No homeowner wants mold to grow in their living space, and for a good reason. While mold is helpful for some medicinal and biological processes, it’s destructive when it grows in your home, which is why you need to prevent mold growth at all costs.
While you can’t completely eradicate mold spores, you can prevent growth that would be detrimental to your health and the integrity of your home. Below are a few ways to combat mold growth at home.
Ways to Prevent Mold Growth in Your Home
Identifying Growth Potential Areas and Fix Them
Mold comes about as a result of moisture or water damage. Keep an eye out for areas that show warning signs or may be damaged by water. For instance, mold growth is highly likely if you’ve had flooding in your basement. The best way to prevent mold growth is to monitor any area prone to moisture problems. Places like the bathroom, kitchen, and roof have higher chances of harboring mold when exposed to more moisture.
Keep Surfaces Dry To Prevent Mold
Mold won’t grow in dry areas. However, any damp areas could encourage mold growth. Drying wet areas right away help reduce the chances of mold growing in your home.
Most importantly, look out for spills, flooding, and leaks that foster mold growth. Flooded areas should be thoroughly cleaned, inspected, and dried before being furnished again. Even wet clothes on the floor can moisten your carpet and floor enough to trigger mold growth, so always hang them outside to dry if you don’t have a dryer.
Proper Ventilation To Prevent Growth
Believe it or not, some mold growth comes from routine home chores. Typically, this mostly happens in homes with poor ventilation. Activities such as cooking, showering, and laundry create high moisture.
Poor ventilation in areas where these activities happen causes the accumulation of moisture, which encourages mold growth. Crack a window open or turn on the ventilation fan when doing these activities to prevent mold growth.
Monitor Your Home and Prevent Humidity
Experts recommend that a home’s humidity be anywhere between 30 and 50%. Investing in a moisture meter will help you track your home’s humidity. Spending a few dollars on a humidity monitor may save you from forking out thousands to repair your house after a major mold infestation.
Look out for the following systems that might signify excessive humidity in your home:
- Condensation on pipes, windows, and walls
- Smell of mildew
- Stuffy feeling
- Visible mold
While you can’t always prevent mold growth, regularly inspecting areas you suspect might retain too much moisture will help you catch the problem before it spirals out of control. There are also multiple ways you can mold-proof your home during construction or renovations.
Cal Home Inspection provides inspections to customers in Sacramento, CA, and the surrounding areas. Contact us to schedule an appointment.