Mold can be dangerous and hard to detect and remove.
If you live in a humid environment, a home vulnerable to flooding, or an older home that was not renovated in the past 10 years, it is likely that mold will be growing and spreading in your basement. The purpose of mold in nature is to help dead leaves, plants, and trees decompose--but when mold gets into the home, it begins to slowly wear down the structure in the same way. Sensitivities to mold, allergies, and chronic lung diseases are among the serious health reasons to remove mold from your house as soon as possible. Mold removal doesn't necessarily have to be a budget-breaker.
Background
Mold enters the home as a spore, which can be taken up by the wind and travel long distances. As soon as that mold interacts with moisture, it will begin to grow and digest. Mold spores that dry will become active again the moment they come into contact with moisture and can grow on most surfaces, including wood, tile, wallpaper, paint, sheetrock, carpet, and insulation. The cost of removal will depend entirely on where the mold is growing and whether that surface can be cleaned or must be replaced.
Professional Help
The Centers for Disease Control recommend that if mold covers an area greater than 10 square feet in the basement, homeowners should call a professional to help remove it properly, especially if it has been contaminated by sewage or is hidden in dangerous spots. The typical cost for professional removal as of April 2010 was anywhere from $500 to $4,000 for crawl spaces, $2,000 to $6,000 for ducts, crawl spaces, walls, and attics, and $10,000 to $30,000 for advanced structural damage.
Do it Yourself
Do-it-yourselfers removing mold should wear protective gear, including goggles, gloves, and a protective cotton face mask. If the person cleaning the mold or his family members are highly sensitive to mold, it is important to wear an OSHA-approved N95 mask. Protective gear, as of April 2010, costs around $20. The cleaning solution for mold is a mix of laundry detergent and lukewarm water; detergent generally costs approximately: $15 for 50 oz. A second solution of bleach and water once the detergent has dried is optional, with 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water. Bleach costs about $3 to $5 for 60 oz.
Advanced Removal
Furniture items damaged by mold likely must be thrown out and replaced. Painting over mold will not work and will eventually crack and peel through. Things to remove as quickly as possible include all porous items: carpets, carpet padding, upholstery, wallpaper, drywall, floor and ceiling tiles, and insulation material. The average cost of replacing carpeting as of April 2010 was $97 installation, $1.50 per square foot of carpet. Replacing wallpaper cost $20 for 56 square feet; replacing drywall cost $2 to $20 for small holes, 25 cents to 65 cents per square foot for materials and 85 cents per square foot for service. Other replacement costs were $3 to $5 per square foot of tile and $1.50 per square foot of insulation.
Prevention
Homeowners may have to patch leaks, use exhaust fans, and improve the ventilation to keep mold from returning to the basement. The average cost of patching up leaks in walls or roofs as of April 2010 was $2 to $3 per square foot; the cost of exhaust fans was $100 to $200 depending on size; and the cost of improving ventilation systems in the home was $40 to $50 per vent.
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