ADVERTISEMENT
Consider the affected surface
Mold growing on a smooth surface is easy enough to deal with. If you’ve removed its feeding pool, you can wipe the mold away and be fairly certain you won’t see it again unless the moisture returns. Porous surfaces are more difficult because mold shimmies up into the nooks and crannies and throws a party. In some cases, you may have to discard the porous material.
Assemble your cleaning products and protective gear
From my perspective, this is the exciting part of the job. By this point, you know what you’re fighting and have removed the mold’s life source and any surfaces that are beyond saving. Now, all you have to do is decimate the enemy.
Before you get started, make sure you have appropriate protective gear. By cleaning, you will disturb the mold and you don’t want to breathe in more spores than you already have. At a minimum, you should have some rubber gloves, a mask that covers your nose and mouth, and some goggles.
There are a number of products on the market, but this does not need to be an expensive endeavor. In fact, the most effective products are about as cheap as they come. The products I recommend are dish detergent, white vinegar, and borax.
Get to work
It’s now time to don the gloves, mask, and goggles and get down to business. You should begin by doing a general cleaning of the area. Pull out the vacuum and get rid of any messes. In my basement, I had a decent number of cobwebs and dirt to remove, since it’s an unfinished space with a dirt floor. I would stay away from shop vacs unless you are removing water as well as filth. Shop vacuums tend to kick out dust when there is no water to soak it up. If you’re just removing dry matter, use a regular vacuum and clean it out well afterward, maybe throwing out the filter to ensure mold doesn’t decide to make a home in your vacuum.
continued on the next page
ADVERTISEMENT
