How To Kill Mold in Your Basement

Basements are prone to mold problems because they are situated at low elevations, next to ground moisture. Also, since water runs downhill, basements are the natural destination of any leaks anywhere in or near the house above.

A warm, moist, poorly ventilated basement is an ideal place for mold to grow and can be a large problem in many homes. When mold becomes a problem it won't go away by itself. It's going to be up to you to get rid of it. Here's how to kill mold and reclaim your basement.

When you start to work with mold it is a good idea to first nail down the causes and sources of the moisture that mold needs in order to grow. In any mold-cleaning projects for basements, to be effective you need to look at the levels of humidity, and see where the moisture is coming from.

So here's what you do:

1. Find the sources of moisture.  First, stop all the water leaks. Repair plumbing fixtures and all leaks coming from above.  Move water sources away from basement walls and floors and let them dry out. Look at increasing ventilation in the basement or maybe adding a dehumidifier.

Beyond that here are some common sources of leaks and water entry points that lead to basement mold problems:

Check out the basement ceiling for water stains. If there is water coming down, it will usually leave a stain track. This can be followed right to the source and stopped.

Air conditioning (and sometimes heater) tubing may have condensation which could feed mold problems. Condensation usually happens when warm, moist air and colder things run into each other.

If the basement has windows, look at the corners, the fitting seals and any cracks in each window. Look for water stains or ways water could get in.

Check the dry wall and wall panels along the perimeter walls. Look for water stains. Check to see if they have any mold or mildew problems inside.

If there is carpeting, pull up a corner and check for moisture stains or mold underneath.

2. O.K. That done, now it's time to get down to how to kill mold and how to clean mold up so it doesn't come back!

The first step in how to kill mold is to protect yourself. Make sure that everyone present is wearing a painters' face mask or other respiratory protector. This is important to protect their lungs from the mold spores that you are going to stir up! Then, go after the mold, attacking it at the source.

Remove all damaged and un-salvageable building materials, carpet, moldings, etc.

Spray affected areas (where mold is visible) with a mold cleaning product or antifungal liquid (there are several good types that are commercially available). This will loosen the spores and surface material to prepare for surface scrubbing.

Get the mold off of affected areas. Wipe them down, use a stiff-bristled brush where appropriate; sand the area or attack the mold using a sander or a wire brush.   

Use your antifungal liquid to spray again, then clean again.

3. Finally, either spray with long-lasting anti-mold fungicide or paint with anti-fungal paint, to make sure the mold does not come back.

Also take care to make sure that the future humidity levels of the basement area remain low. Remember, "Mold won't grow where the humidity is low!" How to kill mold?  One sure way is to dry out the place where it might grow.

Jorge Chavez is a researcher, do-it-yourself expert, writer, author and webmaster at:
http://howtocleanmold.net 

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