If your drywall surface is soft to the touch, the moisture and the mold have taken their toll on its structural integrity. In this case, it's better to remove the drywall, kill the mold on the framing underneath, allow it to dry, and start fresh.
If you don't replace water-damaged, moldy drywall, it could end up compromising the structure of your home. It's also a health hazard, and in some cases, the only way to get rid of toxic black mold on drywall is to remove the affected panels completely.
The good news is that if you kill the mold right away, you can usually save the drywall. If the mold has been lingering there for awhile, you might need to replace the contaminated section.
If the mold is on a hard surface, which includes paint on a wall, use a cloth or sponge dampened with water, or water mixed with a little detergent, to wipe it off. Rinse out the cloth or sponge and wipe again.
Mold can easily spread on drywall especially if it covers the largest portion of your home.
Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects, or none at all. Some people are sensitive to molds. For these people, exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin.
Musty Smell
If you think there's mold in your walls, get on your hands and knees and smell the electrical outlets. This might sound silly, but it may help you sense mold if it's growing within walls. Outlets have better access to the area behind the walls. Thus, smelling them can help identify the mold problem.
All contaminated surfaces will be vacuumed with a HEPA vacuum to trap the mold spores while releasing clean air, unlike traditional vacuum cleaners. Next, a professional will spray and wipe down the once contaminated surface with microfiber cleaning cloths.
Once you discover mold, it's best to open up the walls and remove the mold as soon as possible. Mold can spread and affect other areas of the walls, insulation, ceiling, flooring, studs, and joists. The longer you wait to remove the mold, the longer mold has to grow.
If you clean up the mold, but don't fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.
Spray mold on walls with white vinegar to get to the root of the problem. While bleach works well to kill surface fungus and remove the ugly marks on the walls caused by mold, it doesn't penetrate deeply into the drywall, and so it leaves the mold's “roots” undisturbed.
The 48-72 hour window is critical to prevent mold growth as it usually takes 24 to 48 hours for mold to germinate and grow. Once fungus gets a hold on a drywall surface, it can be the breeding ground for thousands of spores and quickly spread in the air around the wall with every passing hour.
When searching for black mold, look for circular-shaped spots that are black, dark green or dark brown. Some black mold can also take on shades of orange or have flecks of white within it. Most of the time, black mold has a slightly furry appearance.
Mold generally looks slimy or fuzzy, tends to have a raised texture, and can come in a rainbow of colors, including deep green and black. Mildew is powdery, looks white or gray, always appears flat, and grows on surfaces.
Keep the Humidity Low
Use a dehumidifier to keep the humidity between 30 and 50 percent to deter mold from growing in other areas. Following these steps will help you remove mold from your drywall surfaces and discourage it from growing back.
Whether you can do a DIY clean-up of black mold, or need to employ a damp and mold professional, will depend on the size of your problem. Advice on tackling mold from the United Stages Environmental Protection Agency is to consider doing the job yourself if the area affected is less than 10 square feet.
During the cleanup of mold, many spores may be released into the air. To prevent health effects, there are several ways you can protect yourself while cleaning up the mold.
Mildew is a surface fungi identified as a patch of gray or white fungus lying on the surface of a moist area. Mildew is easily treated with a store-bought cleaner and a scrubbing brush. Mold, on the other hand, can have colors that range from black to green and is often the result of a much larger infestation.
One of the biggest issues is that the integrity of the wood and other materials could be compromised due to the length of time the materials have been wet. If you experience persistent mold, even in a small area, you should use a professional to remove black mold effectively.
Both Concrobium Mold Control and hydrogen peroxide-bases agents remove mold with a high “kill rate.” They are highly effective at killing active mold growth.
Absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. Mold can grow on or fill in the empty spaces and crevices of porous materials, so the mold may be difficult or impossible to remove completely.
Outside of a surface mold from humidity scenario, the best strategy for removing black mold from drywall is simply to cut out the impacted drywall and replace it with new. Don't waste your time trying to clean it. It's best to (carefully) cut it out, bag it up, and throw it away.
Mold Detection
In the same way that smoke detectors identify smoke, not fire, the Biomatrix Mold Monitor identifies unseen moisture that can lead to widespread mold growth.
Concrobium Mold Control is an innovative, market-leading product that effectively eliminates existing mold, prevents mold re-growth and eliminates musty odors with no harmful chemicals. The unique technology is used by homeowners, professional remodelers, contractors and remediators.