Mold Prevention Plan and Tips
With the changing seasons comes a change in climate within your home. Temperature and moisture levels can tamper with porous materials and objects in your house. Especially in the northern states, homes can take an extra beating due to extreme temperature levels throughout the months. Within these temperature changes come moisture changes, which in turn can produce mold and mildew. Once mold and mildew start to grow, it is very hard to clean all spores to diminish the problem. Yet if caught quickly, mold can be a problem easily fixed. The following are some mold prevention tips for your home.
Mold Prevention Plan
First things first, mold can be caught before it spreads with mold prevention treatment.
The main problem is that mold spores are easily spread through ventilation and foot traffic through the home. Make sure your home is dry. Windowsills and doorways usually start to collect condensation because of the drastic temperature difference between the outside and inside air. Newer windows should not have this problem, yet many homes have older windows. If you see water start to collect on the sill, be sure to blot dry with towels, or even keep dry towels on the sill during the day to collect any water puddles. Keeping the windows dry will help prevent mold from growing. Once it starts to grow within the window and grout, it is much harder to clean.
Look into purchasing a humidifier. This might sound strange since I just told you to keep the home dry. The winter air is normally extensively dry and you will have to determine your home’s climate. Keeping a controlled environment, aka the moisture level in your home, will actually help your home regulate. It will keep the temperatures and dampness stabilized thus keeping mold growth at bay.
If you find your home has extreme moisture levels you’ll need to figure out how to air areas like bathrooms, basements and attics out. Most bathrooms should have a fan within them; make sure to keep it on whenever showering. This will help moisture escape and keep mold growth down. Attics should have the same type of fan, depending on how new or old your home is. Since many attic spaces are used for storage, try to check wooden beams and insulation for signs of mold. Basements are notorious for mold since they are underground. Floor fans should help with mold prevention in basements. Keeping the air circulating will help with the moisture level downstairs.
Keep in mind that having your heating system on all winter will naturally dry out the air as well. Yet remember that even though you think your home is dry it doesn’t mean that mold spores aren’t thriving in a hidden place.
Air filtration systems need to be cleaned on a regular basis as well. Like stated before, mold spores can easily travel through air ducts. Once these spores land on wood, furniture or other porous materials, it will be hard to stop since it grows so rapidly.
Mold prevention doesn’t have to be tricky. Knowing these couple of tips will help you recognize when you have a mold problem. Just keep in mind that preventing mold from growing is a lot less time and money than cleaning a mold and mildew problem that already exists.
Professional Mold Remediation
However, even with mold prevention plans in place, there could be natural disasters and other accidents that lead to mold growth. In situations where there is water damage on the property, you want to take care of before it turns into a mold problem. Water damage is one of the main causes of mold, and often times it is hard for property owners to completely eliminate it.
If you believe you have a mold or water situation that cannot be handled alone, find a local disaster restoration company near you to help!
About Vince Sandri
Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.
