The #1 Thing You Should Never Do When Dealing With Mold
Mold isn't just a minor nuisance. It can harm your health, damage your home, and cost you more the longer it’s ignored. Plenty of people make simple mistakes when they find mold, but there’s one in particular that causes more problems than any other. Let’s walk through it together, piece by piece, so you know what to avoid and what to do instead.
Don't Paint Over It
If there's one thing you should never do when you find mold, it’s painting over it. This is the #1 mistake. Mold isn’t like a stain you can cover, it grows, spreads, and gets worse if it’s sealed in. Paint alone will never kill mold. If anything, it traps the moisture underneath, which gives the mold more fuel to grow behind the surface. Eventually, it breaks through again, often worse than before. Though some people think paint can choke mold out, covering it up is not cleaning it up.
Stop and Assess Before Acting
It's natural to want to get rid of mold as soon as you see it, but rushing into it without understanding what you’re dealing with can backfire in a big way. Different mold types need different responses. What looks like surface mold could be a sign of a bigger problem inside the wall or under the floor. Don’t scrub, spray, or tear anything out until you’ve taken a close look and figured out the cause. Mold always has a reason for showing up.
Don't Rely on Bleach Alone
Bleach is often the go-to cleaner for mold, but it's not always the right tool. It can kill surface mold on non-porous materials like tile or glass, but it doesn’t soak in very well. On drywall, wood, or fabric, bleach might remove the color of the mold but leave the fungal roots behind. The mold then tends to come back, often stronger. Plus, bleach itself can be harsh on your lungs. Use mold-specific cleaners for porous materials or seek professional help if needed.
Avoid Disturbing Large Areas of Mold
If you find a big patch of mold, don't try to clean it yourself. Scraping, scrubbing, or tearing out mold-covered materials can release spores into the air. That spreads the mold even further and exposes you to harmful particles. For anything larger than about a square foot or two, it’s safer to call a professional. They have the tools and knowledge to clean it without spreading it. Trying to handle large infestations alone usually makes the problem worse.
Don't Ignore Moisture
Mold doesn't grow without moisture. It’s easy to focus on cleaning the mold you can see and forget about the leak or dampness causing it, but if you don’t fix the moisture source, the mold will keep coming back. Check for leaks under sinks, around windows, in the roof, or in the basement. Even something as simple as high humidity from poor ventilation can be enough to let mold grow.
Don't Wait Too Long
The longer mold sits, the worse it gets. What starts as a small patch can grow deep into walls or floors, and even spread into new rooms. Health issues can creep up slowly too, especially for people with allergies or breathing problems. Mold won't go away on its own, and trying to wait it out can turn a small fix into a full renovation. If you see it or smell it, act on it. Even a quick consultation with a professional can save you later.
Mold isn't something to take lightly, but it’s not something to panic over either. The biggest mistake you can make is trying to cover it up instead of dealing with it properly. A calm, informed approach will always get better results. Take the time to understand where it’s coming from, address the cause of it, and use the right method to remove it. Ignoring it or hiding it only lets it grow stronger. Facing it directly is the only way forward.