Mold spores are a real concern in garages and garage doors since they can spread quickly if they are not taken care of in a timely manner. Ideally, as soon as you spot a mold spore, you should contact a licensed garage door business as they will have ready solutions for you. However, you can also take care of these mold spores yourself, making sure to take time to be thorough and careful since you want to remove all of them without leaving any behind.

One of the main reasons why mold spores form in the garage door or the garage itself is that they thrive in damp and humid conditions. Since garages are not usually well ventilated, can be made of porous materials – whether it is the garage door or the garage walls – and have dark areas that are not regularly inspected, conditions are ideal for mold spores to form and thrive. They can be difficult to spot as well which is why it cannot be said enough that once you spot a mold spore in your garage door or garage, look through each and every dark spot, crevice, garage door track, and porous container to eliminate every single mold spore in one go. It is important to identify here that if you are not familiar with mold spores and how to deal with them but do have a damp or humid garage, feel free to contact your trusted garage door professionals in Lawrenceville, GA, so that they can come over and inspect your garage for mold spores and offer a hasty and efficient solution to the problem.

Garage Doors Can Attract Mold

As mentioned above, since dark, humid, and damp places are conducive to mold spore formation, garage doors can be their hiding spots. This is truer for garage doors that are made of wood or any other porous material. Even if the spores did not originate from the garage door, walls surrounding the garage door that are made of concrete, plaster, wood, or drywall can also be hosts for mold spores and that can cause the door to become infected as well. With damp, rainy, and humid weather, the conditions align perfectly for mold spores to form and spread quickly. Therefore, when you decide to remove them on your own, you have to make sure to be thorough, and there are a few ways in which you can remove these by yourself.

How to Clean

A 4:1 water to bleach ratio is ideal for cleaning these mold spores. All you have to do is use a sponge or a brush for the job and this solution can effectively get rid of mold. If a spray bottle seems easier, you can spray this solution liberally on the spores and then clean those areas up. If you do not have bleach, you can also use vinegar and water to remove mold spores. Equal parts vinegar and water as a strong cleaning solution can get the job done just as well and vinegar can be a safer option since it does not need to be diluted as much as bleach. You can also use denatured alcohol which can be sprayed onto the mold or dabbed onto the affected areas.

It is essential to be safe when you undertake mold spore removal as a task yourself. Make sure to use safety gloves and also wear a respirator since the fumes can be strong. The garage door should be open during and after the job so that the area is well ventilated and it allows the fumes to disperse quickly. You want to be thorough with the mold spore removal since you do not want to come back a few days later to find that it has returned. Look at and around the garage door but also make sure to inspect all the walls and every corner in the garage. Once you are done with removing the spores and cleaning everything up, make sure to leave the garage door open so that it can get ventilated, and if you undertook this task in the winter, you can use a dehumidifier once the job is complete to properly air out the garage and get rid of any remaining moisture.

Removing the mold spores is not the end of the task. You have to make sure that you take necessary precautions and carry out maintenance regularly to make sure that you do not have mold spores in your garage door or garage. If your garage has materials that allow mold spores to thrive, you want to maintain those materials and you may also want to pay special attention to dehumidifying and ventilating the garage every so often. A dehumidifier can be great for this if you do not want to keep your garage door open frequently and for prolonged periods of time.

You will find maintenance a lot easier if your garage door and garage is made of non-porous materials, namely aluminum and vinyl. You will have to be very frequent and thorough with your maintenance if your walls are made of plaster and you have a wooden garage door.

Constantly check for leaks or seepage, especially when it rains. You do not want any water puddles forming that do not dry out quickly, and if any repairs are required, attend to them as soon as possible.

You want to avoid moisture so make sure to clean up any snow, water, or wetness that finds its way into your garage through the car tires, the radiator, or the vehicle itself.

If you have cardboard storage in your garage, replace it with plastic boxes so that you can reduce the chances of mold spores forming in those boxes.

Regular maintenance and upkeep can ensure that you stay mold spore free, and even if you do find spores in your garage, they can be easy and quick to deal with once they are detected early. This can save you a lot of time and trouble, along with costs of removal and repair.