Mold removal

Can mold cause health problems? How do I get rid of mold?

Health issues depends on the type of mold, but always best to get rid of any mold you see indoors.
You would need to be more specific on where the mold is and what it is growing on to really talk about removal.

There is a wonderful non-toxic product I use on wood with great success called Concrobium Mold Control. That will kill mold and prevent it from coming back. But it's up to you to control the conditions that the mold thrives on, mostly moisture. So the minimum tools for a mold job would be a mold control spray, moisture meter, and a dehumidifier. If you had a leak that caused the mold then probe around with your moisture meter to measure the extent of the wet. Remove the mold with just about any cleaner and rag, spray with mold control, and dry it out. Confirm it's dry with moisture meter.

There's also a few paints with mold killer in them, but again, make sure you are preventing the moisture that mold needs to grow.

I second what Matt wrote. We could use more information though. Different molds have different toxicities and each person reacts differently to even "non-toxic" mold spores. There is mold spores in the air all the time and this doesn't cause most people any difficulties but if it's in a structure, then the spores tend to be concentrated if mold is growing, and usually different species of mold thrive on wet structural materials.

The most important thing is to stop the source of moisture. Without water, mold won't grow. If it's a leaking pipe, fix it. If it's intrusion from the outside, fix it (more involved). If it's ambient moisture condensing on the walls, do something to prevent condensation. There is no good way around this one.

The government puts out guidelines for mold remediation. I suggest you check out the latest information and see if it answers your questions in enough detail.

I'll add that visible mold is only the "public face." The strands reach much deeper into the substrate than you can see.  Brick, cinder block drywall, wood, carpet.  Any permeable substrate will have deep mold roots.  So you kill the surface mold and it looks good, but what you've told it is to redouble its efforts.  Thats why the only viable solution is to eliminate moisture then do an aggressive series of penetrating cleanings until it doesn't come back.  

It's actually a great and helpful piece of information. Thank you all for the advice.

As others have mentioned, while getting rid of the mold is a good idea, it is the symptom of a cause. Ultimately you want to get rid of the cause as much as possible. As far as the symptom of the mold, one of the best ways to get rid of it is to run an essential oil diffuser with the following combination of EOs: clove, cinnamon, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lemon. That combination does wonders against mold. Just run the diffuser for a full day initially, then a half day, and then for about 3-6 hours/day for another week or so, depending on how much mold you have. Because the oils are being dispersed so continuously, they get into everything which is what you want. And as a nice side bonus it'll also leave the place smelling amazing! I read an article online many years ago that I cannot find anymore that talked about a mold remediation company having more success with the EO blend I mentioned than with the typical toxic chemicals that are normally used against mold. I also use the combination to get rid of musty odors in wools, shoes, add it to the rinse in the wash to get rid of musty odors in clothing, etc. I also use it diluted for many, many other purposes as well, but that's a different subject.

Matt Todd wrote:Health issues depends on the type of mold, but always best to get rid of any mold you see indoors.
You would need to be more specific on where the mold is and what it is growing on to really talk about removal. ...

make sure you are preventing the moisture that mold needs to grow.

The easiest way to get rid of mold is to use vinegar because it is antifungal and antibacterial.

It also is a cheap and effective treatment for many types of mold.

To help with humidity problems there is a product called Damp Rid. This is available at most hardware stores.

It absorbs water in the air so it will help with the humidity and mold.

As someone diagnosed with CIRS, I found this website to be very helpful. It has a TON of information about the effects of mold, about CIRS, and about how to clean up stuff properly.

https://www.survivingmold.com/

Mother Nature knows best…
… thus mold, too, must have a ‘worthy’ purpose in our world

I was reminded of this by an article I came across while researching mold:

“Mold, outside the context of it being present in your home is large amounts, serves a very useful purpose. Mold are the garbage men of the universe. Without mold garbage and debris would be piled up high. Molds are essential decomposers. Mold spores are present in nature and in indoor air in seasonal quantities. While sensitive individuals can have allergies at any time, mold indoors only becomes a problem when there is sufficient moisture present for spores to thrive and multiply.”

Regarding adverse health effects from mold exposure and how to deal with them seems to have many and varied proponents and opponents - especially regarding the likes of “Mycotoxins”

While the jury’s still out on the veracity of Dr. Axe’s work IMHO, he has an article you might find helpful -
How to Detox Your Body from Mold + Hidden Dangers - Dr. Axe - https://draxe.com/health/how-to-detox-your-body-from-mold-without-stressing-out-your-kidneys-liver/

Re: DETOXING - PROCEED WITH CAUTION, inasmuch as any detox method releases toxic substances into the body, and, thus, one must prepare the body to be able to deal with such.

… I’m in the process of ‘digesting’ a recent webinar (“Detoxes, Cleanses & Parasites - Exploring the Root Cause Protocol”) presented by Morley Robbins of the “Root Cause Protocol” wherein he presents the idea that any detox is “just a crutch” and there are better ways to create a healthy body environment as presented in their “RCP Handbook”, freely available on their website: https://therootcauseprotocol.com

If you want to get into ‘mainstream’ medical articles, studies, etc., here’s a couple of links to get you started:

The Myth of Mycotoxins and Mold Injury | Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology - Springer Link
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12016-019-08767-4

and a search from “Mold” @ PubMed - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=mold

As for mold remediation see my recent post @ https://permies.com/t/241461/Mold-growth-bathroom#2246128