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Does Mold Come Back After You Clean It?

Name: Exit Mold
Address: 1 Irwin Ct., Lynbrook, New York, 11563, United States
Telephone: (516) 512-7877

Keeping a clean home is a priority for many people. A clean house is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it can also ensure your living spaces are safe and healthy for everyone living under your roof.

Unfortunately, you can’t always predict what will happen in your home, and even if you regularly clean it, you can still wind up with problems like mold growth. Mold can grow even in well-kept or otherwise spotless homes. All it takes is the right conditions and a few mold spores, and your infestation will be off to the races!

If you notice a spot of mold growing in your bathroom, you might be tempted to grab a rag and simply swipe it away. However, you might be thinking, “Does mold come back after you clean it?” The answer might surprise you. Read on to learn more about mold growth and how to ensure it is cleaned up properly.

Understanding the Basics of Mold

To start, it’s important to know what mold is so you can tackle it appropriately. Mold is a living fungus, and it can grow virtually anywhere if the conditions are right. It typically thrives in dark, moist places, and it requires a food source of some kind to grow and multiply. Mold feeds off of organic materials, so old food, earth, drywall, wood and anything compostable can become fuel sources for mold.

It can also be many different colors and textures, so it may be hard to identify on your own. The good thing about mold identification is that while mold colonies look different, they all give off a similar smell. Mold often smells musty or earthy, so do some investigating in your home if you can’t shake that smell from a room even after opening the windows.

Common locations for mold to grow include:

Kitchens
Bathrooms
Basements
Attics
Crawl spaces
Utility rooms

If you do discover mold, be sure to exercise extreme caution. Some types of mold can be dangerous to inhale, and disturbing the colony can release airborne spores.

Can Mold Come Back After Cleaning?

Cleaning up mold can be tricky. Once mold spores multiply into a visible infestation, you will most likely want to swipe it away with a rag and some cleaner and call it good. After all, that’s what all those mold cleaning products at the store are for, right? Unfortunately, those products can only remove visible mold. They are not effective at removing the microscopic mold spores that were floating around or were released into the air during the initial cleaning.

If you attempt to DIY your own mold cleanup, you might actually make your problem even worse down the road. Once the airborne spores are released, they are free to float through your home. As they travel down your hallway or get sucked into your HVAC system, they are constantly searching for a new place to settle in and grow.

If you have a wet corner of your basement or your bathroom never fully dries out, those spores will find that lingering moisture and will start to grow a whole new colony. Think of a DIY mold cleaning as a whack-a-mole job! Cleaning one area will just result in a new one popping up in another space in your home.

In addition to alternate locations for a mold problem, those spores can actually settle back into the original location once you walk away. If you have a moisture problem that isn’t addressed or your home’s humidity is higher than it should be, those airborne spores will simply settle back down and will keep on growing.

Mold and Bleach

But what about bleach? That has to do something, right? Yes, bleach is effective at killing mold, but not all mold. Bleach is an effective method for tackling small mold colonies growing on nonporous surfaces. Think spaces like tubs, shower surrounds, and glass.

Bleach does not work well on porous surfaces like drywall and hardwood. It will kill the mold on the surface, but it won’t be able to penetrate deep enough to kill the spores within the soft material. Those stubborn spores will eventually multiply to create the infestation all over again.

How To Prevent Mold From Coming Back

The best way to recover completely from your mold situation is to have it handled by a professional mold remediation team. A professionally trained team has the right equipment to ensure the mold and its airborne spores are removed from your property entirely.

During a professional mold removal, your affected space is secured to contain the infestation, and the mold is identified. To ensure the mold and its spores stay contained, your fans are turned off and your HVAC system is shut down temporarily as well. This is done to keep those microscopic mold spores out of your vents.

Finally, air scrubbers and industrial vacuums are used to remove the mold and to clean the air. Air filtration is an important step for your long-term recovery.

Tips To Prevent Future Mold Infestations

The biggest tip to prevent mold infestations is to stay in control of your home’s humidity and any moisture issues. If you experience a water leak, tackle it right away. If your home struggles with humidity problems, it may be time to invest in a dehumidifier. Keeping your moisture levels in check is essential to keeping your home free of mold.

In addition, you should also be checking those high-risk areas regularly for signs of a mold problem. Catching an infestation in its infancy can reduce your risk of a more extensive recovery, and it can save you money in the long run. Stay on top of your routine maintenance and home checks to stay mold-free!

However, mold infestations are tricky, and they can pop up in the most unsuspecting places. When this happens, call Exit Mold right away to handle your problem with ease. We are available to handle your mold problem day or night.

Don’t attempt to clean your mold infestation on your own. Call Exit Mold at (516) 512-7877 instead! Our team will swiftly tackle your mold infestation so you can stay in control.