Hello, Stewies. I seem to have a problem called mold in one of my rooms. It seems to be growing in the upper corners of window frames (the window has deeper frames, under the mold - white paint). It's black of colour and I tried some ideas how to get rid of it - home chemicals for mold riddance, peroxide, constant ventilation, but it seems to be quite persistant (true Terminator). Sun hardly reaches the corners, so it's hard to keep it dry. Any ideas of good mold-goodbye methods? Any advices?
You really need to call in the professional mold remediators, they will have to clean the whole area and maybe poke holes in the wall to see if it has spread into the insulation or framing. And do it soon, that stuff can make you deadly ill.
You made me scared. Maybe I exaggerated - it's not that huge that poking walls should be needed, it's on the outside of paint and areas affected aren't very big. (I will take some pictures). Is there no way to get rid of it without professionals?
Again, you really need to have a professional come and test that. Over the counter cleaning supplies will not affect it, it has to be actually removed and the moisture problem that is feeding it corrected. And until someone has checked it out you really do not know if it has already spread itself into the walls and just cleaning up what you can see will not remove it. And yes it could make you very ill from breathing in the mold fungus.
Right now I tried cleaning the less affected areas with soda solution and it seems to be working, it cleans aways. I will try to attack the most affected areas tomorrow. I appreciate your concern and I am sorry, but it's unlikely that I will contact the professionals - they are quite expensive in my country. There is tons of stuff to try - and not over the counter ones, cleaners and etc. And as I read further, mold doesn't cause health issues often.
SS have you figured out where the moisture is coming from? That would be important. I have had good luck using a strong solution of bleach & water. Spray it in, let it do its job before rinsing. Good luck!
The state of the wall that I can see around where the mold is definitely indicates that there's moisture coming in from somewhere, which is what's allowing the mold to thrive. You can kill the mold you can see easily with a bleach solution. Just mix a half to one cup of regular old laundry bleach to a spray bottle of water. Spray, let it sit a bit, and then wipe. That will kill the mold you can see, and get rid of the black stuff. But it won't solve the underlying moisture, so the mold will just come back. You need to isolate the source of the mold, and solve that, for a permanent solution.
Hey, Ronni and Cayuga Morning! Moist issue - the room is pretty small (sometimes if you bring a cup of water the mildew on the window soon appears), and I have ~12 plants here and they are put on the window still, I think moisture from watering might be the issue. Also - I live in the apartment building and few years ago there was a very popular thing to have plastic window frames to be put in and I hear many people in my country notice this to be the issue of mold. Also, this year the summer and autumn were very rainy (I don't remember when I saw sun for more than a few minutes...) - issue number 3. So far I think I will cut down my plants and try to keep room as dry as possible (keeping drinking water, tea and etc. out of it). Today I cleaned the mold with soda solution, if it comes back - bleach and water solution you both suggested. Thank you for your help! Stay mold free!
I agree. It's easy to clean up the outside, but you need to fix the source of the moisture to prevent it from returning. Don't kid yourself ... black mold can be deadly!
SS it sounds like you really think the source is simply the ambient humidity in the room. I take this is not a bathroom, right? After using a bleach solution to kill what is there, & removing the plants etc, you could simply wait & see if it returns. Do you have access to a dehumidifier? If the mold returns then I would think you might have a leak or an inadequately vented building. If you rent this space isn't your landlord responsible for fixing this? At the very least you could poke a hole where the mold accumulates & look up into the rafters for signs of moisture. Do you know how to repair holes in plaster? It is not hard. Good luck kiddo!
I have to agree with the other posters. You have a moisture problem, that needs to be taken care of if you want to end your mold problem. Is there a shower in that tiny room? Anyway as luck would have it, they do make a primer today that *might* solve your problem. I have not used it myself, but it does have pretty good reviews. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-1-gal-Mold-Killing-Primer-Case-of-2-276049/205009921 Now me, I'm always trying to think outside the box. We've all used bleach, and peroxide to rid the mold. The problem is it is usually a short term fix. So here's my thinking. What if one were to make a thick salt paste to apply on the mold, and let it sit for maybe 24 hrs. My thinking is the salt would extract the moisture from the area, and in turn kills the mold. Given mold is a living fungus, and the effect salt has on fungus, and plants alike, why could it not work? After the 24 hr wait time scrape it off, followed by a good brushing to clean up the area. Any thoughts????
Licenter it probably would work to kill existing mold....might even dry out the area a bit, but if SS has an unaddressed moisture problem it is only a matter of time before the mold returns. If salt cured moisture problems, Morton's Salt Co would not be able to keep the shelves stocked of salt after floods, hurricane, etc.! !
True, but ask yourself this: when was the last time you saw mold on the Bonneville salt flats, and what happened to all that water?
Netty, I believe it can - but I don't have a whole room of it and I am doing something so it wouldn't become a killer-mutant. CDC page says it's unlikely it will make me ill. Thank you for your concern. Cayuga, no, it's not a bathroom, it just a room. Dehumidifier - great idea. I will see how it goes - if Mister Mold likes this room to much - I will consider buying it. Cleaned it today pretty well, trying to think where to put the flowers. I put a plastic container with some soda on the window still - Internet says it's helpful with attracting humidity (also rice, but I had some soda at home, and decided to try it). It's not a rented space. Owned. Sadly, I never worked with plaster or punching holes, so that would be the last on my "to-try" list. Also, today after cleaning mold and some of white paint that covered the cement (?) I noticed a rusted nail, nailed into cement (?). Maybe it attracts mold to that corner? I still wonder what that nail does there. Thank you! Llcenter, nope, bathroom is a separate room, and weird thing - no black mold there.That stuff you mentioned is pretty expensive :/ Does it work like paint? I like to think outside the box too (mostly DIY stuff) - and I heard a funny advice about mold - burn down the house, it will work for sure (Emphasis on molds persistence and fun time killing it.)
