Your basement may be comprised of cinder block walls or even solid concrete. If you've ever had water in your basement, chances are, you may also have mold or mildew growing on the walls or even the floor. Inspect your walls and floors thoroughly after water damage to ensure no mold or mildew has begun to grow, even after cleaning properly, the dark dampness of a basement makes it a great perfect place for mold to make its home. In the event you may have found growth on your basement walls, it will need to be properly removed to prevent it from growing and spreading further. See below for instructions on how to remove mold from your concrete/cinder block walls.
Here's What You'll Need:
- 1/4 cup cleaning detergent
- 1 gallon warm water
- Bucket
- Rubber gloves
- Protective eye glasses
- Respirator
- White vinegar (or bleach)
- Scrub brush (stiff bristle)
- Trisodium phosphate (TSP)
Instructions:
- Start by cleaning off the mold using a mixture of detergent and warm water in a bucket. Scrub the mold off of the wall using the stiff bristle brush. Be sure to wear your protective gloves, eye glasses and respirator to keep from inhaling the spores or getting them on your skin or in your eyes. Scrub until you no longer see the mold.
- Deep clean the wall by using TSP cleaner and clean warm water along with your stiff bristle brush. (This step is optional)
- Once you have cleaned the wall, use the vinegar or diluted bleach to help prevent mold/mildew from returning and to help disinfect the area. Vinegar should be used in a 1 to 1 ratio with water, but bleach should be used as a 1 to 4 ratio (1 part bleach to 4 parts water). Since concrete is porous, bleach can damage your concrete).
- Finally, you'll need to be sure your walls dry out completely. Use fans to help them dry, and keep the humidity level down.
Once you have the mold completely removed from your basement, you may want to think about ways to prevent water from damaging your basement walls again. Repair drain tile around the perimeter of your home, install a sump pump (along with a backup in case the first pump fails), and paint walls with an epoxy to prevent moisture from damaging your walls again.
Mold is a big problem and can be extremely dangerous if not removed properly. Contact a mold removal specialist to have your mold problem taken care of professionally.
