Can Mold Be Removed from Sheetrock?

If mold is present in your home and there are mold spores floating about they can land on the paper face on your drywall.

Before you know it the mold can multiply and start spreading across the whole wall and even into the wall cavity where it will start to feed on the wood framing and flooring. 

Luckily drywall/ Sheetrock mold scenarios can be easily handled. It is usually possible to remove mold on drywall that is under 10 square feet. If you have a larger infestation you may require a pro.

Can mold be removed from Sheetrock

You can get rid of smaller infestations of mold on Sheetrock and drywall.

Mold needs moisture, adequate temperatures and a food source to survive, so when you are tackling any mold infestation you can start by taking away one or more of these factors to make it more difficult for the mold to survive. 

That being said, do be aware that this may not work for every type of mold, as there are many types of mold, and some types of mold even have multiple species, some of which are a little more resistant to environmental changes than others. While some may die the minute you take away one of their resources, others may not budge.

The first step to tackling any mold infestation is to know exactly what kind of mold you are dealing with. If you know its name, you can know its weaknesses and when you know how it survives you can get rid of it forever. 

How do you get rid of mold and mildew on drywall?

The first step to getting rid of mold and mildew in your home is to stop the source of moisture. Every living creature needs moisture in some shape or form in order to survive. Mold is no different to in this regard. 

So, before you start removing the mold from your drywall, you need to stop the source of the moisture, whether it is a leaky window, or a pipe, if it is a roofing issue, or water vapor weeping through a concrete floor, you will have to fix the issue. If you do not then mold will start growing again immediately after it is removed.

Next, you need to gather your drywall mold removal gear. When you remove mold you will without-a-doubt stir up spores, and they will become airborne.

You need to wear protective gear, long sleeves, long pants, rubber gloves, a respirator mask, and safety glasses, perhaps a hood as well if you have long hair as you do not want mold spores getting in there. 

You will also need to decide if you are going to try and save the wall, or just scrap the whole thing. Sometimes removing the whole thing is a more effective long term solution than the alternative.

If the wall is soft then moisture and mold has taken its toll and the structural integrity is just non-existent at this point. 

You need to remove surface mold from the drywall first if you are going to attempt to make it safe. You will want to vacuum the whole area with a HEPA-equipped vacuum and a brush adjustment to ensure you break up the spores and remove as much as you can.

Then kill it with a mold-murdering product such as concrobium mold control, a 2:1:1 ratio of baking soda, water and white vinegar or other items. You then need to dry the wall off for 24 hours and then cover the stains as there will be discoloration present. 

Should you remove drywall with mold?

Generally removing mold from drywall is doable, but only if the mold is new and there is not much. Otherwise, it's a lost cause and most of the time mold cannot be completely removed from drywall, no matter how hard you try.

You can always give it a go, but it will keep coming back, like that aunt you don’t like, coming over every holiday season. 

If the mold does not go away with the usual mold killer techniques, it's time to just get rid of the whole thing.

You need to remove and replace the whole drywall, this also must be done with great care because cutting moldy drywall will release mold spores to become airborne and spread which would just defeat the whole purpose really. 

If the mold covers any area that is more than 10 square feet then a professional remediation company should be hired to remove the mold.

If it is a smaller job, and you plan to do it yourself then you should speak to a doctor first and ensure you do not have any underlying health conditions that could be impacted by doing so. 

Some molds are more dangerous to those who have vulnerable immune systems, take care of yourself first, then take care of your walls.