The best way to deal with mold clean up in construction is to not have any mold in the first place. It's an old cliché, but prevention is the cure. If you keep in mind that water leads to mold, and use common sense, you can build a home that is not conducive to mold.
But, when there's already a mold problem, we have to deal with it and it is not a fun situation. During construction, the clean up of mold is important and there are a few guidelines that should be followed.
Before you start your mold clean up, make sure you are not running an air conditioner or heater. You want to contain the mold as much as possible. While you are cleaning or moving moldy materials around, you must be careful that the mold spores don't fly all over the house and end up starting a mold infestation somewhere else.
The best way to clean up mold is simple soap and water. This means lots and lots of scrubbing, but it's the best way to get rid of the mold. A little bleach will help as well, but you should be careful with it. It can irritate any part of your body that comes into contact with it. For this reason, many people warn against using bleach.
If the soap and water does not remove the mold from the material, such as certain types of wood, the area will have to be removed. If it is this bad, you actually will have to cut out the part of the wall or wood that is moldy.
If you have to remove the moldy area, first tape it up with plastic tape. This will keep the mold from spreading. During removal, mold spores can become airborne and find a new home on a nearby surface. Cover the area as thoroughly as possible with plastic tape and then do your cutting.
If the wood is rotten, remove it. It is easy for mold to grown on rotted wood or wood that is water damaged, so it is best to remove the entire rotted area.
After you have cut out the moldy area, it is important to put all the pieces into a plastic bag. You don't want to be carrying moldy material through the rest of the house where, again, the mold spores can be airborne and end up all over the place.
Sometimes, after you have cleaned up the mold with soap and water, the area of the wood will still be dark or discolored. This is a natural after-effect of the mold and there is nothing that can be done about it. If it really bothers you, you can repaint the wood, but this may be the beginning of a whole new project, as you will have to repaint everything!
If the room where you have mold is large (more than 10 square feet), you should cover the moldy area with plastic. This is just another precaution against letting the mold get everywhere. In the same way that you would be careful to contain dust, you want to make sure that mold stays under plastic as much as possible.
And, of course, wear a good mask and gloves. Cover your body as much as possible, since most people suffer slightly from mold allergies. The actual health risk is pretty low, but you don't want to spend the next few days sneezing, wheezing, coughing and blowing your nose.
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