How to Choose the Best Black Mold Removal Products

How can you choose the best black mold removal products? Is there a way to choose products that are safe around adults, children, and pets? What should you wear when cleaning? Are there any special precautions you should take when dealing with mold? Come learn the answers to all these questions and more!

Black Mold – Something of a  Misnomer

Before we go any further, we need to address a common misconception about mold. While all molds have the potential to cause irritation and allergy symptoms, some molds can also cause much more dangerous health problems. Some molds, but not all, produce toxins. Toxic molds can cause health problems ranging from poisoning to cancer. Not all molds are toxic, but many are. The thing is… dangerous and toxic mold is not just black, it can be many different colors. Toxic molds can appear to be gray, green, yellow, brown, and black.

So, where is the line between an allergic mold and a toxic mold? That line is defined by something called a mycotoxin, and is NOT defined by color.

Mycotoxins, literally ‘fungus poison’ in Latin, are secondary metabolites that can be produced by molds, and are not living organisms.2 Mycotoxins are a byproduct of mold. Not all mold spores produce mycotoxins, but some do. So the molds that produce mycotoxins are the ones that could be categorized as toxic or poisonous.2,8

Mycotoxins are chemical substances that can cause many health problems ranging from mild to severe.2,8 Even if you are not allergic to mold, you can be affected by mycotoxins.8

To learn even more about the health effects of mold check out our posts: Effects of Mold on Children’s Health and Mold and Mycotoxins: Effects on the Brain and Nervous System in Adults.

What Caused the Black Mold in the First Place?

Before cleaning the mold, you need to do a little investigative work. If you don’t solve the moisture issue that caused the mold, the mold will keep coming back! Some questions to ask include:

1. 1. Where is the mold located? Usually mold will grow in or near a place with lots of moisture.
   2. Is this a room with lots of moisture (like bathrooms or laundry rooms)?
   3. Are there any leaking pipes, windows, or roof penetrations?
   4. Is the problem mold or mildew? Mold grows inside of the food source, mildew grows on the surface only. Click HERE to learn more.

Mold needs 3 things to grow: a food source, oxygen, and moisture. It is difficult to limit oxygen, since we all have to breathe. Food sources for fungi are everywhere in your home including: drywall, carpet, wood, furniture, clothing, the list goes on!

So, how do you stop mold? You have to find the source of the moisture before you can stop the mold. Keeping your home dry and checking periodically for leaks are the best ways to prevent mold growth. To learn more check out our post: Top 10 Ways to Prevent Water Damage.

Is Black Mold Dangerous?

In a word, YES. Toxic mold can make you very sick, but most people don’t realize how insidious it can be. Remember that the color of the mold (black, green, brown, etc.) does not determine it’s toxicity. Mold can cause health issues ranging from severe allergic reactions to mental health problems. To learn more about what medical symptoms are associated with mold exposure check out our post: Mold Exposure Symptoms.

To read a great example of how Branch Environmental helped a homeowner discover and remediate mold, check out our post: How Does Mold Affect Your Health? In this post, the homeowner was suffering from severe health issues, and his doctor suggested his home be checked for mold. Check it out to learn just what was causing his health issues.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Black Mold Remover

There are several things to consider when choosing a mold remover including: location, amount of time or effort required, and above all safety. No matter what color the mold is, it could be toxic. Be sure to follow all safety precautions to the letter.

What To Wear To Remove Mold Safely

Before even choosing a cleaning product, you should know what kind of safety equipment to wear to clean a moldy surface.

The basic equipment consists of an N-95 respirator, goggles or eye protection, & protective gloves with long cuffs. Long pants, a long sleeved shirt and waterproof boots are important to wear as well. Closed toed shoes are a good substitute for boots, especially if you are working on a small area of mold.

Mold is a respiratory irritant and allergen, so a mask with a N-95 respirator is important, especially if you know you are allergic to mold. A simple dust mask will NOT protect you from the mold spores. 

For more information about safety, visit: What to Wear before entering a Home or Building with Mold Damage by the CDC. To learn more about face masks see our post: In-depth Guide to Face Masks: Allergies, Grass Cutting, and COVID-19.

Proper Ventilation

Ventilation is very important when cleaning mold. Mold spores can fly around the room and enter other areas of your home. Before beginning, block off the room to be cleaned from the rest of the home. Close the door, and stop air from flowing into other rooms. Add a fan in a window or use the bathroom ventilation fan when cleaning. Good ventilation can prevent mold spores from entering other areas of your home.

Location

Think about the location and type of surface to clean. Is the surface tile, linoleum, or ceramic? What about carpet, drywall, or fabric? Hard and soft surfaces require different strategies.

Hard surfaces generally are able to be cleaned, and most of the time mold will not grow back if it is completely removed, and the moisture problems have been fixed.

Softer surfaces (such as carpet, drywall, upholstered furniture, etc.), are not always able to be cleaned completely enough to keep the mold from coming back.

Depending on how deep the mold penetrates the materials, upholstered furniture could be cleaned by a professional. Linens, clothes, and towels can be laundered in hot water to remove the mold, but stains may remain.

Leather is prone to mold damage, and can be cleaned. However, leather should never be kept in a basement or location where moisture levels are high. High moisture levels in basements encourage mold to grow. To clean leather check out The Spruce’s Step-By-Step Guide on How to Clean Mold From Leather. You can also have significant or sentimental leather items cleaned by a professional leather cleaner.

When you have softer surfaces such as carpet, drywall, and furniture that have been contaminated with mold, it’s probably time to call the professionals. It is very difficult to tell just how much of the materials have really been invaded by the mold.

How safe is my mold cleaner?

Household cleaners are not food, drugs, or firearms, so the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) does not regulate them. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) only requires manufacturers of cleaning products to list ingredients that are active disinfectants or could cause potential harm. Manufacturers of commercial cleaning products for homes and businesses are not required to list all of their ingredients for consumers by any agency of the United States. They can claim that ingredients are a trade secret, and not disclose them on the product labels.

The truth is that they can legally use just about anything in a cleaning product leaving you the consumer in the dark about its true safety and effectiveness.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a “non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment.” EWG has created a database and guide for healthy cleaning in an easily searchable format called ‘EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning.’ The EWG Guide can help you to find safer cleaning products and check products that you already use for safety. You may find that the products you already use are not safe or that they can cause respiratory distress.

The EWG Guide “contains information and hazard assessments for 2,109 products, 197 brands and more than 1,000 ingredients.” Product ingredients are rated with a high, moderate, or low risk based on different categories. Products are given a final rating of ‘A’ to ‘F’ based on the safety of chemicals present in the product and whether or not the ingredients are listed completely on the label. Ratings of ‘A’ being the safest and ‘F’ being the most dangerous or that have the least information available. To learn more about how the EWG guide was created go to About EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning.

It smells good. It’s clean…right?

WRONG. Smelling good does not indicate that something is clean! In fact, ‘fragrance’ can be anything in a product that gives it a smell from essential oils from plants to industrial petrochemicals. Cleaning and personal care product manufacturers are required to list their ingredients on the label of the products. However, because of a loophole in government regulations (specifically the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973), they are not required to list any fragrance ingredients. This means that they can use any chemical they choose to add scent to a product, including dangerous, allergenic, and even toxic chemicals. To learn more about hidden fragrance chemicals in personal care products go to: Not So Sexy – Hidden Chemicals in Perfume and Cologne.

Our government does not regulate cleaning products or personal care products in a way that allows consumers to have all the facts about a product before they use it. Because of this, we urge you to learn all you can before using a product in your home or on your skin. Cleaning products affect air quality, especially if ventilation is not used during cleaning. Remember whether sanitizing or disinfecting, use good ventilation when using cleaning products.

Best DIY Black Mold Removal Products

Think of removing mold like removing dirt. You wouldn’t just spray dirt with a cleaner and call it clean! You have to remove the dirt from the surface. When removing mold of any color, be sure to wet the area with your preferred cleanser thoroughly. Dry mold spores will explode all over the room if you try to dry wipe it away! Be sure to wear the safety equipment listed above and ventilate the room to the outdoors when cleaning.

There are 3 simple ingredients you can safely use to clean away mold in your home: white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. Remember NOT to mix these ingredients! Keep reading for maximum cleaning power and safety!

Hard Surface Cleaning

To clean a hard surface (like a shower stall, tiles, toilet, sink, or floor), simply add hydrogen peroxide OR white vinegar to a clean, empty spray bottle undiluted. Never mix these chemicals! Choose one or the other.

Hydrogen Peroxide

When using hydrogen peroxide, spray the area to clean thoroughly, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, scrub the area, and rinse it clean with water. Repeat if needed.

White Vinegar

For white vinegar, spray the area to clean thoroughly, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour. Then, scrub the area, and rinse it clean with water.

You can add 5 to 10 drops of tea tree essential oil to the white vinegar spray to increase the disinfectant power. Tea tree essential oil is antifungal (kills fungi), antiviral (kills viruses), and antimicrobial (kills microbes, including bacteria). We advise people with allergies or asthma to use this oil with caution, as it can be irritating to the skin and lungs. To learn more about essential oils and how to use them safely check out our post: Essential Oils For A Healthy Home.

Baking Soda

To use baking soda, add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of baking soda to a clean empty spray bottle and fill the bottle ¾ full of hot water. Shake to dissolve. Spray the area and use a scrub brush to clean the mold away. Then, rinse the area with clean water.

When using baking soda, it usually works best with a white vinegar spray following the baking soda, but not at the same time. The baking soda should be scrubbed away and rinsed before spraying with vinegar. Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When they are used together, they react to form carbon dioxide gas and heat. The chemicals then are neutralized (changed to a neutral pH of 7) and have less cleaning power than they would if they had been used separately.

Best Commercially Available Black Mold Removal Products

There are 2 commercially available mold removal products that we recommend. Both are cleaners that are safe to use in your home and near children or pets. Remember that you should always wear personal protective equipment when cleaning mold of any color, no matter how safe your cleaner may be.

The first is Concrobium Mold Control Cleaner. You can check out the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning | Concrobium Mold Control Cleaner Rating here.

To purchase Concrobium Mold Control Cleaner from Amazon, click here.

The other product we recommend has not been reviewed by EWG, however, it is an excellent and safe product that we can highly recommend. Bioesque Botanical Disinfectant Solution kills fungi and mold within 3 minutes. It also kills bacteria and viruses including COVID-19.

To learn more about this product and its safety check out the company’s website at: Bioesque’s Botanical Disinfectant Solution.

To purchase Bioesque Botanical Disinfectant Solution from Amazon, click here.

No matter what product you choose, be sure to wear proper safety equipment, ventilate the room to the outdoors, and follow all product directions.

Know When To Clean And When To Call

It’s easy to take care of mold as a homeowner, but it’s also a good idea to know when to call in the pros. Mold is great at hiding in hard to detect locations such as in drywall, under sinks, and in carpet. If the area of mold covers more than about 10 square feet, there is a good chance the mold problem is more than an isolated issue.

We’re Here When You Need Us

Call Branch Environmental. We’re experts not only at mold removal, but at determining and remediating the underlying causes. From hidden mold sources to major contaminants, we can identify exactly what is going on in your home and rid it of environmental toxins, often for good.