Black spots of mold can appear on various surfaces in the apartment, including windows. You can deal with it by using home cleaning methods or industrial products specifically designed to combat mold. Under no circumstances should you delay with such processing. The longer mold remains on the surface, the more negative impact it will have on the health of household members. In addition, by corroding walls, plastic, wood and other materials, mold fungus penetrates deeper into the surface. It may be necessary to carry out major repairs to completely get rid of this problem. The walls will need to be completely exposed, cleaned and treated with an antiseptic.
Common causes of mold
Signs of mold are visible to the naked eye. There are many reasons for the appearance of dots and stains on plastic. Let's look at the most common ones:
- Air exchange is disrupted, poor ventilation. The windows, made of wood, had natural gaps. Due to this, air circulation was carried out. Regardless of ventilation. The humidity in the room was normal. The accumulation of vapors in the air leads to increased humidity. Plastic windows prevent oxygen circulation. They close tightly. The drafts have disappeared. Consequently, the humidity level became higher.
- The advantage of plastic is its tightness. It is one of the conditions conducive to the rapid spread of the fungus. Namely, heat and humidity are the two main factors. They are the ones who contribute to its appearance.
Attention! Plastic windows stop natural air exchange. Their incorrect installation contributes to the accumulation of condensation on slopes, window sills, and frames.
Prevention measures
Only careful adherence to certain rules will help avoid mold. Prevention consists of several main points:
- Proper organization of basic household chores. To prevent the formation of condensation on those windows that are installed in the kitchen, you need to turn on the hood during cooking and cover all pots with lids of suitable diameter. Otherwise, you need to open the window. It is strictly forbidden to place a large number of indoor flowers on the windowsills, as well as to dry wet laundry directly in the rooms.
- Regular ventilation. It is necessary to organize good circulation of fresh air at least 2 times a day for 15 minutes. At this time, all interior doors must be open. It is advisable to purchase a high-quality hygrometer to measure the humidity level in rooms. The obtained figures should be within 50-60%.
- Application of an ozonizer. This is not a necessary device in the house, but if it is available, then it should be used. The versatility of this unit allows you to clean the house not only of mold, but also of dust mites and microbes. The compact device is installed on the windowsill and turned on at full power. After a few days, you can set the minimum mode.
- It is necessary to use curtains made from natural fabrics. Humid air simply freezes between the synthetic curtain and the window. Light curtains made of high-quality fabric are most suitable. If at the moment it is not possible to replace artificial curtains with better products, then you need to move them to the side during daylight hours and open the window slightly.
- Use of universal odor absorbers. Many manufacturers produce industrial sorbents, which are compact boxes and balls. They must be placed on window sills.
The condition of the windows cannot be ignored. Increased demands are placed on moisture resistance and thermal insulation. At least twice a year it is necessary to check the quality of the seals and, if necessary, replace them. In spring and autumn, preventive treatment of hazardous areas is carried out with universal compounds with fungicides. When carrying out renovation work again, it is best to use mold protection products and organize high-quality waterproofing.
Unobstructed air circulation
How and with what to eliminate mold on the slopes of PVC windows
The very first question that arises in your head is: how and with what to get rid of mold forever? There is a wide range of products on the shelves of construction stores. But special means are needed to combat mold on windows. Worth paying attention:
- for anti-fungal solution;
- detergents with bleach (Sanox gel);
- antifungal sprays.
Important! When working with household detergents or chemicals, use personal protective equipment. Gloves and a respirator will protect the skin and respiratory tract from the harmful effects of volatile substances on the human body.
If the case is advanced, it is necessary to replace the window slopes. Mold spores are harmful to humans.
Fungus on windows: how to fight at home
There are other ways to destroy mold around windows on sills.
When a colony of microorganisms forms on individual objects, they are removed from the living space. In building mixtures, primers, etc. add antifungal solutions and antiseptics.
When mold forms in tile joints, sometimes the grout is removed, or the areas affected by fungi are treated with special compounds. If you don’t have such drugs at hand, use the products that are in every home.
Black spots on a non-porous surface, which is a slope, are eliminated with an effective “Whiteness”, or a substance with vinegar, borax or ammonia. Hydrogen peroxide is applied to the damaged base, and after 20 minutes the treated area is washed with clean water. Baking soda is a highly effective antimicrobial agent.
Rules to prevent mold growth
To prevent mold, there are several important rules you need to follow. Do not block ventilation openings in the kitchen and bedrooms. Closing them leads to disruption of air exchange. Do not place furniture close to the wall.
Periodically check the condition of plastic windows. Serviceability of fittings. Replace tires if necessary. Check the slopes for cracks. It is better to fix any damage immediately.
Do not fill the windowsill with indoor flowers. They cause increased humidity. And humidity is the best environment for fungus to appear. Do not keep interior doors closed. The air temperature in the house should be uniform. Therefore, the humidity level will be even. Do not dry washed clothes in a small room.
Why does mold appear?
Mold is a colony of microscopic fungi that are constantly adjacent to us, but with a good microclimate in the house they do not multiply so intensively, and we simply do not notice them. When favorable conditions are created, the fungus forms numerous colonies that look like a black dusty coating. It is impossible to get rid of the fungus completely, so you need to create conditions in which it will feel uncomfortable.
The first factor that favors the growth of mold is high humidity. Fungus will not grow in a dry, well-ventilated area. For a mold colony to develop, a humidity level of 60% or higher is required. The higher this indicator, the more actively the fungal colonies develop. It is well known that in damp houses, mold on windows, walls and ceilings is a common occurrence.
The second condition necessary for the intensive development of the fungus is temperature. Mold can grow in a fairly wide temperature range - from +15 to +38 °C, but the most comfortable conditions for it are approximately +22..+28 °C.
In the summer season, mold rarely bothers home owners - the humidity is low, the temperature is high, plus circulating drafts additionally ventilate all surfaces. In winter, with the onset of the heating season, it would seem that the radiators dry out the air. But in places where cold and warm flows come into contact, condensation often forms, which becomes a favorable environment for the development of mold on windows and slopes. In addition, in winter the room is ventilated much less often than in summer. In this case, the high tightness of plastic windows has negative consequences.
Preventive actions
It is easier to prevent the appearance of mold than to fight it later. To achieve this, a number of preventive measures should be taken. First of all, monitor the temperature. The air temperature should not exceed +22 C.
In the kitchen, use a hood when preparing food. If it is missing, open the window. The bathroom is exposed to mold. It is worth taking care of a good hood. Be sure to ventilate your apartment or house during the day.
In winter, it is worth abandoning thick curtains, which make it difficult for warm air to enter. This creates condensation.
Traditional methods
Let's consider traditional methods in the fight against mold. Every housewife has 9% table vinegar in her kitchen. Without diluting it, it must be applied to the affected area by spraying. After 60 minutes, rinse with water.
Baking soda is harmless to humans. Prepare a solution of 4 tablespoons of baking soda per 1 liter of water. Wash the windows with the mixture. Do not wash off the composition. Another recipe. Dilute the soda to the consistency of porridge. Apply the mixture to the surface. Then spray hydrogen peroxide. The substances will enter into a chemical reaction. After the reaction is complete, the mixture is removed with a soft cloth. You should not use this method for plastic frames in wood colors.
Window care
Mold may not manifest itself for a long time and remain dormant, waiting for ideal conditions to develop. For example, fungus can hide in hard-to-reach window parts, for example, in the window lock cavity, under insulation, on hinges. These places need to be washed especially thoroughly, dried and treated with antifungal substances.
If the window was installed a long time ago, then spores may be hiding under the window sill, under the slopes, and sometimes mold successfully develops there and eventually comes to the surface. Such extensive lesions must be dealt with using radical methods:
- completely disassemble the structure of the slopes, remove the window sill;
- if mold has penetrated deeply into the thickness of the material, then the structures cannot be restored and are destroyed;
- It may require stripping down to brick or concrete slabs;
- everything is treated with a primer and anti-mold solution;
- plaster is applied;
- For better thermal insulation, experts recommend installing sandwich structures.
IMPORTANT! Plastic windows, installed in compliance with all requirements, rules, and with proper care, reduce the likelihood of mold to a minimum.
How to get rid of it: effective methods
You can and should get rid of mold on windows. On the one hand, this is simple, but on the other, it’s not so simple if the windows are installed incorrectly. You can simply treat the surfaces with special compounds, but this will not help, and even if it helps, it will not last long. In this case, solving the problem needs to be approached comprehensively.
Mold. Fungus. Window. An easy way to remove mold from windows
Watch this video on YouTube
Surface preparation
The first step is to assess how serious the problem is. As a rule, mold first appears on slopes that will have to be dismantled. Often slopes are made of plasterboard, which is not moisture resistant. Therefore, the mold has become deeply embedded in the slopes and no treatment will help. If the slopes are made of cement mortar, then you can simply remove the top ball, after which they will need to be plastered again, but before that you will have to disinfect them.
After dismantling the slopes, you need to remove all the mold that may have remained on the frame of the plastic window and on the slope. After this, bleach is diluted with water in a concentration of 5:1 and the contaminated surfaces are wiped. If you don't have bleach, you can use bleach, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. It is advisable that the room be ventilated after this.
Processing agents
Fungicides are substances that have a detrimental effect on mold, stopping its proliferation. They can be purchased at hardware stores. Before purchasing, it is better to ask how toxic the product is if used indoors.
Often the products are sold in convenient packaging with spray bottles. And so, mold remedies:
- Dufa.
- Vincent's Polyline.
- Tex.
- White.
- Domestos.
It is not recommended to treat glass and plastic with aggressive compounds, since as a result of their action yellowness may appear on the plastic. In such cases, it is better to use products such as Mellrud, Tilex, HG, Neomid, Biotsid.
Effective anti-mold products can be prepared using cheap ingredients yourself. For example:
- Take 200 ml of vinegar essence, boric acid and 1 liter of water. Using a brush, this product is applied to the affected areas.
- Take 100 g of copper sulfate and bleach, which are diluted in 1 liter of water.
- Take 1 teaspoon of tea tree (essential oil) or grapefruit seeds and dilute it in a glass of water.
Further actions
After treating the surfaces, they must dry well, after which they begin to arrange the window. To do this, all voids are filled with polyurethane foam. To prevent moisture from penetrating into the room from the street, the window must be well waterproofed using rubber-based compounds. After this, you can begin installing the slopes. If the slopes were made of plasterboard, especially ordinary plasterboard, then now you will have to use moisture-resistant plasterboard. If the slopes were sealed with mortar, then they are also sealed with the same mortar.
