Mold Prevention Tips for Your Home

November 16, 2021

Mold can grow anywhere in your house, but it’s commonly found in bathrooms, kitchens, cabinets, basements, and near ducting areas or pipes. Mold may also grow on your ceiling due to insufficient ventilation and accumulation of moisture. The common causes of mold growth in your home are persistent humidity, leaking pipes and roof, condensation build-up, and poor ventilation. Damp clothing left unattended, flooding, basement and foundation dampness, and a leaky air conditioning system also cause mold growth. Touching or inhaling mold spores causes allergic reactions like skin rashes, sneezing, runny nose, and red eyes.

It may also cause more severe reactions like shortness of breath for people with serious mold allergies and asthma attacks in asthmatic people. Others who may be sensitive to the effects of mold are the elderly, infants and children, weak immune systems, and people with chronic lung disease. Mold eats away wallpapers, carpets, drywall, wooden studs in walls, floorboards, ceiling tiles, and other structures in your home. If left unattended for long, mold can lead to caving in of floorboards, the collapse of ceilings, and falling of walls. Being proactive about mold damage can save money while ensuring human and structural health. Here are mold prevention tips for your home.

Identify key problem areas and work on them

Auditing your home will help you determine the areas that are highly susceptible to mold growth. If your basement floods or there’s frequent condensation on your windows, the chances of mold growing are very high. If you notice water stains on the ceiling due to persistent leakage, address it as soon as possible.

Ripping up a carpet from a damp basement can help avoid mold from spreading through an entire house. Whatever problem you may find, have it immediately fixed to preserve your household’s health and that of your building. However, if your audit reveals that the damage is already done, restoration experts like iFlooded Restoration can help take your house back to its pre-mold destruction condition.

Ensure proper ventilation

It could be that your daily domestic activities such as cooking, showering, and doing laundry are encouraging mold growth in your home. Ensuring proper ventilation in your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and other high moisture areas around your home will keep mold at bay. Consider using AC units and dehumidifiers for good ventilation. If your energy-efficient home holds in more moisture, open the windows or run an exhaust fan when cooking or showering. You may also consider venting your dryers, bathrooms, and other moisture sources to the outside of your building.

Monitor indoor humidity levels

Humidity levels in your house can rise due to the use of humidifiers, combustion appliances, steam radiators, and moisture-generating appliances. Consider monitoring and ensuring that your humidity levels remain between 30% to 60%. Consider buying a humidity or moisture meter to detect high humidity on time. You can also look out for humidity signs like condensation on walls, windows, and pipes so you can quickly address the problem.

Immediately dry wet areas

Since mold can’t grow without moisture, tackling wet areas like a leaky pipe accumulation, basement seepage after a rainfall, or a spill on the carpet within 24 to 48 hours prevent mold growth. If you’ve experienced a flood, remove all the water-damaged items, furniture, carpets, and beddings. Avoid leaving wet items lying around the house and dry walls and floors after showering. Take out clothes from the washing machine to prevent mold from growing and spreading. Hang them in an area with proper air circulation.

Use mold-resistant products

Consider using mold-resistant products when building or renovating your home, especially in areas highly susceptible to wetness like bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and laundry rooms. Using mold-resistant paperless drywall whose gypsum core is covered in fiberglass makes the area highly water-resistant. You may also consider a mold-resistant gypsum board whose drywall core is designed to prevent moisture absorption.

Additionally, if you’re revamping your house with a paint job, consider using mold prevention-based paints to prevent mold growth. Mold-resistant paint on floors and walls helps prevent mold growth by sealing off access to wall-based materials, preventing mold spread to carpets and floors. However, before using this paint, ensure that existing mold areas are treated to ensure its effectiveness.

Evaluate your AC

If your humidity levels are more than 60%, check your air conditioner to optimally function. Check if the temperature is appropriately set and whether it’s periodically cycling on and off. Find out if it blows cold air after reaching the setpoint and ensure that the coils are clean. Check the condensate drain pipe to ensure it’s regularly dripping.

If not, the pipe could be blocked, and water may be accumulating on your floor or inside the unit. Consider calling an HVAC expert if you suspect a problem to ensure low energy bills. To avoid mold build-up and blockage, annually pour a cup of bleach mixed in the water down the drain.

Monitor the outdoor drainage

Your landscaping can keep mold away, so pay attention to the path water follows in your property. Ideally, if your home is located on a small hill, the water will drain away. Nevertheless, if a water pool surrounds your home, it can cause severe mold issues. This is because moisture will trickle into your home’s foundation and leak in, making your basement a serious mold hotspot. Consider having a contractor audit your property to determine if your drainage is the problem.

Keep the gutters clean

A mold issue could be due to filled up or damaged gutters. This can lead to spillovers during the rainy seasons, causing water to run your home’s siding. Water may then infiltrate your home, leading to mold growth behind the walls or in the attic. Regularly cleaning and inspecting your gutters for damage and repairing them will keep mold at bay.

Improve your home’s airflow

Poor airflow in your home may cause excess moisture to appear on your floors, walls, and windows. Consider increasing air circulation, moving furniture from the walls, opening the doors between rooms, and opening closet doors that may be colder than the rooms they’re in. letting in fresh air reduces moisture and prevents mold growth.

Endnote

Mold growth around your home can be dangerous for your health and structure. Consider using the above tips to ensure mold prevention for your home.


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