No one appreciates the appearance of molds in their homes as it reflects an unhygienic living space. Mold and fungus tend to grow easily upon damp floors, causing quite a decrease in the home’s elegant look.
When I first witnessed them on my wood floors not long ago, I was in big shock and wanted to eliminate them immediately.
Though liquidating mold completely is not an easy DIY project, I succeeded in getting rid of them after many tries. That’s why today, my article will answer how to remove mold from wood floors.
Table of Contents
What Causes Mold On Wood Floors?
Mold is one of the harmful organisms that belong to the family of fungi. It can grow quickly and well on any wet surface or environment, especially on cellulose-based materials. In other words, decay can flourish under or on your wood floors as long as there is enough amount of moisture for them to survive.
There are several reasons for mold to appear in your living space. Here are the root causes of this bad circumstance.
- Occupants walking on the wood floors with wet feet after showering or coming back from the swimming pool.
- Your pet spills water on the wood floor continuously for a long time.
- When washing dishes, you accidentally splash water on the wood floor.
- The humidity in your home is too high, but you are not aware of the ongoing situation.
- Your water pipe or purifier broke and leaked water.
How To Remove Mold From Wood Floors?
When you spot the wood floor exposing discoloration symptoms, staining, or releasing musty, pungent odor, those are signs of mold. It’s time for you to kick it out of your house and your floorings. You can refer to the following methods.
Step 1: Prepare necessary tools
Before cleaning the wooden floor with mold, you need to prepare the necessary items below.
- Face mask
- Paper towels (wet and dry)
- Protective gloves
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Vacuum
- Spray bottles
Step 2: Open all the windows
Opening all the windows to ventilate and push all the excess moisture out of your home would benefit your floor as mold creates the mist. If the weather outside is too humid, it’s ideal to utilize a dehumidifier instead.
Step 3: Wear protective gears
You are certainly aware of the toxicity and danger of mold to the human body. Therefore, it is essential to wear protective gear such as protective rubber gloves and masks to avoid skin contact or inhalation.
Remember to always wear protective gear during the cleaning process until you have completed all of the steps below for your absolute safety.
Step 4: Vacuum the wood floor
Vacuum with the HEPA filter to engulf up mold spores on wooden areas. After vacuuming, you should pour all the waste into a plastic bag and seal it tightly so that no spores can sneak outside.
Step 5: Cleaning the moldy areas
Each type of mold has different cleaning methods. If the decay hasn’t penetrated your wooden floor yet, you can use the following simple cleaning solution.
Mix dishwashing soap with warm water and one spoon of soap, pour into a spray bottle, and then shake it well.
Spray this solution on mildewed sections and use a soft-bristled scrub to gently rub away the decay, discarding excess water when you cleanse. Then, use paper towels to dry the wood floor surface.
In case this method doesn’t work for your situation, let’s try following the second way. Create the solution of one cup of distilled vinegar and one cup of water and pour it into a spray bottle. After that, spray this cleaning liquid in quick and short bursts onto affected wood floors.
This mixture can kill up to 80% of general mildew. Let this solution dry naturally for about an hour. Later, sequentially wipe surfaces with wet clothes and dry towels.
In addition, if you have borax available in your home, let’s make use of it. It’s an alkali salt mineral detergent, which is safer to apply compared to bleach.
You should mix one spoon of borax with one cup of water in a small bowl and then use a brush to apply this liquid to the mildewed domain and rub it gently. Let it dry naturally without wiping again with towels.
Note: Although bleach has a good cleaning effect, you should not use it on wood floors because the chlorine in bleach cannot go into the wood and cannot kill the mold underlying the grounds. The decay may have disappeared from the wood floor surface, but it will still grow and develop underneath and return over the next few months.
Why Should You Remove Mold From Wood Floors?
Leaving mold to grow on your wood floors will result in damaging your floor and your health.
Like I’ve mentioned above, mildew flourishes and spreads at high speed and is profoundly likely to degrade the structural integrity of the wood floors where it is growing on. If you let them spread quickly on a large scale, they can ruin all your wood surfaces.
In addition, a dirty living environment never comes with a healthy life. Living with fungi can badly affect your well-being and the health of your loved ones. It’s also a potential threat to your children at home.
It’s crucial to eradicate those enemies as soon as you notice any trace of them around your wood floor. Timely detection of mold will ensure a healthy lifestyle and a durable and attractive wood floor.
In A Nutshell
That’s exactly my answer to how to remove mold from wood floors. I have been victorious with this method, so you will surely succeed too.
Remember to keep your wood floors and home dry so as not to create an ideal atmosphere for mildew to reproduce and grow again. Mold will no longer be your anxiety with my detailed sharing and recommendations.
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