How to Control Mold

How to Control Mold

Mold issues and problems are an issue in many parts of the United States. Whether it's growing between your shower tiles or lurking under your carpets, mold is never something you should ignore. Thanks to the high humidity, many homes harbor mold (fungus) that goes unnoticed and untreated.

How Mold Develops

The growth of moldy spots has little to do with poor housekeeping. These spots can show up wherever there's moisture, warmth and organic material such as wood. Those things are found in just about every home. Outdoors, fungi do the important job of getting rid of old organic matter, such as dead leaves. They spread through the use of spores, microscopic reproducing cells that float in the air and can become attached to other objects.

These spores can enter your home when you open a door or window, use a ventilation vent or run the heating or air conditioning. They can also stick to your shoes, clothes and other items and hitch a ride inside. Pets can pick up and bring in spores, too. You may need to have your AC unit inspected by a professional company as well. Many ask, “how to choose the right air conditioner for my home?” Luckily, you don’t need to be an expert! Call Budget Air Supply at 855-473-6484 and they can help you find the right solution for your needs.

Once inside, some of the spores land in areas that just happen to supply them with the warmth, moisture and growth material they need to multiply.

While it may seem that summer, with its heat and humidity, would be the best time for moldy spots to show up, in reality, winter is prime time for fungal growth, too. This is particularly true in the attic. As warm air from your living space rises, it meets cold air in the attic and forms condensation, which encourages fungal growth. Often times, air conditioning installations from a reputable air conditioning company will help fix these issues.

Have an Unseen Mold Problem? Check These Spots!

While your shower grout and the cabinets under the sinks are among the most likely places for moldy spots to develop, it's possible for these areas to be clean, yet for moldy spots to form elsewhere. If your home experiences high humidity or you smell a musty odor, check for moldy patches around these areas:

• Furniture upholstery and fabric
• Walls behind furniture
• Behind wallpaper
• Behind drywall and wall panels
• The upper side of ceiling tiles
• Under rugs, carpets and carpet pads
• Around the pipes inside the walls
• Inside dirty heating and cooling ducts
• On and around your A/C or heat pump's indoor coils and condensation pan.

Protect Your Health: Eliminate Indoor Mold

Moldy spots in your home are more than unsightly. As fungus grows, it eats away at the material it's growing on. A mild case may only ruin your wallpaper. A more severe case could cause structural damage to your home that compromises health and safety.

Even before it does noticeable damage, though, those moldy patches are releasing spores into your home's air and degrading your indoor air quality. Some people can breathe these spores with no ill effects, but many cannot.

Those sensitive to fungal spores experience symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, a scratchy throat, and skin rashes. For people with a mold allergy, symptoms are even more severe. Spores also exacerbate asthma and put people with weakened immune systems at risk for serious lung problems.

The Two-Step Approach to Eliminating Mold

To get rid of the mold in your home and keep it from coming back, you'll need to do two things:

• Remove the mold
• Control your indoor humidity problem

Most moldy spots can be scrubbed off with a cleaning solution of one cup of bleach in one gallon of water. Simple soap and water often does the trick, too. Widespread moldy spots or those in hard-to-reach areas may require professional cleanup. To keep the fungi from returning, use mold-killing products as directed in your bathroom and kitchen.

The next step is to reduce the humidity level in your home.

• Repair leaks around the roof, windows and pipes.
• Ensure your attic is sufficiently insulated and sealed from your living space.
• Install a solar-powered attic fan with a controller to ventilate your attic and gain better control of the humidity level there.
• Air seal your home, especially your basement. This reduces the amount of humid outdoor air entering your home.
• Upgrade to double-glazed or Energy Star-qualified windows to minimize condensation.
• Properly ventilate your bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.
• Vacuum floors and wipe down surfaces regularly to pick up spores.
• Regularly rinse your refrigerator drip pans. Even a small amount of standing water here promotes mold.
• Consider installing a dehumidifier in your heating and cooling system.

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