Mold Growth on Windowsill and Blinds

Mold growth will ruin the pristine look of your windowsill and blinds.

Mold is a type of fungus that survives off organic matter such as dead leaves, rotten fruit or dying plants. Mold can begin to grow on and decay surfaces in your home, including your windowsill and blinds, which are habitable for mold if they are dusty and if there is high moisture content in your home. Prevent mold from growing, and clean it as soon as you notice growth.

Mold Growth

Microscopic mold spores are constantly floating through the air in and outside your home. When these spores land on a surface that has both water and a nutrition source, they will settle and begin to reproduce. This forms visible mold growth. Windowsills and blinds that have a lot of dust on them are prime spots for mold growth. When mold spores settle on blinds and windowsills, it can reproduce fast enough to form visible growth within 24 hours.

Prevention

There is nothing you can do to completely remove mold spores from your home, but you can limit the amount of spores by using an air filter. This will cut down on spore count and help prevent excessive mold growth on windowsills and blinds. Also, lower your home's moisture content, as humid homes will have more mold growth than a home with less moisture. Lower relative humidity by using ventilation fans in your bathroom and laundry room. Install a dehumidifier if your home continues to be very humid. Lower blinds whenever they get wet to help them dry out completely, and always dry windowsills whenever you notice excess moisture. Dust windowsills and blinds to remove the mold's nutrition source.

Windowsill Mold Removal

Remove mold as soon as you notice it. Once mold growth becomes visible, it will grow very rapidly and eventually cover your entire windowsill. Remove the mold by spraying the growth with a mold-killing cleaning solution. Let the solution sit for several minutes, and scrub it from the windowsill until it is gone. Use a soft-bristled brush so you don't scratch the paint off the windowsill, and rinse with water and dry it completely. If you don't dry properly, more mold will grow there. Mold-killing solutions can contain bleach, white vinegar, alcohol or a number of other cleaning solutions.

Blind Mold Removal

Removing mold from blinds will generally take more time than cleaning windowsills. If you only have a few spots on the blinds, spot-clean the mold growth in the same way and with the same cleaning solution you used to clean the windowsill. If the mold growth is excessive, lower the blinds to remove them. Spread the blinds out in a bathtub, and spray them with the bleach-killing cleaning solution. Scrub the mold growth until it is gone, but use a soft-bristled brush if the blinds are made of wood. Use care not to soak the blinds if they are made of wood as excess liquid can warp and dry out wood. Rinse the blinds, and let them dry completely before reinstalling them.

References

• Environmental Protection Agency: Mold Resources
• Black Mold Information Center: Health Risks From Toxic Mold
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Mold -- General Information