This post has affiliate/referral links. Learn more.
Mold on the painted wall threatens the health of your family living in the home and ruins the appearance of the wall.
To restore the beauty of the wall and create a healthy home, knowing how to remove mold from painted walls is essential.
Removing the mold can be an easy task if you follow some steps correctly. In the section below, the steps are discussed.
If you are dealing with a larger area than 10 x 10 feet of mold, you may want to consider requesting mold remediation specialists to get it done.
Find out more about how you can remove mold from the painted walls with this step-by-step guide.
How to Remove Mold from Painted Walls
Pre-Step: Remove the source of the moisture
Before you start, you have to remove the cause of the mold first. That is the source of the moisture that is causing the mold.
If it’s a leaky pipe, fix the plumbing issue. If there was a flood, check that your sump pump is working and that the area is thoroughly dry with a fan. If there are cracks in the window sills or foundation that is causing leaks, some of them can be easily sealed with silicone caulk.
It can also be caused by high humidity that is above the level of 55%. That will cause dampness and condensation. You will need a dehumidifier with a continuous drain to fix this issue.
1. Gather Equipment and Prep for Safety
First, you want to gather your cleaning tools and safety equipment.
Mold can trigger asthma and other allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to mold. For those people, it is best to avoid this activity.
Safety Equipment
For safety equipment, you want to have gloves, a dust mask rated N95, and safety glasses.
If you’re dealing with lots of mold, you will also want a Tyvex suit to protect the mold spores from getting on your clothes.
What You’ll Need To Clean Mold
- scrub brush
- professional spray bottle
- dawn dish detergent
- sanitizers like Hydrogen peroxide, OxiClean, or RMR-86
- shop vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter
You have several options when it comes to what to use to sanitize the mold.
Hydrogen peroxide or OxiClean will work for generic cleanups. Scrub with a scrub brush.
If you want a deep clean, you can use what the professionals use. RMR-86 is a no-scrub formula.
For small moldy areas, use the RMR-86 spray bottle format.
For large moldy areas, you can use the 2.5 gallon size with a garden pump sprayer or professional spray bottle.
2. Vacuum the Excess Mold
You’ve got a big mold problem that needs the excess mold vacuumed first.
With a HEPA vacuum, choose the wall brush and vacuum the excess mold. Only a HEPA-rated filter will be able to catch small size of mold spores.
3. Spray down the moldy walls
Next, with a cleaner of your choice, such as Oxiclean or RMR-86, spray down the moldy areas. Make sure it is generously wet.
In about 15 seconds, you can see the mold stains start to disappear.
If not, you can spray it again.
Some types of mold will require some light scrubbing.
4. Rinse with cloth and clean water
For indoor walls, use a cloth and clean water to rinse the clean from the walls.
5. Dry
Dry the surface thoroughly and wait 24 hours for it to dry completely.
You may use a fan in the room to help.
6. Optional: Run a HEPA Air Filter
To get rid of the mold spores present in the air of the room, run a HEPA air filter for 4-7 days. That will get rid of the remaining mold spores suspended in the air.
Method 2: How to Clean Mold from Walls with Borax
If you’ve got a small area of mold, you can clean it by scrubbing it with borax.
First, grab borax (sodium tetraborate), water, a spray bottle, and a scrubber.
These items will help you to remove the mold from your painted walls.
Combine the Ingredients
After you have gathered all the ingredients, now you will combine them to create a solution.
Mix 2 tablespoonfuls of borax with 2 cups of water. You have to be careful while mixing the ingredients together.
Wear gloves while mixing the solution.
Pour the Solution in a Spray Bottle
Now, as you are done with mixing the solution, pour it into the spray bottle you have.
Pouring it in the spray bottle will help you to apply the solution to the painted walls easily. Make sure you wear gloves while pouring it into the bottle.
Apply on the Moldy Painted Wall
Next, spray the solution to the infected walls.
Generously spray the entire moldy section and more.
Scrub the Wall
Now you need to scrub the wall gently. This will remove the mold from the wall.
After you are done with scrubbing, clean it with a cloth and water with a few drops of dish soap.
Spray a new layer and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Then clean it with a cloth and clean water.
This will help you to get rid of the mold and get your painted walls clean.
Optional: Run a HEPA Air Filter
To get rid of the mold spores present in the air of the room, run a HEPA air filter for 4-7 days. That will get rid of the remaining mold spores suspended in the air.
Takeaway
You can remove mold from the wall with this step-by-step guide.
However, if you are dealing with a larger moldy area, such as over 10 x 10 feet of mold, it is best to let the mold remediation specialists do it.
Related:
How to Get Rid of Mold on Concrete Block Walls – Step by Step Guide
How to Get Rid of Mold in Car
