How to deal with mold on the walls in the apartment

Mold spores settle on the skin, enter the lungs, enter the body. This can lead to the appearance of allergies, frequent colds and migraines at a minimum, but in the worst case it can cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the development of bronchial asthma and many other health problems. In addition, the fungus is toxic, and when it enters the bloodstream, it can significantly weaken immunity.

The appearance of mold is an unpleasant situation no matter which way you look at it. It is necessary to start the fight against it by eliminating the root cause, while simultaneously treating the affected areas. Mold is dangerous, so it requires comprehensive measures.

Causes of mold

Moisture is the ideal conditions for the appearance and development of mold. As a rule, its germination is facilitated by a temperature of about 20 ° C in combination with humidity above 95%. In other conditions, microscopic spores of the fungus can be present in the air, but they practically do not cause harm. Reproduction is activated when they get into a wet environment.

The following points can lead to this:

• improper installation of walls, insulation, insulation during house construction or renovation;
• freezing of the wall;
• poor ventilation in the room;
• unreasonable use of moisturizers;
• breeding of tropical plants in large quantities, not suitable for the dimensions of the room;
• daily drying in a large amount of laundry after washing in the room.

It should be noted that the installation of plastic windows with their tightness can affect the ventilation. Do not forget about the ventilation of the apartment. For these purposes, either periodically open the window for ventilation, or set it to micro-ventilation mode, or install ventilation channels in the profile.

Analyze why mold appears in your home. Determined? And now think about how it can be eliminated. Perhaps you need to insulate or repair the walls, set up proper ventilation, or remove plants from the room that evaporate too much moisture. Everything is individual and requires a separate approach to correcting the situation. But the question of how to remove mold from the walls is the same for everyone.

Plan to eliminate mold

Here’s what you’ll need to do to get rid of mold once and for all:

1. Reduce humidity. To do this, the cause of moisture, which was mentioned above, should be eliminated.
2. Mechanically remove mold from the walls, floor, and ceiling.
3. Treat the affected surfaces with a means to eliminate the fungus.
4. If there are things damaged by mold, it is better to throw them away. You can try to wash it, how to do it, read in this article .
5. Ventilate the room regularly. Do not allow air stagnation and an increase in humidity, this is the only way you will not allow the remains of mushroom pores to multiply.

Removal of mold from the wall

Arm yourself with a spatula and sandpaper. You will also need gloves and a respirator. It is better to reduce contact with mold as much as possible, and it is better not to inhale solutions for finishing walls.

Find areas affected by mold and scrape it off with a putty knife and sandpaper. If the mold has penetrated deep into the wall, then you will have to remove the plaster up to the brickwork or concrete slab.

If mold is observed under the wallpaper, it is not enough to remove it and then glue it back. Part of the fungus may appear in the wallpaper itself. So we tear them off the walls and throw them away. At the same time, there will be a reason to make cosmetic repairs and refresh the room.

After removal of the lesion, the wall is treated with antiseptic agents.

1. To begin with, a fungicidal solution is applied to the cleaned wall. Let it dry for about 5 hours, then reapply it. And so 5-6 times. Sure, it’s long, but it’s better than starting a war with mold all over again.
2. Next, prime the surface with an antiseptic primer. It is presented in a wide variety in hardware stores. It not only destroys fungi, but also prevents their appearance in the future. Before applying, clean the wall, then treat it with a primer using a paint brush or sprayer. After the wall dries, you can start plastering and finishing.

Home remedies to combat mold

If for some reason you decide to abandon the use of antiseptics, you can also turn to folk methods. They are less effective, but not so poisonous, which is important if there are children and animals in the apartment, which cannot be sent to live in another place during the treatment.

Ordinary bleach . It contains sodium hypochlorite, which does a good job of killing mold. It is perfect for cleaning tiles, windows and many other things on which fungus has settled. Before use, dilute the bleach with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.

Keep in mind that bleach discolors, emits toxic fumes and damages the skin of the hands. Therefore, before processing, open the windows, put on gloves and a respirator.

Vinegar . Well, where without him? Since table vinegar is an acid, it can be used effectively in the fight against mold. Clean the surface with a sponge dipped in vinegar, when it dries, rinse with clean water. Once in a week or two, you can spray vinegar on the areas where mold was observed, for prevention.

Copper sulfate . Dilute it in water in the ratio of 10 g of vitriol per 1 liter of water. Treat areas with mold with the resulting solution. But keep in mind that it turns blue.

Hydrogen peroxide . It can act as an antifungal and antibacterial agent. But it discolors some materials, so contact with painted and fabric things should be avoided.

Ammonia. Dilute it 1 to 1 with water and apply to the tile or glass. After an hour or two, wash off with clean water. Not effective on porous materials. Do not mix ammonia and bleach under any circumstances, as this will lead to the formation of a toxic gas.

Baking soda . An excellent household, safe for people and animals, cleaner in the fight against mold. Dilute 1 tsp in a glass of water. soda and spray the affected areas with the solution.