How To Remove Mould Spores From The Air

• How To Remove Mould Spores From The Air
  • A Symptom To Look Out For When It Comes To Mould Spores
• How Long Do Mould Spores Stay In The Air?
• Do Air Purifiers Remove Mould Spores?
  • Regulate The Humidity Levels Within Your Home
• Further Tips To Help Remove Mould Spores
  • Open A Door Or Window
  • Ventilation Appliances 
  • Start Cleaning
  • Cleaning Your Furniture And Carpets Regularly
• Considerations When It Comes To Mould Spores
• Know When To Call In The Professionals
• Conclusion When It Comes To Mould Spores

How Remove Mould Spores From The Air

Have you ever found yourself continually sneezing or sniffling within your own home? Maybe your eyes have become more sensitive or watery. If you’ve researched all of the general problems it could be but found no match, there’s a chance your house may be infested with mould spores. 

Mould spores are everywhere; they float in the air of every type of climate. Believe it or not, various mould fungi are incredibly beneficial to us humans, such as penicillin. However, there are other strains – such as standard black mould – that are incredibly hazardous to human health and can actually lead to a range of respiratory issues, even among the healthiest of people. It can take anywhere between 20-50 hours after the mould spores have landed on a damp or wet area for the infestation to start and the mould strain to become severely hazardous.

Mould thrives on moisture and can rapidly reproduce through lightweight, tiny spores that travel through the air. Small amounts of mould spores aren’t harmful. We naturally breathe in a variety of non-hazardous mould spores every day, however, when large amounts of airborne mould spores land on damp spots within your home, catastrophic issues may arise if not dealt with promptly. 

Removing mould spores is never an easy job, especially without access to the right equipment or technology. Mould spores are completely invisible, therefore it’s difficult to know if you have fully eradicated the danger or if you have just halted the growth. 

A Symptom To Look Out For When It Comes To Mould Spores

If you detect a musty form of odour within your home, it may be an indication that you have a high concentration of mould or mould spores within your property. If this is the case, rapid action is required. While you can attempt to DIY the situation, you may be putting the health of both yourself and your loved ones at risk. To give yourself peace of mind and limit any hazards, you should rely on professionals to effectively eradicate all forms of dangerous mould spores within the home. 

How Long Do Mould Spores Stay In The Air?

Mould spores are nature’s recycling team; they are forever floating in the air searching for organic materials to decompose. It is scientifically known that for as long as mould is present, mould spores will never be eradicated from the air. 

Mould spores remain airborne for an indefinite period of time, however, not every type of mould is hazardous to human health. It’s important to recognise that if a damp spot is present and unattended for longer than 24 hours, there is a high possibility that mould will fester and airborne spores will begin congregating throughout the premises. A high concentration of mould spores can be extremely hazardous to humans. No matter how healthy the individual, it is essential to eradicate all forms of mould to stop the progression of it turning airborne.

So how can you remove mould spores from the air? 

Do Air Purifiers Remove Mould Spores?

Air purifiers have been proven to significantly help the removal of mould spores within the air. Whilst an air purifier will help remove the long-term mould spores that may have been festering within your property, the device itself will not eradicate the leading cause of mould. According to the ‘Healthy but Smart’ article, an air purifier draws the air into the filters and captures tiny airborne particles such as smoke, dust and mould spores. Clean air is then circulated throughout the room leaving the air feeling drier, more hygienic and fresher.

Once you have found the leading cause of the formation of mould within your apartment, it’s advised that you use an air purifier to filter out any remaining mould spores that need a little more nudging to leave the premise. This technology should only be used at the end of the mould remediation process for maximum and long-term effect. 

An air purifier is not a piece of technology you will need daily. It can be an expensive purchase to use in a one-time situation; therefore, we would always advise that you rent an air purifier or hire a service such as ICE to implement the technology. 

Regulate The Humidity Levels Within Your Home

We all know that mould loves and thrives off moisture. Maintaining humidity levels throughout your property will stop the majority of toxic moulds forming. 

The general rooms that are cause for concern when it comes to high humidity levels are your bathrooms and kitchens. You should ensure that you have a fully functioning exhaust fan in both of these rooms that is always on, especially when taking a shower/bath or cooking in the kitchen. 

If you can control your humidity levels within your home, you will significantly reduce the chances of mould forming, which stops the chances of mould spores occurring. 

Here at ICE, we use High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, the leading industry technology that can trap and remove more than 99% of particles within the air. Depending on the size of the property or room affected by mould spores, we may even be able to eradicate the toxin by the end of the day. 

Further Tips To Help Remove Mould Spores

If you are unable to rent or get hold of an air purifier, other methods can help you remove and reduce the number of mould spores within your home. Below we have listed a few ways that won’t cause too much financial damage: 

Open A Door Or Window

One of the most simple ways to reduce the chances of mould spores taking over your house and inhaling is to physically direct the mould spores to an exit in your apartment. Leaving a back door or window open can increase the property’s airflow, allowing the mould spores to disperse into the atmosphere.

Ventilation Appliances

If you have any ventilation appliances built into your apartment, we would encourage you to turn them on to maximum capacity for a couple of days. This will increase the chances of removing all highly concentrated air spores within your home. We would also advise that for the first day or two while the ventilation system is first turned on you stay out of the premise for as long as possible, to reduce you breathing in any spores. 

Start Cleaning

You can physically remove the majority of mould forms by thoroughly cleaning your house. Existing mould is often the number one cause for further mould spores to begin forming and assembling within the air. 

When you do begin cleaning your house, make sure you have the correct personal protective equipment on. Otherwise, you could become ill through inhaling too many chemicals from both the products being used and the invisible toxic mould spores that will be forced into the air.

Cleaning Your Furniture And Carpets Regularly

Carpets can be covered in mildew and mould spores. By vacuuming the entire carpeting or if possible, steaming your carpet, you can remove the majority of mould spores from the surface. This will also stop any mould spores from being thrusted into the air, preventing you from inhaling high concentrations of toxins. 

You should also consider vacuuming and steam cleaning:

• Rugs
• Sofas
• Other fabric furniture

This will increase the chances of all mould spores being eradicated from the entire property. 

While all of these tips will help and reduce the number of mould spores within your property, this is only a short-term solution. . To completely eradicate all forms of mould spores, you must get to the route cause.

Considerations When It Comes To Mould Spores

When it comes to removing mould, it’s important to understand that this will also create hazardous mould spores to further evaporate into the air, in greater quantities than already present. You must be wearing the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) before attempting to eradicate the mould yourself. We advise that all elderly, young, and immune-compromised individuals stay as far away from the premise whilst the cleaning is in process and, if possible, avoid returning to the property for at least a day. This ensures all forms of mould spores are no longer floating around. 

Remember, just because you have eliminated the visible appearance of mould, it does not mean that the problem has disappeared. If you have not found the cause as to why your property was a home for mould, then the situation will simply continue to occur.

Know When To Call In The Professionals

While it may be financially cheaper to DIY a mould infestation, you will never know if you have completely eradicated the problem, or if it is just going to return in a couple of days. When you call in a professional company, such as ICE, our specialists will assess your entire property and locate the primary source as to why you are getting mould. This could be down to something as small as:

• A leak in the wall
• Leaking taps
• Low airflow throughout the property
• Lack of exhaust fans 
• Lack of heating throughout the property
• Rainwater and/or drains that fall onto the house

Once our mould remediation technicians have located the primary cause, we can advise the best way to go about stopping mould spores returning to your house, and then begin the mould cleaning process. 

Conclusion When It Comes To Mould Spores

When it comes to mould spores, acting fast is key. The longer you leave the issue, the more likely the hazard is to grow and take over your house. 

If mould spores are present, they will never be eradicated until the root cause is identified. The mould spores will continue to be replaced by new, possibly more toxic mould spores fester in the air indefinitely. Prevention is the way forward, especially when it comes to mould, as it can have a direct health issue on any individual.