When it comes to the outdoor space of our home, we often forget how quickly black mold can show up. Mold spores are in the air outside just as they are in the air inside your home. Keep in mind that all mold spores are looking for is a nice moist and damp area to settle into. Also keep in mind, that it does not take black mold very long to grow in any moisture. Seeing black mold settle on your outdoor patio deck, pool deck, or even your fire pit can be troubling. How to get rid of black mold on pool deck? Scrub brush, bleach, water, pressure washer, and vacuum are all needed. The solution will do most of the work.
Let’s take a look below at the step-by-step process and what’s involved.
What Am I Looking At
Unfortunately, you are looking at black mold on your swimming pool patio. What is black mold? It is the most common mold spore present in the air. When there is moisture in or around an area, the mold spores will settle and begin to breed in the high moisture areas of your home. In this case, the pool patio.
What Are My Steps
Just like all projects when it comes to homeownership, there is always a recommended step-by-step process to get rid of black mold on the pool deck. Let’s take a look at what we should be doing to ensure mold and mildew are removed from our swimming pool patio.
- Clear the patio – remove all furniture, grill, pots, and any other items on the patio. Create your solution mixture by adding 1 cup of oxygen bleach to 5 gallons of water. Oxygen bleach is recommended to reduce damage to your surrounding environment.
- Start scrubbing – use your scrub brush to begin spreading the oxygen bleach solution around the patio. Make sure to cover the entire patio. You may be forced to scrub extra hard on the areas that are shaded or typically have water puddles.
- Pressure wash – now that the dirt, mold, and mildew is loosened, you can pressure wash it out of the screen enclosure doors. If there is no enclosure, then you can pressure wash it right off the patio.
- Rinse – use your garden hose and rinse-off the pool patio. If you have areas on the patio that collect water due to lack of drainage, remove the water with a squeegee. You want the pool patio to dry as fast as possible. Let the patio dry for a full day to ensure all of the moisture is dried.
- Vacuum – use your shop vac and suck up all of the excess debris and dust that might be present. Now you can apply a waterproof sealant. Use a sealant that also contains a fungicide. Also, having the fungicide allows the concrete patio to resist mold and mildew regrowth.
- Seal – time to roll the sealant across the deck with a paint roller brush. Be careful as you spread the sealant to make sure it covers the areas that you want sealed. Also, edges should be done carefully and not with a roller brush. Then, allow the sealant 48 hours to dry and reapply the sealant as needed throughout the year.
How Can I Prevent This
The best way to prevent any further mold from growing on your pool patio is to seal the patio. You can do this with a concrete sealer after you have scrubbed and pressure washed the patio. The water sealer gets into the pores of your concrete patio. Since the sealer is soaking into the porous concrete, the patio remains less slippery.
Another option is to keep your patio furniture clean. The more outdoor items remain clean and free from debris the easier it is to keep the concrete patio free of mildew and mold. Also, the best part about sealing your furniture and pool patio deck is that dirt will not get into the pores of the concrete and it becomes easier to clean regularly.
Other Recommended Maintenance
Once you have figured out the best way to clean black mold off of your pool deck, this could be a good time to also determine at what point swimming in a green pool can be bad. Oftentimes, homeowners are not very careful around their pool and when pressure washing, have been known to just wash everything into the pool. This could immediately cause a chemical imbalance and create a green pool look.
Next, consider researching what black mold is and how it actually grows. The pool patio might not be the only location to have black mold growing. Black mold spores are airborne and can fall onto the surfaces of your home. Black mold is the most common mold spore to present itself. Also, keep in mind that any high moisture or damp area of your home can attract these mold spores.
Lastly, consider getting a swimming pool inspection. Believe it or not, most homeowners do little to nothing with regard to their pool, unless something breaks down. This is probably not the best approach as you can often have fittings leak and equipment for your pool break down without knowing it.
When Do I Call A Professional
Whenever you see any type of mold or mildew growing on your swimming pool patio, you should immediately clean it. If you have concerns about health issues that might arise as you disturb the area of black mold, then reach out to a professional handyman.
Your local professional handyman can come out and properly remove and clean your patio in a safe manner and get rid of black mold on your pool deck. Additionally, if you aren’t sure who to call, reach out to your local home inspection team. They can inspect your home for mold and refer a reputable mold remediation company or professional handyman at the conclusion of the inspection.
Conclusion
If you are looking to avoid seeing black mold and mildew grow on your swimming pool patio, you should keep it as dry as possible. During certain times of the year, this could be increasingly difficult. Also having the sealant applied to the concrete patio properly, could assist with keeping the mold away.
Once you begin to notice a build-up of black mold on your swimming pool patio, it might be a good idea to call your local home inspection team. They can conduct a full home inspection to ensure that black mold spores haven’t settled in other parts of your home. Call on All Coast Home Inspections for a home inspection in Houston, TX.
