Removing mould from concrete
A common place to find mould growing on concrete is in basements or cellars. This is usually because basements have restricted and very little air flow. Along with there being low air flow people may not go into their basement very often meaning mould can quickly spread and become a serious problem before anybody knows. Most basements have a lot of moisture and easily become damp so there are a lot of factors making it a perfect place for mould to grow.
If you discover mould in your basement or on any concrete there are several steps that can be taken to remove it, however if there is a large amount of it then you may want to hire a professional to remove it as it will be a lot less likely to grow back.As always when removing mould be sure to have the proper safety precautions in place to keep you and others safe:
- Wear a mask,
- Wear goggles,
- Wear gloves,
- Wear protective clothing or old clothes (that can be thrown away).
Before removing mould you will need to check you have the necessary items,
- Detergent,
- Bleach,
- Stiff bristle brush,
- Water,
- Buckets.
Once you have everything you can begin removing the mould:
- Firstly make a cleaning mixture of bleach and water,
- Add some detergent,
- Apply some of the mixture to the area of mould,
- Leave for 10-15 minutes,
- Scrub the area with the brush and wash away,
- Keep repeating steps 3,4,5 until all the mould is gone,
- Wash away all the cleaning mixture and dirty water,
- Make sure the area is dry and all excess water is gone,
- Keep a check on the area where the mould had grown to make sure there is no more mould spores growing.
When trying to prevent mould growing in a basements or cellar it can be difficult as its hard to create an air flow. If possible placing a small extractor fan would help greatly as it would create an air flow however this isn’t always possible as basements are usually directly under the building. If there is no way of putting an extractor fan in the basement then the best way to stay on top of a mould problem is keep checking the whole basement and making sure there is as little moisture as possible. Without moisture mould can’t grow. If any mould is found then take care of the problem as soon as possible.
