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Black mold is a type of micro fungus that has a dark green or black appearance. They are found in humid and warm areas. They grow on surfaces like laundry rooms, basements, and wooden surfaces. In order for you to remove the black mold on wooden surfaces, you have first to identify whether the substance is indeed black mold or not. To find out this, you need to use chlorine bleach, and when the stain disappears, then it means that the substance is the black mold.
How to remove black mold from wood? Fill a spray bottle with water then add a teaspoon of soap. Shake the bottle to mix the soap then spray it on the wooden surface that has mold. Scrub with a soft bristled brush then rinse with clean water. Dry the surface with a towel.
You have to identify the color of your wood and then look out for the black mold signs which take the form of grey, brown, or greenish-black colorings. Some of these spots appear in the form of rings and are potentially damaging to wooden surfaces. Another way of identifying black mold is the pungent earthy odor that it emits.
Causes of Black Mold on Wood
Moisture is a key component for the growth and spread of black mold. The following are some of the causes of black mold on wooden surfaces:
1. Improper placement of air vents
This can occur when the air vents from your house open up into the wrong place, like inside your house instead of the outside. If the air vents open inside your house, they shall cause dampness, a factor that triggers the growth of black mold.
2. Water leakages
This happens when your water pipes leak, and water soaks into your furniture. This water shall be a breeding ground for the mold.
How to Remove Black Mold from Wood
First, you need to find out whether the mold is loosely attached to the surface of the wood or whether it is a big bulky mass. For the loosely attached black mold, it is pretty easy to remove using standard cleaning and bleaching agents. The enormous mass buildup of black mold is a bit cumbersome, and, in most cases, you would need an expert’s help to clean it out thoroughly.
For this exercise, you need a shop vacuum, bleach, N-95 respirator or mask, heavy-duty cleaner, drywall saw, painter’s tape, safety glasses, oil-based primer, scrub brush, plastic garbage bags, rubber gloves, paintbrush, utility knife, and sandpaper. You then remove black mold from the wood as follows:
1. Identify a cleaning agent
This good cleaning agent should penetrate the wood and kill the fungi. There are cleaning agents like distilled vinegar, bleach, and rubbing alcohol. However, you should carefully select the cleaning agent to avoid a violent reaction of the detergents from happening; that is, avoid mixing ammonia with any bleaching agent.
2. Wear protective gear
This includes putting on gloves and long-sleeved shirts, depending on the cleaning agent you settled upon. Other safety gear you can consider include protective goggles, respirators, and coveralls. If you do not have all these protective gear, you can always improvise but choose good quality materials that can easily be cleaned or disposed of after the cleaning.
3. Vacuum the surface
Make sure you use a vacuum with a HEPA filter in sucking up mold and mold spores from the surface of the wood. As you vacuum, ensure the mold gathered is in a tightly sealed plastic bag for disposal. Otherwise, you may spread it to other areas in the home.
4. Scrub the affected area
Here, you need to carefully select a scrubbing brush that is friendly to your wooden surfaces but, at the same time, can effectively remove the black mold. This will help you retain the nice appearance of your wooden items. You need to scrub the affected area gently in circular motions until the black coloring is no longer visible.
- Fill a spray bottle with water, then add a teaspoon of soap.
- Shake the bottle to mix the soap, then spray it on the wooden surface with mold.
- Scrub with a soft-bristled brush, then rinse with clean water.
- Dry the surface with a towel.
5. Sand the area
The essence of this process is to prevent further growth of the mold after you have cleaned. You need to ensure that you remove all the roots of the fungi. Sand the area, then repeat the scrubbing in process number 3 above.
6. Dry the area
When you are satisfied that you have thoroughly cleaned the affected area, remove all the residue from the area and allow it to dry properly. You need to carefully put all objects that came into contact with the black mold into the garbage bags for disposal. To be more cautious, tie the garbage bag with tape to avoid mold debris from spilling and contaminating otherwise clean areas.
Sometimes, you might have adequately carried out the cleaning process but you still see the mold on the wooden surface. In such a case, you must reapply the cleaning mix and allow it to be absorbed for some time, then scrub the surface slowly again.
Cleaning tips for mold on wood
When cleaning the mold of any type from wooden surfaces, follow these tips:
- Avoid cleaning wooden surfaces with bleach if the mold is deep inside the wood since it doesn’t get into the wooden fibers. Instead, only the water in bleach solutions will enter the wood. This will instead provide better conditions for the further growth of mold instead of killing it. However, bleach kills mold effectively when it’s on a wooden surface.
- It’s advisable to clean if it is furniture, from the outside to avoid contaminating other surfaces with black mold since it spreads in the air very fast.
- Use a vacuum to suck all the mold spores that might have escaped into the air. This ensures that your home is free of mold in general. Empty the vacuum canister from outside into the garbage bag and have the bag appropriately sealed to avoid escaping the black mold particles.
- Very light surfaces with black mold are easy to clean by just having them aired under direct sunlight. This will eradicate the earthy smell, and the mold coloring will disappear after some time. You can also spray your furniture with water and vinegar before airing them outside.
- You can also remove light mold by spraying your furniture with cheap vodka. After spraying, air the table under direct sunlight. You might need to paint your wooden surfaces with anti-molding substances. These are obtained from the paint shops and are mixed with regular paint. Their work prevents black mold from growing back onto your wooden surfaces or furniture.
With these tips, cleaning mold from wood shouldn’t be hard. Some of these methods can be used to remove mold from stucco. If you can’t do it by yourself, consult an expert instead.
How to prevent mold from wooden surfaces
The main methods to prevent black mold from growing on your wooden appliances include the following:
- Control the moisture content in your home. Ensure you control the dampness in your home, always dry all wet surfaces, and ensure your house is well-ventilated. Have a sound air duct system.
- Have all the water leakages repaired? This will ensure that no wet surfaces can accumulate dampness afterward.
- Any furniture that is resting on your walls, pull it away so that it does not come into contact with the wall and build up moisture and foster ventilation.
- Dust and disinfect your furniture regularly, to avoid growing back of the black mold.
These pointers will help keep mold away from the wooden surfaces in your home.
HVAC tech with over 30 years of experience. Retired and doing repair work on the side around Madison County, AL.