Mold can appear anywhere there’s sustained moisture and can remain hidden easily. When you discover a patch of mold, don’t panic, but do get to work pretty quickly. Mold can spread and can be dangerous to anyone with a weak immune system like children or the elderly.

Even if you do regular housekeeping, you could miss the mold, so every once in a while take a look behind appliances and furniture. If you find a large amount of mold, you’re likely going to need a professional to help tackle it, but if it’s just a small amount, you can pretty easily treat it yourself with the following steps. 

Step 1: Isolate the area. To minimize spreading the mold spores throughout the house, do what you can to get the mold patch by itself. If there are vents nearby, you might want to tape them off or turn off your heating and air system while you clean.

Step 2: Wet the area thoroughly with vinegar, then let soak. It might seem counter productive to add moisture to mold, but it actually is another way to keep the mold from spreading. Dry mold spores spread easily when touched, but wet mold doesn’t. Vinegar kills the mold and disinfects, so it’s the safest solution.

Step 3: Wipe the mold. It should wipe off pretty easily, but re-moisten and scrub if you need to.

Step 4: Allow to dry completely. Turn on fans if you have them to facilitate air circulation, and let the area get completely dry.

Step 5: Prevent future mold. The last step is to determine the source of the mold and get rid of it. Check for leaking windows, air conditioning or heating leaks, or any source of moisture near the spot and fix it so you don’t have any more mold issues.

Keeping your house clean alone or with the help of maid services and frequently inspecting for new mold growth will keep your home safe and healthy.