To Bleach or Not to Bleach? | Video

Amy Fox | 6/25/2012

If you`re trying to move back into your home after rebuilding from the flood, you have one more thing to look for: mold. It comes in a variety of colors and can form on almost any surface. With all of the moisture left over from last year`s flood, it`s still an issue throughout Minot.

Experts say the best way to get rid of the fungus is completely gutting out a home. Once all of the mold-infested materials have been removed, you can use a disinfectant, like Clorox, to kill the mold.

But, if it`s not treated correctly, it will come back.

As NDSU Extension Agent in Ward County Lori Scharmer explained, cleaning up mold is a lengthy process. "The mold needs to be physically removed. It needs to be washed away, scrubbed away. It needs to be removed. We can`t just spray a disinfectant on mold to kill it and it will be fine because even then, it can come back. It can cause health issues, so the mold itself needs to be scrubbed and cleaned away. Once the mold is removed from the surface, then you can come back in and sanitize it."

Scharmer said drying out the mold-infected surface is the key to getting rid of all the fungus. If the surface is not completely dried out, the mold will come back.

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