Cleaning mold yourself

When it's a DIY job

• The area is smaller than about 10 square feet, roughly 3 by 3 feet.
• It's on a hard surface: tile, grout, a painted wall that's still solid, a metal vent, a window frame.
• You know why it's there and can fix it: a bathroom fan that wasn't running, a sweating window, condensation on a vent.
• Nobody in the house has asthma, a mold allergy or a weakened immune system.

How to clean it

1. Gear. The EPA suggests an N95 respirator, long gloves, and goggles without vent holes.
2. Scrub hard surfaces with detergent and water, then dry them completely.
3. Throw out porous things that stay moldy: ceiling tile, carpet pad, cardboard, a shower curtain liner.
4. Dry the area and keep it dry. In Orlando that means AC running and, in a damp room, a dehumidifier.
5. Watch it. If it comes back in the same spot, the moisture is still there.

What not to spray

The EPA's guidance is detergent and water. Bleach doesn't fix the moisture, and on porous material like drywall the growth stays in the material. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners; the fumes are toxic. Don't paint or caulk over mold either; it grows under the new coat.

When to stop and call

• The area is bigger than 10 square feet, or keeps getting bigger when you look behind things.
• It's on drywall that's soft, stained through or crumbling, or inside a wall or ceiling.
• It's in the AC system, the ducts or the air handler closet. AC and duct mold.
• It followed flood water or a sewage backup.
• You smell it but can't find it.

Paid mold remediation over 10 square feet in Florida takes a state mold remediator license.