How do you get mold out of sheet rock in a pantry?
Question:Just saw a question that was partially answered..My husband wants to tear out the whole pantry wall since he says you can NEVER be sure we got all the mold..Any suggestions besides clorox and water? Reason I'm leary about clorox and water is on the other side ot the wall is our hotwater heater in a closet .The last thing i want to do is blow up the house trying to stop the mold on the other side in the pantry from growing..from heaven only knows where..
Answers:
Hubby is right...the only best way is to replace the drywall (sheet rock)...Clorox and water is useless...the water permeates the drywall and leaves more moisture for the deeper mold to thrive on. The wall abuts the water heater and you have doubts about the source of your mold?? Have the water heater and its drainage and especially its venting systems thoroughly inspected and serviced...or replaced if necessary...it may very well be the source of excess moisture that is promoting the mold.
Hate to say it but Hubby's right. The wall has to go! Not worth taking chances with your health for a piece of Sheetrock.
Your husband is most likely correct. Bleach is the only thing I have heard of. sounds like the mold is possibly from a pipe inside that wall. Go ahead and remove the sheet rock, test and repair/replace any pipes and put up the kind of sheet rock that is mold resistant instead.
If your talking about alot of mold, your husband is right the drywall will have to be replaced. It is hard to stop mold from coming back without replacing it .
I do hope you have solved the problem which caused the mold in the first place before putting up new drywall.
Wash with TSP, get it at home centers, and then bleach, prime with Kilz. Paint with paint of your choice. No need to rip out drywall, but you do need a dehumidifier.
Unless you are sensitive to mold, it does not harm you. You breath mold with every breath you take outside a clean room for computer chip manufacturing or an operating room. It doesn't hurt anything unless you are sensitive or in extreme amounts which your pantry cannot produce.
I would tear it out, once it is in a porous material like sheet rock your not going to be able to get it out. You can scrub on the surface but it will still be in the sheet rock. Tear it out make sure you got all the mold and use vapour barrier (heavy plastic) on any wall that is also a outdoor wall to prevent moisture from getting through.
Bleach is the answer (the best would be sheet rock replacement). In either case you must find out why the moisture necessary for mold growth is present and rectify that problem or mold will only reappear. Venting (louvers in the door) can be added relatively inexpensively. You may need a small fan to forcibly move the air as well. You said the water heater is next door, could this be a source of the water (moisture). Have your husband check for small, slow leaks in the heater and the associated plumbing pipes.
Bleach produces chlorine gas which is poisonous and corrosive in large amounts. Your use in this case will not release enough to cause any harm though to be safe open a window while you work to provide some fresh air. Chlorine gas is non flammable nor is it explosive so the water heater poses no threat in that regard.
you can turn off the water heater? thats about the only solution.
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