Healthy Living Spaces


Mold - Contents Cleaning

Don’t throw all your stuff away just because it was stored inside a building with mold. If your belonging did have mold growing on them but were simply in close proximity to mold, they may be effectively cleaned by HEPA vacuuming or laundering.

Clean hard, non-porous contents such as wood furniture by HEPA vacuuming and damp wiping using plain soap and water. If mold grew on wood furniture it can be sanded off. Take the furniture outside to do this. Wear a respirator.

Table 2: Cleaning Contents⁶

Condition

Settled spores in the dust

No active growth

Active mold growth

Visible mold growth

Cleaning recommended

HEPA vacuum, damp-wipe, hot water extraction, or dry clean

Consider disposal of porous items unless of high value or irreplaceable

Carpet and padding that has visible mold growth should be discarded. Carpet that only contains mold spores from settled dust may be cleaned. Carpet cleaning should be done professionally using a truck-mounted system that sucks out the water and enables the carpet to dry fast to prevent further mold.

Consider throwing away porous personal belongings such as clothing, carpet and upholstered furniture that are contaminated with visible mold growth. It can be difficult to effectively remove active mold growth by cleaning. An odor may remain even after the spores are physically removed. When laundering clothing or bedding contaminated with visible mold growth, consider dry-cleaning or cleaning in hot water. An alternative to bleach is borax. Let cloths sit in wash machine with borax for 2 hours.

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Revised: July 05, 2017.
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