Is it a bad idea to try to remove mold myself?

[thirtythree]

So one of the inside walls of my garage (not attached to my house) has mold spots on it. It's worse towards the middle and a lot sparser on the sides. My first question is, is it likely that the unfinished wooden walls have mold inside them, or would scrubbing the surface do the trick?

If scrubbing would do the trick, what would you recommend using? I'm planning on finding a borate-based detergent to mix with water, but I'm not sure what to scrub with.

Any general advice would be appreciated (there's also mold beneath our bathroom grout, but I'm saving that for another day...)

 

[tasmanian]

I would contact a professional. If you do decide to clean it make sure you have a mask, that mold will make you sick.

 

[KK]

why is there mold in the first place?

 

[nakedfrog]

Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[thirtythree]

Oops, see my post below.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: thirtythree

Originally posted by: tasmanian
I would contact a professional. If you do decide to clean it make sure you have a mask, that mold will make you sick.

I do have the recommended mask and some gloves and goggles.

But yeah, maybe I'll contact a professional.

Originally posted by: KK
why is there mold in the first place?

Don't know. There's nothing on the outside of the garage wall, and there's no leaking inside.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

use a mix of 80% water, 20% bleach, and a little dish soap. spray it on until wet with a spray bottle and let sit. carefully remove the still wet residue with a plastic scraper and stiff bristle brush while wearing rubber gloves, a mask, and goggles. repeat until clean.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Originally posted by: thirtythree
So one of the inside walls of my garage (not attached to my house) has mold spots on it. It's worse towards the middle and a lot sparser on the sides. My first question is, is it likely that the unfinished wooden walls have mold inside them, or would scrubbing the surface do the trick?

If scrubbing would do the trick, what would you recommend using? I'm planning on finding a borate-based detergent to mix with water, but I'm not sure what to scrub with.

Any general advice would be appreciated (there's also mold beneath our bathroom grout, but I'm saving that for another day...)

You'll need to remove it, are the inside walls of the garage paper covered plaster? if so you are in luck, it does not spread easily at all.

If you can't see mold then it does not exist, just make sure that you properly ventilate your walls, just get cheap plastic air vents, will cost you a couple of bucks, new plaster boards will cost you about as much.

There are sprays you could use, but if it'd inside the walls, you need to tear them down and exchange them, all other solutions are like plastering a broken muffler.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
use a mix of 80% water, 20% bleach, and a little dish soap. spray it on until wet with a spray bottle and let sit. carefully remove the still wet residue with a plastic scraper and stiff bristle brush while wearing rubber gloves, a mask, and goggles. repeat until clean.

It will remove the symptom but not the cause and besides, if it's inside the walls he has to tear them down anyway and they are very easy and cheap to replace.

 

[watdahel]

So your garage walls are all wood? Yah use chlorine to kill every living organism on that wall.

 

[Ronstang]

Don't use anymore than a 10% concentration of bleach in water to kill and remove the mold slowly to prevent it from producing spores. If it is allowed to produce spores it will simply come back again. Apply with a bug sprayer and wait. Keep applying the solution until all the mold is gone. Let the solution do the work, do not touch the mold.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't use anymore than a 10% concentration of bleach in water to kill and remove the mold slowly to prevent it from producing spores. If it is allowed to produce spores it will simply come back again. Apply with a bug sprayer and wait. Keep applying the solution until all the mold is gone. Let the solution do the work, do not touch the mold.

and using bit of dish soap helps it work better as it breaks the surface tension so it coats the surface better

 

[bctbct]

Bleach and kilz. Dont listen to anyone that tells you the sky is falling.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield
You'll need to remove it, are the inside walls of the garage paper covered plaster? if so you are in luck, it does not spread easily at all.

If you can't see mold then it does not exist, just make sure that you properly ventilate your walls, just get cheap plastic air vents, will cost you a couple of bucks, new plaster boards will cost you about as much.

There are sprays you could use, but if it'd inside the walls, you need to tear them down and exchange them, all other solutions are like plastering a broken muffler.

As far as I can tell, everything is wood. There is a thicker layer inside then a thin layer of denser, painted wood on the outside. You are right, there is no ventilation.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't use anymore than a 10% concentration of bleach in water to kill and remove the mold slowly to prevent it from producing spores. If it is allowed to produce spores it will simply come back again. Apply with a bug sprayer and wait. Keep applying the solution until all the mold is gone. Let the solution do the work, do not touch the mold.

Will it just disappear?

 

[Sukhoi]

Last time I removed mold from under a cabinet I used 100% bleach and a paper towel. Still alive.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: thirtythree

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Don't use anymore than a 10% concentration of bleach in water to kill and remove the mold slowly to prevent it from producing spores. If it is allowed to produce spores it will simply come back again. Apply with a bug sprayer and wait. Keep applying the solution until all the mold is gone. Let the solution do the work, do not touch the mold.

Will it just disappear?

The bleach eats it up. I have used bleach solutions for over 20 years to clean everything from mildew on boat seats to that green growth you get on wood in the shade. The best thing about it is that you don't really need to scrub unless you are impatient.

 

[Greenman]

Do it yourself. It's just mold, you breath the spores every day. The only time mold is dangerous is when there is someone with lots of money to sue because you have mold. Then it's life threatening and causes all sorts of problems that go away once you get a check.

 

[DrPizza]

Most types of mold are not dangerous. Some are, most aren't. It's probably a simple do-it-yourself job. It's amazing how people have made common things like mold to be very scary.

 

[shiner]

I'm pretty sure somewhere in Leviticus it says you need to call a priest first. If that doesn't work then you have to burn the house down.

 

[thirtythree]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! Now to track down a bug sprayer...

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: thirtythree
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Now to track down a bug sprayer...

just use a spray bottle from an old bottle of windex or something that you've washed out. you don't need anything fancy.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: thirtythree
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Now to track down a bug sprayer...

I think I paid $9 for mine in the garden center at Walmart. Been using it to spray weed killer and such. I prefer it to using a regular spray bottle because you just pump it up and then squeeze the handle a little. The trigger spray bottles get tiring on the hand if you're doing a large area.

 

[thirtythree]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

Originally posted by: thirtythree
Thanks for the replies, everyone! Now to track down a bug sprayer...

just use a spray bottle from an old bottle of windex or something that you've washed out. you don't need anything fancy.

Yeah, but then my hand will get tired of squeezing I think one of my friends has one. If not, I'll just use a spray bottle.

EDIT: Or maybe just buy one if they're as cheap as nakedfrog says.

 

[sdifox]

Just go to the dollar store. You are not going to care about precise spray pattern you know
and You are not going to get tired of squeezing...you are not spray painting.