By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

The warm, wet weather of the past few months has created perfect conditions for encouraging mold.

Mold is everywhere. It is a type of fungus that grows from tiny spores that float in the air and land on surfaces.

Getting rid of surface mold is quite simple: Scrub mold from walls and wood trim with a mixture of 1 qt. water and 1/2 cup bleach. Use a soft brush and work until signs of the mold disappear. After scrubbing surfaces, simply allow the bleach solution to continue to penetrate the surfaces and dry.

Mold begins as tiny black spots in grout lines on tiled bathtubs or shower walls, and on decks and siding in damp and shady areas.

Surface mildew doesn’t damage structures if it hasn’t penetrated into the wood itself and can be removed.

High concentrations of mold cause a foul odor, such as in damp carpets, damp walls, and wet wood under floors. These require more extensive work, such as removing carpets, replacing sheetrock, sealing with protective paint, and drying the area with fans.

Contaminated material should be put in plastic bags for disposal.

In a bathroom, a mixture of ½-cup bleach, 1 quart of water, and a little detergent can be applied to scrub away the mold. It can be re-applied a second time if the first treatment doesn’t remove all the mold. Adding detergent makes it easier to rinse the mold away.

Wearing rubber gloves, goggles, and long-sleeved tops is recommended. Don’t mix ammonia with bleach because the mixture forms a poisonous gas.

Grout sealer can be applied to clean, dry surfaces to prevent mold from re-growing.

Many paints have a mildew-resistant additive to prevent return of mold to wood that has been cleaned of mold and dried.