Where I live, we have several months out of the year that are packed with devastating storms. These storms have been known to damage entire communities and leave many people's lives turned upside-down. During the days and weeks following these storms, we pull together as a community to help each other rebuild and repair the homes we live in. We have worked alongside some of the best damage contractors in the country. This blog contains a ton of information about the things that we have learned from those contractors during these devastating times each and every year through the worst possible storms.
rebuilding after the storms have settled
How To Eliminate And Prevent Mold In Your Home's Stucco
Samu Palo
As you perform your weekly landscaping maintenance, take a moment to look for black staining on your home's stucco exterior. Black staining is a sure sign of a mold problem that requires immediate attention to keep your house and family safe.
Here is how you should remove the mold, followed by instructions to prevent its future growth:
Stucco Mold Elimination
Step 1: The best thing to remove mold on stucco is a simple mixture of one cup of chlorine bleach with one gallon of water. Using hot water makes the solution work more quickly, but is not necessary.
Note: If you are concerned about the bleach solution harming your landscaping this is not a concern. Florists use bleach in their water to keep flowers looking fresh longer. However, if you have a fish pond, then you should always cover it with plastic sheeting to protect the wildlife when you work with bleach or other household chemicals.
Step 2: Wearing rubber gloves, place the bleach solution into a garden sprayer. Spray the solution liberally anywhere you see any discoloration on the stucco. Spray extra solution at least a few inches back into the clean stucco surrounding the stains. This will ensure you kill any mold spores in the area.
Step 3: Rinse the area well with your garden hose or a pressure washer. It is not good for the stucco to leave the bleach on its surface, so this is a very important step.
Stucco Mold Prevention
Mold requires shade from the sun, moisture, and nutrients to grow. There are plenty of free-floating mold spores in the outdoors, and when they land in a favorable environment then they grow into a colony.
By excluding any of the necessities for mold to grow, you can completely prevent its future growth. To keep the mold off of your home's stucco permanently:
- remove landscaping that shades the base of your home
- adjust landscaping sprinklers away from your home's exterior
- install rain gutters on your home
- remove dead organic matter around your home regularly
In addition, you should always keep landscaping and mulch at least a few inches from the base of your home. This allows your home to breathe and prevents damage to the stucco and crawl spaces areas.
Conclusion
Removing mold from your home's exterior stucco is a simple but very important task. If you need additional help removing harmful mold from your home, contact a local damage and restoration company like ServiceMaster Of Edmonton Disaster Restoration Mould Removal.
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