are can be solved with a little effort, sometimes with no effort and a certain amount of money. You wouldn’t be reading this if you went with the no-effort option so, let’s move on.

The bathroom

I’m sure most of you know this so I’ll be brief. You may have a protected shower, but steam can also generate moisture.

Most bathrooms have a window for ventilation or an electric fan. Both are pretty good at removing moisture from the air. If these are not enough, maybe buying an electric dehumidifier will be.

Usually, the contractors solve this for you, however, it’s good to check if your bathroom is protected from moisture. If it’s not, change that as soon as possible.

No need to go on about this, move along.

The basement

Now, the basement is more complicated, people usually forget that they even have it. Some homes are built under a wet area which leads to a damp foundation. These basements are very humid.

You can’t permanently get rid of the water under your house, it’s just isn’t in your power. You can only get a sump pump that will get rid of the water for you.

Homes that have a wet foundation, are usually located in the low-point of the neighborhood, sometimes it doesn’t matter where you are in the neighborhood, you just live in a naturally wet area.

I recommend buying a sump pump and installing an efficient ventilation system for eliminating the moist air threat. If you do this, your basement should be safe.

You can find more information about this online, we can continue.

Other humid areas

Another potential threat you should be aware of is the kitchen, under the sink. This is a threat if the hose for the sink isn’t properly sealed or it has leaked.

You may not notice mold growth in your kitchen, it will first appear on the wood under your sink and then spread. The smell may tip you off, but the kitchen always smells of cooking.

However, there is only a small chance that the mold will spread to the walls, kitchens usually have excellent ventilation systems. Just to be sure, check under your sink once in a while.

The laundry room is also prone to mold growth. It’s easy to guess why, the washing machine can produce moisture or wet clothes left to dry.

Also, laundry rooms are often closed spaces with no windows, this makes it easy for humid air to stay in the area. I’m sure you noticed this in your home.

If you have a separate laundry room from the bathroom, you are only left with one choice, buying an electric dehumidifier. However, if the room is close to a window, I’m sure opening it would also work.

Enough about the rooms in your house, something more serious follows.

Did you have a water leak?

You are in a far more dangerous situation if you recently had a water leak, and didn’t act fast enough. It’s not your fault, the damage from a water leak is very hard to contain.

Now, did any of your rooms had water damage? Sometimes you can easily spot the leak or you are the one that caused the water damage. If it’s one of these situations, you are not in that much trouble.

However, if a pipe is broken, your problem just became a lot more serious. It’s harder to deal with a broken pipe, especially a pipe that is not accessible.

Either way, you have to act fast. Clean everything up, eliminate the threat, and make sure to actions in order to prevent mold growth.

Sometimes you may think that you cleaned everything up, and mold is no longer an issue. However, even if you eliminated the source, wet items in the house may bring back mold.

Let’s see how to clean up after a water leak?

Cleaning after water damage

First, make sure you know where the water came from. If it’s not a pipe, you may proceed to clean right away. Wear rubber gloves and clothing appropriate for cleaning.

Start by removing items that are in the way and that may be a food source for mold. Any items that are beyond repair just throw out in the garbage.

Saving items is a bit risky. If you want to save something, take it out of the house and make sure that it’s completely dry before bringing it back, it may be the cause of further issues.

Clean any water that is left in the room, it’s very important that the area is completely dry. Once you make sure that the area is dry, you may proceed to dehumidify.

Leaving the windows open will do just fine, however, if you feel like it, it would be great to use an electric dehumidifier. You can’t put a price on safety.

Do all this, and you should be fine, we may move on.

Dealing with a broken pipe

The first thing to do when dealing with a broken pipe is to shut off the valve connected to the pipe so water may not flow. Then, you can proceed to fix stuff.

Which pipe is leaking? if it’s a pipe from a sump pump or something similar that anyone handy can fix, you are in luck. Just replace the pipe or seal the leak.

However, if it’s one of the pipes for the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room, I highly recommend calling a professional. You should not do this by yourself.

If the leak damaged any walls, you will need to do work on the walls as well. You may have to open them up or if you are lucky a bleach detergent will do.

I think we are done with threats and precautions, it’s time for the cleaning part.

How to clean mold on walls

So, the precautions didn’t interest you, you already have mold on your walls, and you can’t get rid of it. You may rest, there is a solution.

First, get a pair of rubber gloves and make sure the rest of your skin is not exposed. Washing the clothes will kill any spores that caught on them. If you have breathing problems, don’t do this.

Check any items in the room to see if they are contaminated. If there is mold on your walls, I bet there is some on your carpet too. Eliminate threats like this before cleaning.

Now, you will need to prepare a detergent that is a mix of water and bleach. A preferable solution would be quarter cup of bleach and two cups of hot water. Prepare a sponge for scrubbing too.

Put the detergent in a spray bottle and start cleaning. Spray at the contaminated area and thoroughly scrub. After that wipe it with a dry cloth.

This time, spray at the area but don’t scrub, leave it like that for 10-15 minutes and thoroughly clean the detergent off the wall. Make sure the wall is dry when done. Using a fan helps.

This should get rid of your problem, however, if the mold comes back, that means you may have to call a professional. The mold spread to the inside of the structure and you may have to open up the wall.

I should note that this happens only if the pipe leaked, so the mold started spreading from inside or if you ignored the mold for a long time. If a pipe leaked, you may have to open the wall anyway.

That’s all folks, hope this helped you. Make sure you are not dealing with the same problem again, make your home safe.

Related questions

Can mold kill you?

Most types of mold will not kill you; they may cause some respiratory problems if you are exposed for a longer period of time, however, black mold is associated with death. You can easily spot the black mold because of its color.

Is it safe to stay in a house with mold?

I would recommend not staying in the house. Mold will do nothing to you if the exposure is short, however, mold can be dangerous to people with health problems. A healthy person can endure mold, but a sick one can’t. Living for an extended period in a house with molds, can, for example, lead to a septic shock.