Mould on your walls and windowsills is not only nasty to look at, but can be a potential danger to your health if not removed quickly. By removing mould as soon as possible, you’re reducing the risks of it spreading even further throughout your home.
It’s also important to consider the longer term solutions too, taking the correct preventative steps to stop the mould from growing in the first place.
As experts in ventilation, we’re sharing our top tips on how to eliminate mould from your home.
Essentially, mould is a fungus that grows on damp materials, and feeds off moisture for its growth. There are many different types and colours of mould - including black, green, brown, grey and white.
Mould reproduces from tiny spores, which float through the air and deposit on the surfaces in the home - most typically, in bathrooms and kitchens. With the right moisture, nutrients and temperature conditions, these spores can form new colonies of mould and spread rapidly.
Black mould is the most damaging of all, as it is the most hazardous to your health. Its spores can trigger an allergic reaction in your immune system, such as coughing, sneezing, irritated eyes and congestion. Those with weaker immune systems, such as the elderly and young children, are at a higher risk.
It’s worth mentioning before you begin, that you should only attempt to clean the mould yourself if you are confident that you have not had an allergic response to it, as this could make your symptoms significantly worse.
Additionally, if you think that your mould is toxic black mould, then this should be removed by professionals. Removing it yourself may result in you coming into contact with toxins during the process - which again, can be seriously damaging.
Once you’ve established that it’s not black mould, you’ll need to pick up a fungicidal cleaner to spray onto the mould directly to kill it off. Most supermarkets or home stores will sell these, making them relatively easy to get hold of.
Examples of suitable products include:
If you’re struggling to find where to buy, start your search at online shopping sites such as Amazon, supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys, or home stores like Screwfix.
Household bleach can kill mould on non-porous surfaces like tiles and sinks but, unlike the products above, it doesn’t work as well on porous surfaces such as wood or drywall.
Before you start cleaning, you’ll need three items - your mould spray, two cloths and a bucket of warm water.
When cleaning mould, it is very important to follow the instructions on the pack and this may mean wearing the appropriate protection - such as gloves, eye protection and a face mask if you can, to prevent toxins transferring onto or into your body. We also recommend wearing gloves and older clothes in case you get any of the product on you by accident.
Generally, you’ll need to lightly spray your chosen cleaner directly onto the patch of mould, and wait at least a minute or two for it to work before wiping it away with your cloth. Make sure to rinse your cloth after every wipe, and change the water at regular intervals to avoid spreading more of the mould onto other areas.
After wiping away all of the mould, you’ll need to use your other (clean!) cloth to wipe down all of the walls to remove any residue from your cleaner.
To prevent any further contamination, cloths should be washed immediately after use and dried for a longer time than usual. Ensure that you firstly rinse and soak them thoroughly in bleach or sodium hypochlorite before washing.
Even by using the most effective cleaners and staying on top of any mould that appears on your walls or window sills, this won’t prevent it from returning again in the future. The only way to completely remove the mould from your home is by tackling the root cause of what allows it to grow.
The root cause of mould is the conditions in which allows it to grow and thrive - which includes condensation, dampness and moisture. With this in mind, it’s important to make sure that you have an energy efficient, modern extractor fan fitted in all of your bathrooms and kitchen - as these are the rooms that create the most moisture.
The most effective prevention method is whole-house ventilation. By installing a mechanical heat recovery ventilation unit, this will constantly bring in fresh air into your home, removing the moisture-laden air that contributes to the growth of mould.
It will also create a better airflow throughout the building - reducing the mould’s ability to settle and start to grow, as the air will be constantly moving. The added bonus is that, by using a MVHR unit, you’ll have warm air coming into the property too - reducing your heating bills.
Get in touch with our team of experts today! We can talk you through all of the options available, and help you to make the right choice for you and your family.
