Sunrooms are a place where you're supposed to be able to kick your feet up, take in the warm sunshine, and relax. It's hard to do that if there's mold in the corner and an unpleasant, musty odor in the air. In fact, if you have a mold allergy, you might experience a sneezing fit or itching whenever you spend time in the sunroom. Luckily, there are some easy ways to get rid of sunroom mold and keep it from coming back.

Get rid of any upholstered furniture

Upholstered furniture is a common source of mold in sunrooms. The upholstery absorbs moisture whenever it is humid, or whenever the tiniest bit of water comes in through a window or door. It holds onto that moisture long enough for mold to grow. Once mold starts growing inside a cushion or an upholstered chair, you can't really get rid of the mold, so your best choice is just to get rid of the furniture. Replace it with furniture that is non-absorbant, such as that made from plastic or composite. If you want soft cushions in your sunroom, look for those covered in waterproof material.

Caulk your windows and doors

Often, sunrooms have screens so you can leave the windows open and let fresh air inside. This is fine as long as you remember to shut the windows whenever rain rolls in. You also need to make sure that when you do close the windows, they're effective. If there are any gaps between the windows and the walls, you need to fill those gaps with caulk to keep water from seeping in.

Treat any mold with bleach

Once you're removed any moldy furniture and sealed your windows, it's time to actually treat any mold on the walls, flooring, and other surfaces. Mix a cup of bleach into a gallon of water, and use this mixture to generously wipe down surfaces. Let the bleach mixture dry on its own; there is no need to wipe over it with clear water, since the chlorine will evaporate over time.

Run a dehumidifier

Once you've wiped everything down with bleach water, plug in a portable dehumidifier. This will remove moisture from the air as your bleached surfaces dry. Over time, it will also remove any moisture from natural humidity, which will help keep mold from re-growing in your sunroom.

Sunrooms do not need to be moldy! Follow the steps above to get rid of the mold, or contact a home mold removal service near you.