Anyone having whitish mold show up in their garage? In the last two years in my 2 car insulated garage, a whitish mold has shown up in the summer on the vinyl interior and carpet on my car. It is also present on a set of tires I keep in the corner. I also noticed it on painted metal surfaces, such as the front axle /shocks on my roadster and some of my reference material book covers I store in cabinets. I keep the garage heated in the winter and run a floor fan in the summer all the time to keep air circulating. My attached garage on the house does not have this condition.My attached garage on the house does not have this condition. Anyone know how to prevent this from occurring?
This kind of gadget might do the trick. http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1703/Product/GOLDENROD_DEHUMIDIFIER
I think black mold is the dangerous stuff, but you don't want either. There's a product called Sporcidin that you can order (or might be able to find locally through their website) that will kill it all. It is the only government approved product to kill mold and MSRA. You garage will smell like a very sterile operating room after you use it, but it will get rid of it. I've used it and it works well. Just put it in an old spray bottle
Sounds like mildew, caused by humidity. I get it in the back basement (small enclosed room) on vinyl and leather book covers.
Running two fans on high. Will look at getting a ceiling fan and dehumidifier. This crap is even growing on my metal tool box. Really attracted to leather & vinyl. Thanks guys.
Black mold is the dangerous stuff but you can still get sick on the white stuff being around. It is all bout moisture and it is actually made worse by the insulated qualities of the building. A good dehumidifier would serve to help and it might also circulate the air some. Just a thought...
It is effloresence, comes from moisture intrusion, air movement is lacking, any air mover will work ,anything but making a humid climate in the close space, maybe some wall vents too for cross ventilation. 50 water/ 50 409 wiped down and dry off add vent or fan + no prob use gloves and eye protection, a soft brush works too, if left on metal it will eventually rust, even over painted areas.
The best remediation for mold and mildew is plain water and soap mixture - DO NOT use bleach! Wash it down real well, then get some air movement towards it, like a large fan(s). Then, use a good mold killer like Sporicidin (mentioned above) and go to it. Mold is a HUGE problem in places like Germany, where there is no central air conditioning, and LOTS of moisture. Most buildings have a great deal of concrete in the construction. That, and wallpaper, are both very conducive to mold growth. It was a never-ending thing for me when I lived there in the early '90s.
I did some research on black mold recently, as I had an outbreak happening in my shower that kept coming back again and again no matter how much bleach I threw at it. So I went to the internet, and I discovered that there are several hundred varieties of the black mold. Of all these varieties, there are only about a half dozen that pose a serious health risk. The real nasty stuff will not grow on painted or coated surfaces, but they do love growing on cellulose, which is what the paper coating on the drywall is made of. For this reason, you will more likely find this stuff growing on the back unpainted side of the drywall if you have a serious outbreak happening.
A dehumidifier will help, but you might as well spend the money on an air conditioner which will dehumidify and cool.
I have a full basement with a workshop and car storage but only have a problem in July and August when we have extreme heat and even worse humidity. I have lived with this for 28 years. But 2 weeks ago I purchased a Frigidiare 70 pint dehumidifyer at Lowes and it has removed about 6-8 gallons of water a day and lowered the basement humidity from 75% to 45%. I wish I had done it years ago. I only plan on using it a couple months a year in the summer but may use it more. You can remove your mold for now but it will be back. You either need to A/C your building which will also lower your humidity or get a dehumidifyer in my opinion.
dehumidifyer's rock. Always had one in the basement in N.Y., have one in the garage in Ky., and it keeps it real nice. It's not A/C, but it keeps it nice.
The trouble with bringing in outside air is that it just brings more humidity with it. Mold can't grow without humidity. you don't have to cool the area, just dry it out. An air conditioner set to 80 will do the job. A dehumidifier is just an air conditioner that doesn't put the heat outside.