Mold And Wallpaper: Important Tips For Protecting Your Health And Your Family

Wallpaper has come back into fashion as a trendy and bold way to design a home. Unfortunately, it comes with a caveat: wallpaper is harder to maintain and keep clean than paint. One of the major issues with wallpaper, especially in humid areas, is that it can harbor mold. And mold can eventually become very toxic. Here's what you need to know about keeping your home safe for your family while understanding more about mold removal.

Mold Is Like Cockroaches: What You See Isn't What You Get

Once you see mold, it's certain that you have a lot of mold. And because of the way that mold spores travel, if you have mold in one area of your home, you probably have it in others. In short, you should assume that all of your wallpaper has been contaminated. 

You Can't "Treat" the Wallpaper -- You Have to Treat the Wall

Even if your wallpaper was a significant investment, it's going to have to go. Mold is usually going to grow between the wallpaper and the wall; there's no way to actually treat it and get rid of it without removing all of the wallpaper. And, as noted, you'll have to remove all the wallpaper. Otherwise, the mold is going to keep growing in the wall itself and will eventually reemerge. Mold can be treated with dimethyl ammonium chloride and water.

Air Quality Matters: An Air Quality Test Will Reveal Any Lingering Issues

Once you've treated your mold problem, you should get an air quality test. This test should be performed immediately after (to make sure that your home is safe to live in) and a few months later (to make sure the mold isn't coming back). An air quality test will also reveal any other issues with the air, such as unusually high amounts of dust.

Prevention Is Best: You Want to Be Aware of the Warning Signs

• If your home becomes wet for any reason, such as flooding, you need to make sure that the walls and floors dry out completely -- and fast. Industrial fans may be required, through a restoration company.
• If your home is unusually humid, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier will make sure that the environment isn't right for molding, and will also reduce the appearance of mildew.

Mold is no joke. A professional mold remediation service may be needed to get rid of your mold safely. It's possible that the act of removing the mold could upset spores and damage air quality. You should always get a full mold testing before you start cleaning mold just to be safe.