Basement mold is a serious problem for any homeowner. Mold, while not exactly tough, can return quickly when not properly treated. Varieties of mold lead to serious health problems, even normal mold can cause serious damage to food, paper, drywall, and many other materials.

Killing the visible mold is pretty easy. A simple borax solution is enough to wipe the mold clean. Borax is common in the cleaning materials section of any hardware store. Its more effective than bleach because it kills mold on porous surfaces, and doesn’t give off harmful fumes. Borax is still toxic, so keep children and pets away from it. The process of using Borax is to mix one cup of Borax with one gallon of water. Apply some of this mixture to a rag, sponge, or even paper towel, and wipe down the effected area. It shouldn’t take more than a few wipes to do the trick. In certain extreme situations, you may need to give up on cleaning altogether and simply remove moldy materials and replace them.

Mold needs humidity to propagate. Because you’ve cleaned the mold and you are trying to prevent further mold problems, you should buy a dehumidifier or similar humidity-removing device. Sometimes a dehumidifier isn’t enough, in these cases, its likely that your basement has a serious mold problem. You should check pipes for leaks, cracks, and other problems. If you find the problem and its too big to solve on your own, consult professionals, like DryPatrol (the experts at mold remediation).