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Mold growth in your home is a serious issue that can damage your belongings and compromise your health. Typically, you wouldn’t hesitate to toss anything that’s been damaged by green stuff… but what about that box of old family photos?
For more sentimental items that have fallen victim, it’s important to know what is salvageable. This guide will help you sort out everything after mold remediation.
Navigating Belongings After Mold: What Stays and What Goes?
The answer: it depends. There are surely some things you need to throw out after they’ve been exposed to mold, but there are some items you might be able to rescue.
Here are some guidelines to follow if your home has (or had) mold damage.
What to Throw Away
Belongings that are:
Porous: carpet, cardboard, upholstery, mattresses, bedding, and stuffed animals*
Made from paper: documents, books, photo albums, etc.
Food-based or used to prepare food: basically, anything you’d eat or items that come in contact with food
Submerged in water: items that have soaked are at higher risk for deep mold absorption and should be thrown out
What You Can Keep
Items made of plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass
Fabric that’s been cleaned well and disinfected
Electronics and electronic appliances**
Belongings that look clearly compromised (permanent spots and stains)
Items that hold a funky smell after cleaning
**Appliance coils are very susceptible to harboring mold. If you’re removing mold from your home by yourself, be sure to inspect all areas of your devices.
Photo: Westend61 / Westend61 / Getty Images, Mint Images / Mint Images RF / Getty Images, Valeriy_G / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images, marcoventuriniautieri / E+ / Getty Images
Why Should You Throw Away Items After Mold Removal?
Unfortunately, mold releases toxins that create free radicals (unstable atoms that damage cells) when ingested by humans, which can lead to a bunch of different health issues. In fact, ingesting certain types of mold (including black mold) can make you very sick—and it can even be life-threatening!
This is why many toxicologists recommend homeowners treat moldy belongings ASAP. Damaged items should be thrown away without question, and items that are easy to replace or inexpensive (i.e. clothes, food) should be tossed as a precautionary measure. Basically, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Additionally, moldy items left in your home could spread to other parts of your house, like your walls and flooring. This could lead to a bigger mold infestation that decreases your home value.
How To Clean Items Exposed to Mold
If some of your household items have been exposed to mold, you’ll need to assess and address the situation as quickly as possible. Some items are salvageable if cleaned correctly, while others are not.
Clothing and Fabrics
Unfortunately, mold can cause permanent damage to some clothing items and fabrics. To clean washable items, pretreat them with non-ammonia detergent, and then wash them at the highest temperature with detergent and the appropriate bleach. Check the label on your product to determine the highest wash temperature.
Furniture Items
Cleaning furniture items after mold exposure depends on its material type. Follow these steps if your hard-surfaced item is made of laminate, wood, veneer, steel, resin, or bamboo.
Start by removing mold spores with a damp cloth and mild non-phosphate detergent. Dry thoroughly but not in direct sunlight. If the mold was caused by sewer water, disinfect your furniture piece using a mixture of bleach and water.
Books and Important Documents
For paper materials, first make sure the item is completely dry. Removing mold from a wet or damp surface could smear the text. You can do this by inserting paper towels between each page and using a fan to create air circulation. Once dry, use a damp cloth or soft brush with denatured alcohol. Gently try to wipe off the mold or mildew.
For very important documents, like a passport, damage from water and mold may require a replacement (regardless of attempts to repair it). If you find an important document is too worn, ripped, or warped after drying, it will be a better use of time to order a new one.
Leather Furniture and Clothing
It’s essential to clean your leather clothing or furniture as soon as you discover its exposure to mold. Use a clean cloth or a soft-bristled brush to remove the mold spores. Then, clean it with a solution of water and non-phosphate detergent before wiping it off and drying thoroughly. You can also wipe down items with a mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. Finally, dry the leather items thoroughly and then use a leather conditioner.
After the professional mold-removal team finishes the remediation process, it’s time to step back in and evaluate the status of your home. Follow any recommendations provided by your mold remediation technician about cleaning or handling items with mold exposure.
For best results and peace of mind, it’s best to hire a professional cleaning company near you that has experience cleaning homes that have been exposed to mold. This step is especially important for homes with mold damage caused by sewage or contaminated water.
Frequently Asked Questions
As mentioned above, you don’t necessarily need to throw out every clothing item affected by mold. However, you need to clean the moldy clothing as quickly and effectively as possible. The longer mold stays on your clothes, the harder it is to remove. Pre-treat your clothes before washing them with the hottest water possible with detergent and bleach.
Like moldy clothes, moldy furniture can sometimes be saved, depending on the time and amount of mold exposure. If you attempt to clean your moldy furniture and it doesn’t budge, then you’ll need to dispose of the item. Follow our guidelines above to clean and disinfect your furniture items based on its material type.
In most cases, it is safe to return home after mold remediation is complete. You should follow your mold remediation technician’s recommendations, but most pros request that homeowners wait one day after the process is complete to move back in.
After returning home, be sure to carefully inspect the exposed areas for any remaining signs of mold spores. Contact the mold remediation company if you detect any lingering mold.
You should throw away moldy dishes if there’s mold in the openings, cracks, or grooves of your dishware. It’s impossible to remove mold spores from those areas, and it would be dangerous to continue using them. If the mold exposure is surface-level, you can attempt to clean the dishes by spraying them with hydrogen peroxide to clean off the mold.
