On the North side of my home, black and green mold seem to have found a place to thrive. Even at the apex of the sun’s travel marking Summer, very little sunshine strikes the house walls and the adjoining stamped concrete patio. The siding is cedar claps painted with Benjamin Moore good quality latex exterior.. care is taken to clean the surfaces well before a repaint.. there are French Doors vinyl clad with 5/4 pine trim painted with latex trim semi-gloss paint. Where ever the sun does not shine, there is mold.. on the siding, on the door trim and on the patio and steps up to the doors. The calking between the steps and the trim for the door is especially green. I wash these areas with a mix of bleach and soap and have tried a spray for mold made for showers which “should not be used for painted surfaces”. I can get rid of the mold, but it comes back far too quickly. I’d appreciate any advice to help kill the mold off for extended periods. We live in NH and the Summers are not all that hot and rain fall is average.. except for this year!!!
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Source control, ventilation, and filtration are the keys to healthy indoor air quality. Dehumidification is important too.
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
I've heard of mixing bleach and TSP 50/50, but haven't tried it myself--and TSP is hard to get now (don't know if TSP substitute would work the same). When you repaint, there are mildewcides you can mix into the paint that may help, but it's hard to fight Mother Nature! You might ask at a good paint store to see what they recommend.
here in NC we use Clorox Outdoor from HD or Lowes. it's a mixture of bleach and other stuff, made for this sort of thing. just spray it on a wet surface with a pump garden type sprayer, no pressure washer needed- and maybe NOT recommended- let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it off. use a brush on the more stubborn spots. we have vinyl siding (i hate it, but it came with the house) so you might want to test a spot first.
m