Yes, white mold is dangerous for your furniture, as it gradually eats up the wood and causes severe damage.
But have you ever wondered what is white mold and what are its causes?
White mold is a type of bacteria that develops in hot and humid areas of the home. But when this mold grows on your upholstered furniture, it starts damaging them.
Mainly, you can follow a precaution to create less humidity in your house, as mold tends to generate at a fast rate once it has developed. White mold can lead to many health issues like asthma, headache, skin and eye irritation, infections, etc.
While searching for “is white mold on furniture dangerous” you may also think of its removal. So, here are the easy steps for it.
Causes Of White Mold On The Furniture
Before you learn the steps to prevent white mold on your furniture, it is necessary to know what causes white mold on your property in the first place. Like most other types of molds, white mold also likes to grow in damp & moist parts of the house.
The following are the three main culprits for mold growth in your house.
- Moisture
- Humidity
- Organic materials
After a flood or an unexpected water leak, these conditions are likely to occur in your home. And this increases the chances of white mold growth on your property, especially if the items stay in water for a long time.
Steps To Remove White Mold From Furniture
- First, move your upholstered furniture outside of the house.
- Start sweeping the furniture now with a broom brush. This way the spores spread in the air will remain outside of the house and will reduce the mold growth inside of the home.
- Vacuum the furniture thoroughly. Vacuuming will remove more mold spores from the furniture.
- Take a wet sponge and add a few drops of detergent or dishwashing liquid. Wipe the spores of the mold with this sponge.
- If you cannot remove the mold spots with this detergent and after that, use bleach(safe for your furniture color) to scrub the spot.
- Disinfect the mold-affected areas in your furniture properly.
- Allow the furniture to dry outside. Then, bring it inside and wipe it with a clean wet cloth to remove the layer of all fungicides and mold from the furniture.
How to Prevent White Mold Growth on Your Furniture
While removing mold from your furniture is a wise step, by the time you remove all the molds from your home, they may already damage a significant portion of your items.
Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to prevent mold growth in your home after water damage.
Here is what to do to prevent the growth of white mold after water damage.
⇒ Remove Standing Water
The first thing you should do when there is excessive water in your home is to remove it using a bucket or by renting a water pump, as excess water creates favorable conditions for mold growth.
⇒ Properly Dry The Area
Removing extra water from your property is not enough to prevent mold growth. You need to dry the water-damaged area by opening all the doors and windows and also turning on all the fans.
Moreover, you can use a dehumidifier to remove humidity from the area and make the air drier.
⇒ Replace or Discard The Damaged Items
You can disinfect most of your valuables, but you will have to replace items like electronics, clothes, and paper if they have sustained water damage for a prolonged time (24-48 hours), as that is an ideal time for mold growth.
If your upholstered furniture has sustained excessive damage, you should hire professional upholstery cleaning services to save it, as professionals know effective cleaning methods to remove mold from your furniture.
⇒ Disinfect The Area
Once the area is dry, you should disinfect it using a solution of hot water mixed with a non-ammonia cleaner. With this solution, you should scrub the walls and floor to prevent mold growth.
Tip: You can use a simple soap solution to disinfect the area if you don’t have a non-ammonia cleaning solution.
Summing Up
White mold is extremely harmful to your furniture, and it can grow on your furniture after excessive water damage. Fortunately, you can remove white mold from it with the steps to remove white mold from the furniture we’ve mentioned above.
Moreover, prevention is better than cure, so we have also mentioned the steps to prevent mold growth in the first place.
