White mold is a chalky fungus made up of different fungal species that can be white, green, or grey, depending on the type of surface it has infected. Like most molds, white mold flourishes in places with high moisture content like showers, sinks, basements, and leaky walls.
If you want to get rid of white mold from wood without suffering any setback, the most recommended method is using a mixture of water and baking soda. You can prepare the mixture using a spraying bottle to easily apply it to the surface. Once applied, use a soft tissue or brush to gently scrub the surface.
Contents
How to Distinguish White Mold
Irrespective of the fact that mold stains are evidences of moisture issues, water test is still the best way of identifying white molds. The dissolution of any piece when you spray some water shows the presence of salt not mold. If you notice that the substance stays glued to the area, then the probability of dealing with mold is relatively high.
Additionally, you can examine its color, texture, and odor. It is likely white mold if slimy, white, fluffy, and carries a specific musty smell. Usually, people find it difficult to distinguish white mold from mildew. Also, efflorescence: a condition which results from the accumulation of salt can take the form of white mold.
White mold in homes prevails in areas of high moistness like nozzles and leaky roofs, places with high wetness, or flooded areas. White mold breeds wood, wallpaper, sheetrock, insulation, carpet, paints, ceiling, and tiles.
Musty smells can show that white mold is loitering someplace, which you possibly would not see without difficulty.
White mold appears as a water-soaked, greasy, or dark green spot; these are initial signs of white decay and will eventually develop white spores. On the stalk, it may be gray or brown. White mold appears as wilting stem at the beginning stage on potatoes, lettuce, peas, beans, and carrots.
The white spores called sclerotic look as if white mold has formed and can survive in the earth for a long time and is more difficult to kill.
Molds can also grow or steam in the laundry room, kitchen, and bathroom, avoiding direct contact with white mold. When disturbed, the mold spores released into the air could be morbid, particularly with immune or lung disease, asthma, and allergies.
If you have white mold on a wall, do not paint over the white mold; clean it first. Rather than solve the problem, painting will only make it worse.
How to Remove White Mold from Wood
The number one thing you want to remember about mold is that you want to kill the mold first and foremost. If the mold is dry, it will be flaky and ashy looking, and you will be able to scrub it off; it will flake off and fall off. If the mold is still wet, it will still be in little circle patterns, and it is going to take a little bit more to get it off.
Before you begin, examine the place to locate the cause of dampness triggering the mold group because the mold will continue to grow and destroy the wood if you do not find the source of moisture and repair it.
Supplies Needed for Mold Removal.
- Gloves.
- Dust mask.
- Safety glasses.
- Stainless steel scrubber.
- Detergent.
- Disinfectant.
- Sanitizer.
- Paper towels.
- Fan.
- Bleach.
- Vacuum.
- Personal protective equipment.
Mold killing solutions include:
- Bleach.
- (Distilled) vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol.
- Hydrogen peroxide.
- Regular cleaning detergent.
- Commercial fungi removal products.
- Baking Soda
- Lemon Juice
- Tea Tree Oil
- Grapefruit Seed Extract
10 Simple Steps to Remove Mold from Wood.
- Put on your Personal Protective Equipment.
- Open windows to allow for proper ventilation.
- There should be application of detergent to the wood to prevent the material from becoming over-saturated.
- Clean the wood with an effective mold-eliminating solution and stainless steel scrubbing pad.
- Scrub the wood until visibly clean.
- Use the paper towel to dry the excess water from the surface.
- Use the disinfectant wipes to sanitize the wood.
- Again, use the paper towel to dry the wood (you can use a mold inhibitor on the wood at this point).
- Use a high-efficiency particulate air vacuum and HEPA vacuum to clean the wood and surrounding areas because the filters trap microscopic particles like mold spores.
- For a whole day, place a fan close to the wood to get rid of excess water accumulated during the cleaning process. Do not blow fans on areas that have active mold growth because you will spread most pores around.
At this point, the mold should not resurface as long as you have fixed the moisture.
- Bleach is the last thing you want to use to clean and treat mold properly; you can use bleach on non-porous surfaces such as in bathrooms for common mildew. On porous materials, the bleach itself sits outside on the surface and removes the outer layer of mold growth, but it does not get rid of the root system, the spores; the whole point of properly removing mold is getting rid of the spores.
Bleach is 99% from water, so it feeds mold growth, so this is the last thing you want to use, plus bleach is very caustic.
Some items that you can use to remove the spores properly include apple cider vinegar (you can use a regular white vinegar) to wipe off the surface, hydrogen peroxide, a borax water mixture, or even ordinary dish soap and water.
Removing Mold from Unfinished Wood
To clean white mold off unfinished wood, use a saltwater approach. If it is dry and flakes off easily, you can easily remove it with just a dry wire brush; and then you can get in there with some saltwater trying to drip as little as possible.
Steps to Follow in getting Rid of White Mold in the home
Evaluate the situation
You can begin by initiating several methods that will help you to assess the rate of mold growth in some parts of your home. Dealing with molds in your home can be complex and sometimes requires the service of an expert. For areas with relatively little amount of molds, you can do the removal yourself. However, when there are large patches of molds which can be as a result of sewage backup, the service of a professional can be useful.
Understand where mold loves to grow; mold loves moisture.
Do a quarterly mold check-in high-risk places; this is so easy to do; it just takes a few minutes. Mold loves anywhere that gets wet; this would be your bathroom and kitchen, attic, basement, inside your walls, and even under cabinets. It can grow almost anywhere, including wood, drywall, ceilings, tiles, and even upholstery.
An often-overlooked area for moisture buildup is around the perimeter or outside your home; it’s prevalent for water to collect near the foundation, so take note of any ditches forming, and be sure to direct water away from your house to prevent molds.
Ventilate your home
Many home heating and cooling systems don’t ventilate your air. They are useful for proper recycling of air in the home, so toxic mold-infested air stays in your house, so you require ventilation technology like MERVs in most recent homes. They filter out mold spores and bring clean, fresh air into your home.
Remove carpet from basements, kitchens, bathrooms and dispose of any rug that’s been wet for more than 24 hours.
Get a dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers work to reduce your home’s humidity by drawing moisture out of the air and usually into a bucket; they come in a variety of sizes and price points, but you must invest in the correct size unit for your space, purchase a unit that has a filter built-in that’s going to trap that mold spores that are already in the air.
Clean and disinfect any mold
A straightforward and natural way to clean mold is with vinegar and water as a solution.
Final Thoughts
White molds on the wood are unsightly and can be harmful to the health as they can cause severe respiratory illnesses, eventually leading to death. It would be best to avoid them; where that is impossible, you must regularly remove all their signs by keeping the wood clean and dry.