I Can't Wash My Mold Off The Walls
If you have mold growing on your bathroom walls, ceilings
or any other walls in your home and can't seem to remove it, that's
probably because it's underneath the paint. This might not make any
sense, but if the mold continues to grow back, it's probably growing
between the paint and the drywall or plaster.
This is real common around moist areas like your bathroom or even behind
your stove if you do a lot of cooking with pots that are releasing
steam, you could have a moisture problem and moisture attracts mold and
mildew. If the steam is condensing on the back wall, behind the kitchen
stove, you could find yourself stripping the paint or even removing the
drywall to fix the problem, correctly.
If the mold is growing behind the paint, the only way you will be able
to fix this, right, is to remove the paint and treat the drywall for
mold. This might sound like a lot of work, but there is a simpler way,
but not a more effective way.
You can simply clean the wall with chlorine or bleach, leave the area
that you treated alone for a few days for until its dried out
thoroughly. Then you can simply paint over the area with a semi gloss or
high gloss paint. Flat or satin paints could actually absorb enough
moisture to start growing the mold again. A semi gloss or high gloss
paint will act like a water resistant barrier and help to prevent
moisture from soaking into the wall.
Now here's the bad news, the mold hasn't gone away, you're just sealing
it in the wall or ceiling. Eventually you could start to see a dark spot
under your newly painted wall repair. This will tell you, that the mold
is growing underneath the paint, that you just applied and probably even
underneath the layer of paint, you painted over.
If you're having problems keeping the mold away, there's a good chance
that it's growing underneath the paint. Clean it the best you can with
bleach or chlorine, read the directions thoroughly before using these
products and if the mold keeps coming back, you can paint over the mold
or remove the drywall, re-plaster it and then paint over it. You have a
couple of choices.
Always try cleaning the mold with bleach first and if the problem is in
the bathroom, you could always leave the door open while you're
showering to prevent moisture buildup in the bathroom. Open a window or
turn a fan on, keep the moisture out until you know for sure mold is
gone.