Mold growth is very common, but one of the most disgusting things to spoil your day. Mold spores can float through the air in your residence, being unnoticed, undetected. Given the optimal atmosphere like damp and warm conditions, they start to flourish and make your favorite furniture speckled with mold. All the wooden surfaces of your house are also at high risk, as wood is very susceptible to mold outbreak.
Mold removal from your furniture and other wooden surfaces isn’t that much troublesome to complete if you can learn the techniques beforehand. Why waste money on the professionals if you can do this as one of your DIY projects? All you need is a mere weekend. So, let’s start and know all the basics from this detailed how to remove mold from wood furniture article that you’ll surely require for washing your furniture, and also learn how to keep them free from such a mold outbreak.
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How to remove mold from wood & furniture- step by step guide
Naturally, it’s very common for the wooden surface to retain water and then soak up, thus presenting the ideal situation for mold growth and further upbringing. If your furniture is affected, then you need to take an immediate step. Otherwise, if mold colonies start growing in a larger area, for say like 10 to 15 square feet region, it may cause additional troubles.
The mold removal process from your furniture and other wooden surface takes some steps to follow.
Start Preparing- Safety First!
Mold is a toxic element. The allergic outbreak, sneeze, runny nose, eyes itching, headaches, breathing issues, etc. can cause you due to mold attack. So, the very first step you need to take is, taking proper safety measures. Mold spores are very harmful if they can reach into your lungs. Thus, it would be best if you can pick an N95 mask protecting your mouth and nose.
Apart from the mask, you need to put on additional protective equipment like rubber hand gloves, full covering shoe or boot, safety goggles so that spores can’t get into your body through any part of your body. Wear a long sleeve shirt/apron while cleaning.
Prevent Further Spread of Mold Spores
If you opt for cleaning your furniture and removing mold from there surface inside your house, you may make you more vulnerable to further mold spread and the additional outbreak of their colonies. You can’t see mold in your open eyes. They are tiny, and light can easily float through air and land on other furniture, drywall, roof, wooden floor, kitchen, everywhere. So, it’s better to make the cleaning arrangements outside your residence for preventing further mold development.
If it’s not possible, you need to open your doors and windows at least and make proper ventilation, the air is flown quickly so the spores can float to the outside. Another very effective way of preventing spores from further blowout is to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the spores from the entire moldy area and suspected surfaces of the furniture.
Cleaning light mold off the furniture
In the case of light mold formation on your furniture, you can easily kill them using sunlight. Just place your moldy furniture on the outside so that they can have direct sunlight falling upon the affected surface. Keep them till dusk for repeated two to three days, and get yourself rid of mold attack and musty odor. Whenever placing the furniture outside, wear appropriate PPE to protect yourself. Also, make sure that there’s no dew where you’re going to place your furniture.
For improving the mold killing performance by sunlight, you can spray the solution of equal part water and white vinegar on the outer surface before placing them on sunlight. In case of no sunlight or having a problem of putting your furniture outside, you can also place them in one of the rooms with a dehumidifier for having a similar effect. Still, sunlight is the best treatment for lighter mold.
In case the light molds don’t leave the furniture, you can use cheap vodka for cleaning them up. Yes, you have heard me right. Vodka has a killing ability of the light bottle. Pour it in a spray bottle and mist in on the surface of furniture before placing them outside. Let them dried in sunlight, and have mold-free furniture.
If the mold withstands both the sunlight and your vodka, you can scrub them off from the furniture by using a household detergent powder solution with a soft brush. Circularly brush the entire surface and then wipe it with a damp towel. You can also opt for vinegar as well as the mold killing substance. Make a solution of vinegar with water and add it to the spray bottle. Then, spray on the furniture thoroughly. Wait for an hour, and then using a damp cloth or towel wipe the surface. Repeat these cleaning processes in case of mold stays.
Fighting with stronger Moldy surface
In many cases, you might have to face stubborn mold on your furniture that isn’t easy to get rid of in the procedures mentioned above. In that case, you’ve to take different measures and need to use different chemicals to make your work done.
Remove mold from furniture using bleach solution:
Bleach is the most commonly used mold killing agent. For killing mold on furniture using this bleach solution, at first, you’ll need to make the solution. Take a bucket of around 1 to 1.2L water, and then add two and a half cups of bleaching powder along with a quarter cup of detergent. Then stir the solution to make them perfectly balanced. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray them on the wood and furniture evenly so that no portion is left behind.
Take a soft rubbing brush or cotton sponge to scrub the surface with medium pressure. You can also dip the brush or sponge into the bleach solution and then scrub the surface circularly to remove the molds. If there remains mold, you can sand them off using grit sandpaper while the wooden surface is damp.
After cleaning in this way, leave your furniture for an hour to be air-dried. Bleach solution is capable of cleaning the mold off the wooden surface. While cleaning by this process, you need to handle the solution carefully and also wear masks and gloves while making the solution to cleaning it with a scrubber. The fuel can produce dangerous chlorine gas and might cause breathing problems, otherwise.
Alternative to the bleach solution:
Only the molds on the outer surface of wood or your furniture will be cleaned by bleach. If there is any mold having a deeply sunk root, then they would require other alternative methods to clean off.
Vinegar:
Vinegar is a mild soda being capable of different mold species. You can make a solution of vinegar with water and add a little baking soda into it, then apply it all over the surface to have the best output.
Baking Soda:
Baking soda alone is also very effective in mitigating mold. It’s also safe for your eye, breath, skin, and children.
Tea Tree Oil:
Another reliable, natural mold removing agent is this one. You can add a few drops of it in a cup of water, then spray it all over. Give it some time for air drying.
Borax:
Use a cup of borax into one gallon of water to make the solution. Mist the contaminated area completely. Give some time to settle and then wipe it out.
Hydrogen Peroxide:
Hydrogen peroxide is great. It removes mold and helps in clearing bacteria, viruses, and fungus from your favorite furniture. Use 3% concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide and add it into a spray bottle of water to make the solution. Use it throughout the affected region and then wipe down after some time. Thus, you’ll get the mold-free furniture within less effort.
Replacing Damaged Wood
If mold persists anyway on your wooden furniture, the final step you might need to take is to remove and replace the moldy wooden surface with a new and mold-free one. This is a costly step and causes more trouble than cleaning. Go for it after following all the basic mold removal techniques, if necessary.
Preventing mold from further growth
The mold removal process isn’t much troubling or time-consuming. But, it’s always best to prevent mold from growing on your furniture and other wooden exterior. If you are from any warm place, then try to use an AC in your house to beat moisture and keep everything cool. You can also use a dehumidifier to let the humid airflow out of the room. Keep your room well ventilated and pull all furniture away from the wall to let air flow evenly to all of them. Keep your furniture clean, wipe them regularly with tissue or cloth to let the dust and debris away. Besides, you can also use mold prevention spray for wood.
Final Word
Everyone wants to keep their valuable furniture free from all harmful elements. Mold can be a big issue for your wooden furniture as mold can eventually feed off the wood and damage your furniture for good. You need to make regular mold examinations and check out of your furniture on a periodic basis. Try to prevent mold from the very beginning. Enjoy a mold-free clean, elegant living.
All the processes explained throughout this article will guide you to how to remove mold from wood furniture.
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