As we say goodbye to the cooler, wetter seasons of the year (for another 6 months at least) it’s time to deal with the damage fall and winter have left in their path.
Springtime isn’t just a great time to enjoy the longer days and warmer sunshine, it’s also a fantastic time to tackle those jobs around the home and garden that you’ve been putting off for months. For sunroom owners especially, one of the nastier jobs is tackling mold and mildew.
While mold and mildew can affect virtually anywhere in the home, there are certain rooms that are more susceptible than others. Sunrooms, due to a wide variety of different factors, are prime examples of this. In particular, the walls and ceilings can get covered very quickly. This is why they require so much care and maintenance.
Leaving mold and mildew on your sunroom walls and ceilings isn’t just unsightly, it allows the problem to get worse and before you know it, you’ve a very serious health risk on your hands.
Here are several tips to help remove mold and mildew from your sunroom walls and ceilings.
What is Mold and Mildew?
Mold and mildew are basically a form of living organism (fungi) that thrive in damp, humid, warm, poorly ventilated areas where there is a lot of condensation.
Mold comes in a variety of different species, and is usually black in color, with other species being brown, green, and even red. It usually has a slightly furry appearance and can grow on a number of different surfaces, including walls and ceilings.
Mildew however, is a thin, flat, white, powdery organism which coats the surface of different materials, including books, walls, and ceilings. It is generally easier to remove than mold as it only coats surfaces, rather than penetrating deeper like mold does.
Mold and Mildew Health Risks
Not only do both mold and mildew look unsightly, but far more seriously than that, they also pose a number of significant health risks.
Even in smaller amounts, both mold and mildew can cause health issues, though generally, mold is considered to be the most dangerous. In instances of particularly bad mold breakouts, it can even be fatal. A few common health risks associated with mold and mildew include:
- Respiratory problems
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Allergies
- Infections
- Skin rashes
- Fatigue
- Can potentially be fatal
Why Are Sunrooms Prone to Mold and Mildew?
Although mold and mildew can affect virtually any room around the home, sunrooms are generally more prone to mold and mildew breakouts than others. But why is that? Well, it’s actually down to a variety of different reasons.
To begin with, sunrooms are often warm and humid because they feature a lot more glass, which is designed to help concentrate the sun’s rays and gently heat the room. As there is such a large contrast in temperatures between inside and outside, the walls, windows, and ceilings are also more prone to condensation when the warm air in the room hits the colder glass surfaces on the windows. This then causes condensation which raises the humidity levels, providing the perfect growing conditions for mold and mildew.
Not all sunrooms are equipped with HVAC features either, which means that walls, ceilings, books, and fabrics can all provide ideal growing surfaces for the mold and mildew.
Cleaning Tips for Removing Mold and Mildew from Sunroom Walls and Ceilings
As previously highlighted, both mold and mildew can be extremely dangerous for our general health and wellbeing, and that’s before we even get to their unsightly appearance.
If your sunroom walls and ceiling is affected by mold and mildew, here are a few useful cleaning tips to help take care of the problem once and for all.
Wear the Correct Clothing and Safety Equipment
To begin with, before you tackle your mold and mildew outbreak, it’s important that you wear the correct clothing, and use the right safety equipment.
Breathing in mold and mildew spores can be very dangerous and can not only trigger allergy and asthma attacks, but it can also lead to other respiratory illnesses and make you sick. When you begin cleaning mold and mildew, you will disturb the spores, causing them to become airborne. When this occurs, you’ll be far more likely to inhale them and breathe them in.
Because of this, a breathing mask or respirator is recommended, along with protective eyewear in case any cleaning solutions get in your eyes. You should also wear gloves, keep skin covered, and wear old clothing.
Use an Antimicrobial Spray
If you’re dealing with a mild outbreak, a simple antimicrobial spray should be enough to do the job.
Not only will these sprays destroy harmful bacteria, they’ll help to kill the mold and mildew, without damaging the paint on your walls and/or ceiling. They’re especially useful for tackling mildew, which is often much easier to remove, and less harmful than mold.
Clean with a Diluted Bleach Solution
For a more serious mold and mildew infestation, a diluted bleach solution may be required.
Simply take a clean spray bottle, and carefully make up a diluted bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. Spray the solution onto your walls, leave for a few minutes, gently scrub with a suitable brush, and wipe away with a clean, damp cloth.
When cleaning the ceiling in particular, be very careful of drips. You don’t want any to get on your skin or clothing, and certainly not in your eyes. This is why protective eyewear is so important.
You may need to repeat this process a few times. Once you’ve finished, make sure the surface is as dry as possible. Excess moisture is just inviting more mold and mildew, and you don’t want that.
White Vinegar
White vinegar is another very effective cleaning solution that is much kinder to the environment, and the paintwork on your sunroom walls and ceilings.
Simply spray the vinegar directly onto the affected areas, leave for an hour, and then wipe clean, allowing the surfaces to dry completely.
Invest In a Dehumidifier
Finally, once you’ve removed all visible mold and mildew, to prevent the problem from occurring again, it’s worth investing in a good quality dehumidifier. This will remove moisture and make it much harder for the mold and mildew to come back.