Wood easily soak up and retain water, making it prone to mold growth. When wooden furniture has mold, it gives off a musty odor and poses health risks to you and your family. Mold increases your chance of having allergic reactions and developing respiratory conditions such as asthma. So before it even permeates your lumber, trim, or furniture, make sure that you prevent it. Otherwise, you might have to hire a mold removal professional to treat it.
Here’s how to remove mold from wood surfaces assuming that the mold covers a relatively small area and has not rotted through the wood.
1. Put on Protection and Make Precautions
Extra precautions would not hurt. In order to keep yourself from getting in contact with mold while treating it, here are a few things to remember.
- Wear an air mask or a respirator that can adequately prevent you from inhaling mold spores.
- Do not let mold come in contact with your skin; wear Nitrile or rubber gloves.
- Make sure your safety goggles do not have air vents.
- Coveralls can protect you from mold exposure. This is especially helpful to those who are moderately sensitive to mold.
- Turn on the fan, and open the windows and doors. Ensure that the room is ventilated properly, principally if the product you are using has strong fumes.
2. Vacuum the wood, prior to applying the Cleaning Solution
Use a HEPA-filter vacuum to remove any loose mold spores that might get airborne while you clean the surface.
Once that’s done, soak a cloth in your cleaning solution, and then rub it on the wood. Aside from damp cloth or rag, you can also use a scrub pad, spray bottle or a low-abrasive brush. However, stray from using a brush if the wood is finished or painted as it can rub the paint or finish off.
Apply the cleaning solution lightly, but enough to cover the mold-affected surface. The excessive solution can add to the wood’s dampness which is what we are preventing in the first place. So do not overdo it. Scrub the moldy wood after having left the solution to sit for a couple of minutes. Repeat the process until you remove the mold from the wood.
If you are concerned about discoloration, test the solution in a small area of the wood first before proceeding to the rest.
3. Let It Dry
Once the wood is free from mold, clean the area and throw away anything that came in contact with the mold or you can try to clean them with hot water and proper detergent.
Air the wood out. You can speed up the drying process by keeping the wood somewhere with good ventilation or under the sun. You can also place a dehumidifier in the room where the wood is to keep the humidity levels low.
Sometimes, mold would still be visible even after scrubbing it with solution and letting it dry. If the area still smells moldy, re-do the cleaning process until you’re sure that the mold is gone from the wood.
