What's the best way to remove mold in a small, hard to reach crawl space?

Question

In the house we are buying, the exhaust fan in the small attic crawl space hasn't worked in probably years. Moisture accumulated and mold grew. We need to replace the fan and I would like to try and clear out the existing mold. Can I just spray a bleach solution on it or does it need to be rubbed down to clear it out? It will be very hard to get to the spots that are affected because of the size, so it will probably be up to me because my husband is a tall guy.

Answer 1

spray a bleach solution on & use one of those extended reach bathroom scrubbers... mr clean bathroom reach or something like that, or just get an old fashioned deck brush... or hire a neighbor kid to crawl in there & do it... make sure to wear a respirator mask... those mold spores can be toxic!

Answer 2

Nothings New, everything goes in a circle and what is old will be new again. This idea was built into primitive eco homes of the early 1970's. Some homes were built so beneath the house, water was stored. In the Winter, a special heat exchanger similar to a heat pump, pumped the heat from under the house into the house to warm it, and froze the water under the house. In the summer, the heat exchanger pumped the cold from the ice into the house to cool it. If I remember correctly, back then, a regular air filter with an extremely small micron rating was used to filter the air coming into the house and since it was the age of the hippy, people put drops of incense oil on the filters. Don't know if the oil was to cover musty odors or just the thing to do at that time. I do remember people complaining about the cost of the filters though.

Answer 3

At least a ten percent solution of chlorine bleach and water will kill the mold. How to scrub the area is a problem you'll have to get help with locally since no one on line can see what the problem with the space is. Also, after scrubbing the area thoroughly with the bleach solution, let it dry. Then scrub it againg and let it dry again. Latly, scrub it with trisodiumphosphate, which can be bought in almost any paint store. Use about a cup per five gallons of water and scrub the area again with this. This will remove and residual mold spores and the bleach should have killed them.

Answer 4

Use one of those mildew removal liquid used for the bathroom tiles. Spray it on and the use water to flush away the molds. Should work if the molds are not too thick. But if you are replacing the fan, why not have the space cleared at the same time? Probably you get more access space.

Answer 5

Put bleach into a spray bottle or on a long stick with a small rag on the end.

If that does not work, contact your local hardware store for a chemical that kills mold. It should come with a spray applicator.

Be very careful use eye protection and if possible some rubber gloves.

Answer 6

The bleach will kill it.

If you reduce the moisture it will not recur.

I had the same situation but I also had to add a drain pipe because we had water coming up in rainy weather.

Answer 7

I would go for the bleach solution, you may have to scrub it it is not a flat surface.. ALSO baking soda is great to use as an AFTER bleaching, baking soda is slightly granular and does great as a scrubbing solution. NON TOXIC TOO.

Answer 8

Bleach solution prob won't penetrate beyond the surface, but I would try that first.

Answer 9

apply an alcohol ith piece of cotton

Answer 10

With long stick