Steps To Take When You Suspect Mold Is Growing In Your Home!

What to Do When You Suspect Mold is Growing In Your Home!

I recently wrote about a water leak that happened in our kitchen and how we are embarking on a big renovation. You can read about it here.

As with any leak, where there is water there is a potential for mold.

Mold is nothing to take lightly, and can make you very sick. We were not taking any chances, and hired professionals that were trained in dealing with mold removal.

Hiring Professional Help

When you have a water leak, it is super important to make sure that mold has not grown.

In our case, our leak started behind the dishwasher. Warm water and humid conditions make for a perfect breeding ground for mold.

We pulled out the dishwasher (the point of where the leak began) and behind it was a cloudy black substance that resembled mold.

At that point we called in professionals to seal off the area of concern so that we could come up with a plan to tackle this problem.

If it is indeed mold and is under 10 square feet, a contractor can take care of it. If it is over 10 square feet, construction needs to stop and professionals need to be hired that specialize in mold removal.

Containing Mold and Why it is SO Important!

In our case we suspect that mold is most likely growing on the whole back side of the wall…running way more than 10 square feet.

Before we remove the source, it is important to prepare the site to contain the space to the smallest space possible.

Once you stir up the mold spores, they can quickly spread to other areas of the house. It is very important to contain the area.

Here is how we contained our mold source BEFORE we started the demolition.

Never Under Estimate The Power of Essential Oils

So in the meantime while we wait for the demo to start, I am diffusing a protective blend.

I absolutely LOVE my diffuser (you can get one here)!

Did you know that if you diffuse this protective blend and it can aid to help kill air borne pathogens, inhibit mold and build immune systems.

Never under estimate the power of essential oils! They are so powerful and have been used for hundreds of hundreds of years!

Essential Oils That are Good For Mold and Mildew

Now am I saying that oils can get rid of a mold outbreak like mine? Of course not. But it can help in aiding against killing mold spores and purifying the air.

So here are the oils that are recommended for mold and mildew!

Oils that help fight against a possible mold outbreak are: (I buy quality oils here)

Lemon
Protective Blend
Cleansing Blend

Anti-fungal oils include: (I buy quality oils here)

Cinnamon
Clove
Geranium
Melaleuca
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme

So that is it for now! What a ride, right guys? Never thought I would be dealing with a potential mold outbreak! Yikes!!

I will keep you posted on the mold outcome. Until then…

UPDATE – When we started with the demolition, we unfortunately discovered that we indeed do have mold. You can follow us through our journey here:

Follow My Whole Series ~ How To Get Rid of Mold in Your Home

Follow along with me on this journey, dare I say…This Mold Journey??

If you are seeing this series of posts for the first time, I encourage you to start with the first post and work your way through the remainder of the posts. Removing mold is a process and I lay this process out 1 post at a time.