Mold under the wallpaper: causes, methods and remedies

2024 Author: Aaron Duncan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 03:30

People since ancient times have always shared their homes with other inhabitants of the animal and plant world: even in modern high-rise buildings, mice, spiders, cockroaches, bedbugs and various small animals are found every now and then. But if a person is able to put up with some illegal tenants and not pay attention to them, then it is dangerous for life and he alth to coexist with others.

Enemy number one is mold stains in living quarters. These black and greenish-brown spots do not bite anyone, but it becomes impossible to live in the house. In addition, sometimes a fungal colony can disguise itself and live for years on the back of the wallpaper, without external manifestations, gradually growing and capturing new territories. So, what to do if mold appears under the wallpaper? How to deal with it? And is it possible to win this war alone?

What is mold

Mold are tinymicroscopic fungi that look like an interweaving of threads (hyphae). Spores of these microorganisms are everywhere - in the air, in water, on the street, in any room. As long as there are no suitable conditions for them, they do not manifest themselves in any way. But as soon as possible, they will establish a colony on any suitable surface. When a study of the Chernobyl sarcophagus was carried out a few years ago, scientists were amazed at the huge colonies of black mold living inside.

The world of mold is vast and diverse - there are thousands of species of microscopic fungi. But ordinary people most often distinguish them by color:

White - appears as a bloom on the ground in flower pots as a reaction to excessive watering.
Green - it is she who is the violent color on spoiled products.
Black. This refers to Stachybotrys chartarum, a type of green-black mold that often appears after floods and can grow on any surface. She is considered the most dangerous; according to some studies, it causes a person not only allergies and bronchitis, but also lung cancer. Although a closer study of the species showed that in terms of its effect on the human body, it is similar to other varieties of mold and does not in the least outperform them in terms of danger to humans.
Blue. Attacks wooden surfaces.
Blight fungus - destroys wood and other materials from the inside.

What is dangerous mold for humans

These microscopic fungi are destroying the cozy home world before our eyes: the mold under the wallpaper "eats" not only the decorative finish, but alsoundermines the concrete slab, swells the plaster, then the paint begins to peel off in layers, neighboring areas gradually become infected, and the fluffy infection captures everything around.

It is impossible to live and even just be in such a room. And not only because of the unattractive appearance of the blackened and browned walls. Mold is really dangerous to human he alth.

Allergy sufferers are the first to suffer, as the colony secretes special substances that act as an allergen. There is redness of the eyes, perspiration, difficulty breathing, protracted illnesses, runny nose. The next risk group is children and the elderly. They have a weaker immune system, and all negative environmental factors affect them more strongly. As the colony grows, everyone else will suffer. Possible symptoms include: fatigue, confusion, frequent headaches, dizziness, nausea, decreased appetite, cough, gastrointestinal upset, joint and muscle pain, strange taste in the mouth, increased sweating, frequent urination, trembling, increased sensitivity to light etc.

Mold is dangerous because you don't have to touch it to experience the full range of negative effects: just living in the same room is enough.

Reasons for appearance

So, mold appeared under the wallpaper after the repair. What went wrong? At what point were ideal conditions created for microfungi to reproduce?

To do this, you need to understand what an apartment or house is. Today, almost all houses putplastic windows, that is, they actually cut off the street from the living quarters. Strange as it may seem, but the wooden frames withered out provided excellent air circulation and maintained a good microclimate.

Another misfortune is an unsuccessful layout or redevelopment of the living space, as a result of which some rooms are not ventilated.

It is impossible to exclude the factor of low temperatures, when corners and even entire walls freeze through. This leads to condensation, and excess moisture leads to the growth of fungi.

So before any redevelopment and construction, all factors must be taken into account so as not to provoke the appearance of the fungus.

Here is a list of the main causes of mold under wallpaper or on other surfaces:

Violation of building codes, poor redevelopment, failure to waterproof concrete slabs.
Insufficient ventilation - stale air, clogged windows, no airflow from outside.
High humidity in the apartment - both natural causes (weather, climate) and artificially created factors contribute to this, for example, steam from a kettle, a large amount of laundry on the dryer, damp earth in pots, etc.
Damp basement under the house.
Regular leaks - leaking roof, pipe, various connections, etc.

In general, the whole list can be reduced to one thing: the fungus appears when it is damp and there is no air circulation. High temperature accelerates the growth of the colony, but at low temperatures moldy spots still appear.

Where is mold most likely to be found in a home

In a private house, stains can appear everywhere - on the floor, ceiling, in the corners, on furniture. It depends where the problem is.

With an apartment a little easier. Mold usually appears in high-rise buildings:

In the bathroom, where she has the perfect microclimate. If there is no or a bad hood without draft in the bathroom, and the door is closed all the time, then mold will appear in a couple of months.
On plastic windows. The reason is condensation due to temperature differences.
Spots appear on the corners and walls due to poor waterproofing of concrete slabs and poor ventilation.

Mold on the wall

Mold on the wall under the wallpaper appears for exactly the same reasons as in other places. People are often outraged that fungi appear unexpectedly. For example, for 10 years everything was normal, but then after the repair, this fluffy infection appeared. What happened?

Only the landlord can answer this question. Maybe he installed plastic windows and combined the kitchen with the room, which left the living room without ventilation. Meanwhile, children's things are constantly drying in this room.

Or, during the repair, he did not insulate the constantly freezing corner, but it began to freeze even more, which led to condensation and constant dampness. And as a result, to mold.

How to prevent further colony growth

So, mold was found under the wallpaper. What to do in this situation? The first steps should be aimed at preventing further growth of the colony. Any methods to reduce humidity and additional ventilation can be used:

open window;
put a fan;
turn on the heater in the room;
remove all sources of dampness - linen, flowers in pots, fix a dripping faucet or pipe, etc.;
illuminate the wall with a UV lamp, as its radiation is detrimental to fungi.

Instructions for cleaning walls from a fungal colony

How to get rid of mold under wallpaper? To do this, follow the step-by-step instructions:

Free up the passage to the infected area. Remove furniture and carpets after inspecting them for stains.
Drain the wall - you can naturally, through an open window, but it is better to use a building hair dryer, heater or any household heater.
Remove all damaged areas - pieces of wallpaper and plaster to concrete. You need to capture the area with a margin.
Sand the area carefully with fine sandpaper.
Treat the plate with an antifungal spray, impregnation or a special primer. At least 3-4 times, each time waiting for the previous layer to dry completely.
If possible, illuminate the wall with a UV lamp.
Prime the plate with a special antiseptic primer. Plaster.
Stick new wallpaper.

Degree of infection

The previous instruction assumes radical methods of struggle - remove all infectedmaterials. If you add preventative methods to this, then you can get rid of the fungus once and for all, contrary to the popular myth that says that mold cannot be killed.

But is there really a need for such difficult and costly actions to destroy mold under the wallpaper. What to do if fungi appeared in a small area?

The critical figure is considered to be 20% damage to the surface. If the colony has grown to these sizes, then drastic measures will have to be resorted to. Otherwise, you can try to kill the fungus from the outside - burn it with whiteness, vinegar or a special spray. Such measures can be successful, especially if the wallpaper is not multi-layered and not embossed, otherwise the mold will remain and will soon grow.

But what definitely cannot be done is to mask the stain - to cover it with new decoration, painting or furniture. This will only make things worse.

Removing mold from the walls: the most effective antifungal agents

How to remove mold under the wallpaper? To do this, experienced craftsmen advise using one of the available tools:

Antiseptic primer. It is presented in stores with a wide range - Tikkurila, Areal, Formula, Knauf, Belinka. Under these brands, you can buy a primer for exterior and interior work, which will prevent the appearance of fungus.
Bleach. In this niche, the inexpensive, familiar Whiteness is the leader, but you can use other similar means like Ice or Vanish. A solution is prepared from bleach in proportions of 1:10 and treated with it.surfaces. The advantages of this tool are its availability and low cost, in addition, the solution removes mold well from any non-porous surface, such as plastic or glass. On porous surfaces, bleach will not be able to penetrate deep enough to kill all fungi. In addition, it is dangerous to work with and should not be used on many materials due to the fact that they can fade or deteriorate.
Vinegar. Not acetic acid, but table vinegar - 6% or 9%. It is applied to the mold with a spray gun. After the procedure, the substance evaporates quickly and the room is ventilated. Vinegar is sprayed on especially large accumulations several times, with an interval of 5 days.

Hydrogen peroxide 3%. A substance safe for humans, and this is its huge plus. But it has a bleaching effect, so it is not suitable for all types of surfaces.
Ammonia. It is mixed with water in proportions of 1:1. In terms of its effectiveness and side effects, it is similar to bleach: it works well on hard materials and poorly on porous ones. It also smells disgusting and can make you dizzy.
Soda. Safe for humans and harmful to fungi. For a solution of 2 tsp. mixed with 0.5 l of water and treated with such a surface composition. If the soda solution is not washed off, then it will be an excellent prophylactic.
Bura. Perfectly destroys mold and other microorganisms. For a solution, 1 cup of the substance is mixed with 2.5 liters of water. Wash it off toono need - it, like soda, will reduce the risk of relapses.

Potassium permanganate. A dark solution of this substance is applied to the wall: it kills the fungus and prevents its reappearance.
Citric acid. Works the same as table vinegar.
Mixed composition: 4 parts of water, two parts of table vinegar and peroxide and 1 part of boric acid (4:2:2:1). Such a composition will cope even with strong defeats.
Tea tree oil: add 1 tsp to 250 ml of water. oils. You can also use lavender or rosemary oil.

mold under the wallpaper in the apartment

Precautions

Brown and black mold under the wallpaper is a great danger even if it is not touched. But as soon as she is touched, she immediately shoots billions of spores into the air. So when mechanically removing infected wallpaper, you need to protect yourself - wear a respirator, gloves, closed clothing. Some prefer not to take risks and to fight mold under the wallpaper they call specialists who come in chemical suits and with a full arsenal of various means.

If it was decided to work independently, then take precautions not only when in contact with microorganisms, but also with mold control agents. Most of them are dangerous to humans: toxic, cause chemical burns, poisoning by inhalation of vapors, etc.