The sight of mold in the home is enough to make you cringe. Those tell-tale black, blue, and green marks can ruin the look of your home, and the damp and musty smell associated with mold spores can cause you to feel sick inside.
Mold in the home in very bad for your health too, especially if you or anybody in your home suffers from a respiratory problem or an allergy. Needless to say, in your efforts to maintain a healthy home, you do need to prevent mold from entering your home before it takes a hold on you and your household fixtures.
Here are some suggestions we hope you find useful.
Identify and repair problem areas
Mold will grow wherever there are signs of damp, so do an audit of your home. If you notice water coming in anywhere, you might need to pay for the necessary repairs. It might be that you need stronger roofing if you notice water coming in from above, or you might need to replace window frames if any water is leaking in. The sooner you get on top of any problem areas the better, as you will reduce the chances of mold growing in your home.
Quickly dry any wet areas
Mold won’t be able to grow and spread if you tackle wet areas quickly, so don’t delay if you spot signs of trouble. Call out water emergency services if your basement floods or if you experience a disastrous leak elsewhere. Call out a plumber if your pipes are leaking. Mop up any spills quickly, and use a heater if necessary to dry affected areas. And don’t leave wet or damp clothes in your washing machine, as mold can quickly develop if you do. Put them in the dryer when they have been cleaned or hang them out to dry.
Ventilate your home
When you’re cooking dinner in the kitchen, open your windows to let out any steam. Do the same when you’re taking a bath or shower in your bathroom. Open the windows in any other rooms of your house where damp is likely to occur, and consider installing an extractor fan or extra vents in those rooms where there could be a risk of moisture. When your home is well-ventilated, mold won’t have a chance to grow, so consider all your ventilation options in your efforts to keep a mold-free home.
Use a dehumidifier
These are especially useful when you don’t have sufficient ventilation in certain rooms of your house, such as your basement. The dehumidifier will collect water from the air and reduce moisture levels. You should use it regularly in rooms that become damp, and it’s also worth having one on standby in the event of a flood or other water-based accident. It’s worth knowing that dehumidifiers can reduce dust buildup too, so if you are a dust-allergy-sufferer, you might want to purchase one for your home anyway.
Final Thoughts
Mold is both dangerous to your health and deadly to your home, so don’t let it grow. We have given you a few suggestions here but look online for more advice, and speak to a professional if you notice mold growing in your home.
Take care, and thanks for reading.
