How to Search for Mold

• Mold can grow on a variety of surfaces, including but not limited to concrete, drywall, fabric, wood, carpet or ceiling tiles. Although there are thousands of species, mold can often be spotted in basements by telltale white or black specks. When searching for mold, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recommends that you take precautions by wearing a face-mask, goggles and gloves. Move furniture, boxes and items away from basement walls so that you can examine from floor to ceiling.
  
  

Before You Start Cleaning

• If the area you are cleaning is relatively small, you can likely take care of it yourself. If the area is large or has been contaminated by sewage, you should call a cleaning professional to take care of it for you. Before you begin to clean, wear safety glasses and a face-mask to prevent breathing in mold spores or getting them into your eyes. Also, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
  
  

How to Clean Mold

• Remove items or cover the surfaces of items located near the mold. Bag and seal any moldy matter and immediately place it in your garbage. For hard surfaces, scrub the area first using mild detergent, such as laundry soap and warm water. Let dry. The next step is optional. Using a solution that is 1/4-cup bleach to 1 gallon of water, wipe hard surfaces down two more times, waiting 20 minutes between each application. Let dry. Lastly, to help prevent mold from growing once again, wipe surfaces one last time using a borate-based detergent solution. Don't rinse. Detergents containing borate will list it in the ingredients. Clean the rest of the basement near the contaminated area well, and monitor the area regularly to ensure mold has not grown back.
  
  

How to Prevent Mold

• Because mold thrives in a moist environment, the best precaution you can take against it is to keep your basement dry. Open windows, use fans or purchase a dehumidifier to keep the humidity low. Make certain there aren't any leaks from basement pipes or from outdoors. You might want to purchase some moisture-reducing products such as DampRid (damprid.com) or Damp Check (dampcheck.com) to place in areas where you have previously found mold.