Mold on your baseboards can be an indicator of larger problems behind and within the drywall, so it’s advisable to address mold issues before they become a serious matter. Mold is not only unsightly and damaging, but it also poses a significant health risk.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can keep your baseboards mold-free. Many of these tips are simple maintenance tasks that easily fit into your regular housekeeping routines.
Contents
- 1 Regularly inspect baseboards and walls for signs of mold
- 2 Keep humidity low to avoid mold on baseboards
- 3 Control the temperature to prevent mold growth
- 4 Immediately dry any damp areas near the baseboards to prevent mold
- 5 Be cautious with aquariums and mold growth
- 6 Ventilation helps prevent mold on baseboards
- 7 Use mold-resistant paint to prevent mold on baseboards
- 8 Keep your house clean to avoid moldy baseboards
- 9 Pay attention to your indoor plants to avoid mold
- 10 Fix leaks as soon as possible to prevent mold
- 11 Mold prevention on baseboards depends on maintenance
Regularly inspect baseboards and walls for signs of mold
Mold can be difficult and expensive to get rid of once it has taken hold, so a large part of preventing mold on baseboards is to check them frequently to ensure none is developing. The presence of even a small amount of mold can be a sign of larger problems looming, so if you find mold, it needs to be remediated immediately.
Here are some signs to watch for when inspecting your baseboards for mold:
- Discoloration on the baseboards or walls around areas that are damp or exposed to moisture
- A damp moldy smell
- Bubbling of paint, drywall, etc.
There are over a dozen common types of mold that can be found in water-damaged buildings and moist indoor spaces. Some of these molds – such as the infamous Stachybotrys or black mold – are highly dangerous to human health. (Source: Aerin Industries) They are particularly dangerous for children and people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients or people with HIV. Even completely healthy individuals can fall victim to severe organ infections from inhaling mold spores.
If you see a spot on the wall or baseboard that appears discolored, as if it could be contaminated with mold, a foolproof way to determine this is to take a cotton swab and bleach the area. If the area immediately lightens but turns darker again a few days later, you have a mold infestation.
This is an indication that the mold has re-entered the area you sterilized and suggests aggressive growth of mold in your wall or baseboard. Therefore, it should be treated before it gets worse.
It is also important to look behind large appliances when inspecting your baseboards and walls for mold. It’s easy to forget these hidden areas, both when inspecting your home and when cleaning. Since these areas attract both moisture and darkness, it’s important to regularly check them for mold.
Once you have inspected all of your baseboards and found no signs of mold, you can clean them thoroughly with a bleach solution to prevent future mold growth. However, if you do find signs of mold, you may need to consult a professional to have it removed.
Keep humidity low to avoid mold on baseboards
A major factor in mold growth on baseboards and walls is the ambient humidity – or the amount of moisture in the air. Even if you don’t have any leaks in a room that could affect the baseboards, high humidity alone can promote mold growth. This is especially true for households that use humidifiers or have aquariums.
Dehumidifiers should be used in areas of the house that tend to have high humidity, such as basements or rooms that contain aquariums or water features like fountains. A dehumidifier can help keep the humidity in the room lower, inhibiting the growth of mold and mildew. This is even more important in climates that are already hot and humid.
Control the temperature to prevent mold growth
Another way to prevent mold growth in your home is to keep the indoor temperature cool. Mold thrives best between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. (Source: Wet and Forget) Therefore, hot and humid indoor areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and basements are the biggest culprits when it comes to mold formation on baseboards and walls.
Keeping the air conditioning in your home set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit or lower can help reduce mold growth in your home (including on your baseboards). If you don’t have air conditioning, you will need to be more vigilant about mold growth during the summer months. This is especially true if you live in a climate that is hot and humid, such as the southeastern United States.
Immediately dry any damp areas near the baseboards to prevent mold
If you discover a leak (e.g., the water heater in the basement breaks or you have a broken aquarium) and end up pouring a lot of water at once onto the area near the baseboards, you need to take immediate action to mitigate the occurrence of mold. Mold can develop within 24 to 48 hours if an area is not adequately dried. (Source: Consumer Reports)
Even if it appears that all of the water has dried during a visual inspection, once water has penetrated into the plaster or flooring of a home, a significant amount of water damage may be hidden. In some cases, you may need to remove and replace carpets or subfloors to prevent mold growth beneath the floor or in the walls.
If your baseboards have been soaked in water for more than 48 hours, they should probably be pulled out and replaced, as wood is porous and even painted wood can absorb moisture and start to rot. Once the baseboards start to decay, mold will enter the walls and floor areas.
The biggest problem with ignoring a potential mold infestation is that with the speed at which mold grows, a small spot of it can spread completely across the inside of a wall or the back of a baseboard in a matter of weeks.
Drying a flooded basement or room can be done with industrial-grade fans, shop vacuums, and other tools, but if you don’t have access to such equipment, it may be a good idea to consult a professional for flood remediation. These professionals can quickly assess the damage caused by the water to your baseboards and determine what steps need to be taken to move forward and prevent further damage.
Be cautious with aquariums and mold growth
Aquariums are a beautiful centerpiece for any room, but they can inadvertently introduce mold to the baseboards of a room in various ways, such as:
- Increasing the ambient humidity of the room and keeping it consistently above 60% humidity. This increase in moisture is caused by the introduction of moisture into the air from the filters and ventilation systems of an aquarium.
- Introducing a potential source of water leaks. If check valves are not installed in an aquarium’s hose systems or if an aquarium develops a cracked seal, it can result in the aquarium pouring several gallons of water onto the floor at the bottom of the aquarium. Since aquariums are typically placed against a wall, this often affects the baseboards as well.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t have an aquarium in your home to avoid mold, but if you have an aquarium, it’s a good idea to install dehumidifiers in the room where the aquariums are located. Additionally, make sure all aquarium hoses are equipped with check valves to prevent water from being accidentally sucked back out of the tank in case of a pump failure.
Ventilation helps prevent mold on baseboards
You should not only keep the rooms of your house dry and cool to prevent mold growth, but also ensure they have fresh air circulation. Good circulation and airflow can significantly reduce the likelihood of mold growth in your living spaces, as mold prefers to grow in stagnant areas with little ventilation.
In addition to installing fans and other devices to keep the air moving in a mold-prone room, you should also make sure that all furniture and appliances are far enough from the wall to allow for adequate airflow behind them. Without this airflow, there is a much greater chance of mold formation, especially since these areas are also more likely to be dark and damp.
Use mold-resistant paint to prevent mold on baseboards
Mold-resistant paint is a great way to prevent mold from growing on your baseboards in the first place. By painting your baseboards with mold-resistant paint, you effectively construct a barrier that prevents mold from growing on your baseboards and spreading throughout the floor to the walls through the baseboards, even if they get wet.
There are also primers that contain fungicidal chemicals that can not only prevent the formation of new mold but can also effectively kill any existing mold, even if it’s not visible to the naked eye.
Keep in mind that you should thoroughly sterilize your baseboards with a mold-resistant paint before applying the mold-resistant paint and allow them to fully dry before painting. Mold-resistant additives can also be added to conventional paints to give them fungicidal properties.
Mold-resistant paints are particularly well-suited for use on baseboards in areas of the house that are prone to excessive moisture, such as bathrooms or basements. By incorporating a protective buffer against mold into the paint itself, you’ll have much less to worry about.
Here are some of the mold-resistant paints and primers currently available on the market:
- Rustoleum Mold Killing Primer
- Paint Guard Mold Prevention Paint Additive
- Zinsser Mold and Mildew Interior Paint
- Kilz Mildew Resistant Finish
- Mildewcide Mildew Preventing Additive
Painting your baseboards with mold-resistant paint is one of the best ways to prevent the growth of mold and mildew before it even starts.
Keep your house clean to avoid moldy baseboards
This may seem like one of the more obvious tips on this list, but a big part of preventing mold on your baseboards is ensuring they stay clean! A buildup of dirt on the baseboards and walls can eventually cause them to peel and leave vulnerable areas for mold to develop and grow.
All baseboards in your home should be scrubbed with bleach two to three times a year. Some good times to do this are during spring cleaning and winterizing your home before the holidays. This not only avoids your baseboards becoming infested with mold, but also keeps your home clean throughout the year!
Other ways to keep your home clean and avoid mold include regularly changing air filters and regularly vacuuming carpets with an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. (Source: National Allergy) These vacuum cleaners help capture and remove mold spores that could otherwise settle somewhere.
Pay attention to your indoor plants to avoid mold
While they can help keep the air in your home fresh, indoor plants can also be a source of mold. They not only introduce moisture into the environment (and the risk of leaks) by requiring regular watering, but they are also typically held in potting soil that is designed to promote the growth of microbes and fungal colonies.
These colonies – which are beneficial to the plants – can sometimes spread beyond the pot, so it’s important to care for your indoor plants properly to avoid problems.
Here are some tips to prevent your indoor plants from contributing to mold growth on your walls and baseboards:
- Change the soil. Be careful when repotting as it can stress the plant if done incorrectly, but old soil should be regularly removed and new soil added to prevent the accumulation of fungi in your indoor plants’ substrate.
- Opt for soilless indoor plant systems. Many indoor plants, such as pothos vines, can be grown in just a vase of water, reducing the need for mold-prone soil. Some plants grow without a soil substrate altogether, such as orchids and air plants.
- Remove any dead or dying leaves. Mold is attracted to decomposing plant material and can settle on leaves where it can transfer spores to nearby areas if left undisturbed. Check your indoor plants once a week and remove dead leaves or any signs of decay to avoid mold infestation.
- Do not use a humidifier for your plants. If you have indoor plants that require a lot of moisture, you may be tempted to install a humidifier to keep them comfortable. However, this can introduce mold-loving moisture into the ambient air. Instead, mist the plants with a spray bottle to keep them moist and reduce the amount of excess moisture in the room.
- Water plants outdoors and allow them to fully drain before bringing them back inside. Many indoor plant-related links result from the pot overflowing with excess water when overwatered. By watering indoor plants outdoors and letting them soak up some sun before bringing them back in, you can remove excess moisture that you would otherwise be bringing back inside with them.
If you’re concerned that indoor plants may contribute to mold growth on your baseboards due to additional moisture or soil fungi, you could always choose plants that thrive with an absolute minimum of water, such as cacti.
Fix leaks as soon as possible to prevent mold
When people realize they have a leak in their basement or that condensation is forming in an area of the house, fixing these areas can fall by the wayside. Sometimes people postpone these repairs because the problem only occurs at certain times (e.g., basement flooding during heavy rains) or because the problem is only intermittently apparent.
However, the leak must be professionally diagnosed and repaired as soon as it is discovered or suspected. Otherwise, the leak can worsen to the point where a pipe bursts or you start to see water leaking out of a ceiling or wall.
While it may be tempting to postpone repairing a leak in the house until you have some money set aside for it, instead, set aside money for urgent household repairs like these. Mold grows so quickly that even a delay of just one or two days can have lasting negative consequences.
Mold prevention on baseboards depends on maintenance
While mold is a common problem in some areas of the house, it doesn’t have to be. There are many methods and materials available to homeowners to help them prevent mold, mildew, and other dangerous contaminants in their living spaces. Simply keeping the space sterile, dry, and cool can go a long way in inhibiting mold growth in the home.
Some smaller cases of mold can be cleaned and remediated at home with a thorough scrubbing and some bleach. However, the problem is that a few signs of mold on the baseboards of the house can indicate more serious problems behind the walls. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to seek the opinion of an expert if you believe your mold problem may be larger than you can handle on your own.