Mold is a cohabitant that spreads in garden sheds without asking. It looks ugly, it smells bad, it attacks the structure of the garden shed and poses a danger to the health of people and domestic animals.
If mold spores, cell components and metabolic products of mold are inhaled, the body literally reacts to them in an irritated and allergic way.
In the worst case, the body is poisoned. We explain where and why mold forms, how to prevent it and also how to get rid of mold in the garden shed.
What is mold?
Mold is the name given to the visible modification of a surface caused by mold. Molds are found in low concentrations in almost all air, both indoors and outdoors. The number of different mold species is estimated to be 130,000. Among them are both beneficial and harmful fungi.
While we use beneficial molds to refine foods like cheese (blue cheese) and sausage, or use them as an organic source for the production of antibiotics or cholesterol-lowering drugs, other molds render food inedible by producing powerful toxins that are not rendered ineffective by cooking, frying, baking, acidifying, drying, or freezing.
Mold can also attack building materials.such as wood, which contributes to its deterioration.
Important: Both live and dead mold are dangerous.
Mold usually forms a colored layer (whitish, greenish, yellowish, grayish), for example, on spoiled food, on damp walls or on wood. Thus, we have mentioned an important prerequisite for mold to develop in the first place: Moisture.
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Mold needs moisture, it is its elixir of life. Moisture can come from the infested substance and/or from the ambient air, from which it falls at the appropriate temperature (key words: condensation and condensation water vapor).
Mold spores are then spread through the air. If they settle on a suitable nutritious soil, they form a mycelium, that is, a multitude of thread-like cells (so-called hyphae) that spread out in a circle.
Molds «eat» organic molecules such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins, nutrients found in food, soil, wood, feces, dust grains, leather and even plastics.
Why does mold «grow»?
Mold spores are everywhere in the air. Whether they settle in their wooden house or not depends on the living conditions that the spores find there.
Only when all growth conditions are met does mold take hold and spread. As mold metabolizes organic substances, it finds a lot of «food» in your garden shed: for example, cellulose from wallpaper and plasterboard, as well as other materials that can be used for wall and floor coverings.
Dust and dirt residues are also a rich source of nutrients for her. You should know that mold not only attacks the construction parts of your garden shed (walls, ceilings, window frames), but also spreads to furniture, clothing, books and other items.
Poor ventilation favors the appearance of mold
In summer houses there is usually more humidity. If the humidity exceeds 70%, the appearance of mold is inevitable.
Mold is very resistant to its ambient temperature and tolerates temperatures between 0 and 60 degrees.
Most molds thrive at temperatures between 25 and 35 degrees. In summer, summer houses are often heated by direct sunlight. If there is no ventilation, heat builds up quickly.
Poor insulation often causes the appearance of mold
In addition, garden houses are often not sufficiently insulated. This creates cold bridges where moisture in the air settles. Also, moisture can penetrate through the ceiling and walls. These are ideal conditions for mold.
How does wood mold develop in the first place?
During production, the wood of your furniture is usually already treated to protect it from external influences. However, with the passage of time, the protective function quickly disappears, especially in extreme conditions. Hardwoods such as beech, oak or teak are much more resistant than other types of wood.
What is black mold
If the mold has developed from yellowing caused by moisture (usually black mold), you need to act fast! The consequences for human health can be considerable: among other things, mold can cause gastrointestinal problems, burning eyes, respiratory problems, joint pain and sudden allergies, as well as neurological disorders.
Also keep in mind that black mold causes lasting damage to the substance of the wood and can even completely break it down in a very short time.
The affected wooden elements can – in addition to the direct consequences for health that we have just described – be very dangerous if they are chairs or other furniture, which then no longer have the necessary stability; Of course, this is especially true in the case of pillars or other load-bearing timber.
Is mold on wood dangerous?
Mold growth on wood carries many of the same risks as mold growth on any other food source.
The spores fill the air in homes and are inhaled by residents, causing headaches, fatigue, allergies, asthmatic reactions, some forms of cancer, and even deadly infections.
However, in addition to these direct health risks from mold, mold on wood poses other risks.
If it gets far enough, mold growth can eat away at the building’s wooden skeleton to the point where it weakens and threatens the structural integrity of your home.
Surely you have seen more than one abandoned barn on the side of the road, with sloping roofs and moldy walls. In these cases, the structural wood is so infested with mold that it sags under its own weight.
The same thing can happen in your home if you’re not careful and quickly remove mold on wood.
How do you recognize mold on wood?
Mold on wood is very common, but it is also very often overlooked.
Most of the wood in homes is hidden in the walls (structural joists), so mold can grow for a long time before it is noticed. And even in clearly visible wood, black spots or veins can be mistaken for part of the wood grain.
All wood in the home should be inspected for mold, but unfortunately, with the increasing popularity of cheap particleboard furniture, many people are becoming complacent about the risk of mold growth.
Just because a piece of furniture isn’t «real wood» doesn’t mean it’s safe from mold. Chipboard is wood, simply wood that has been broken into small particles and glued back together.
Stains and residue
Small wood stains and wood residue on chipboard are just as susceptible to mold growth as real wood furniture. So do not neglect your chipboard furniture. Inspect it just like wood furniture for signs of mold.
One way to detect surface mold on wood is to photograph the same area several times over the course of a few weeks. If the dark or light streaks change in shape or size, it’s not just the grain: this wood is affected by mold.
Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to visually identify mold on the inside of walls (unless you want to break down your walls).
However, qualified mold companies use a variety of mold tests and techniques to find hidden mold.
Mold generates heat, so infrared scans on walls can reveal hidden mold.
Airborne mold spores can also be identified by measuring the air, and an experienced professional may be able to trace these spores back to their origin in the wall.
What kind of respiratory mask do I have to wear?
The mask you should use depends on the amount of mold you have to remove. For small amounts, respirators that only cover the mouth and nose are sufficient.
You can buy these masks at most grocery stores. However, if you have large amounts of mold to remove, you should wear a full-face respirator.
Also, if you have large amounts of mold to remove, you should bring clothing that you can throw away after cleaning, as spores can get trapped there as well.
Always take care when removing black mold and follow the tips above to be well equipped with your protective gear for removal.
Dangers of Burning Wood with Mold
Burning moldy wood is a health hazard for people who have allergies to mold or conditions such as asthma. Therefore, breathing in mold spores should be avoided.
However, mold can impair the combustion performance of the wood. If it’s wood that’s been in storage for a long time, the fungi have likely spread well.
You probably still have a lot of moisture in which mold has settled. In this case, the caloric value is greatly reduced because the wood has already decomposed a lot due to mold and perhaps also beetles. Here you will no longer be able to generate much heat energy.
Therefore, make sure that the wood is well stored from the beginning so that you can burn dry wood in your stove or fireplace without any health risk. If the mold only flourishes shortly after storage on the fresh wood, it is likely to disappear again when it is moved and the quality will not suffer further.
remove mold from wood
It can be difficult to remove a mold stain on wood when it is well embedded. It is hard but not impossible! Here are our tips for cleaning black mold stains from wood.
Removing a mold stain is not easy. It can quickly become a chore if you don’t have the right products.
It can be easily installed in damp rooms, in the joints of bathroom tiles, on walls, around a poorly insulated window, etc.
But mold also attacks wood, especially wooden furniture near a damp area or attached to a wall.
Here are our miracle recipes to remove a mold stain from wood.
Instructions: How to Properly Remove Mold From Wood
If you want to remove any other type of mold on wood or walls, here are the necessary steps:
Step 1: Wear protective clothing.
It is important to protect yourself when handling molds, as the spores are dangerous if inhaled or ingested.
When cleaning, be sure to wear safety glasses, a mask that covers the nose and mouth, and rubber gloves.
Step 2: Vacuum the area
Use a vacuum cleaner…