Mold is a scary concept to many homeowners. No one wants to discover mold growing in their space. It can make both you and your home feel stuffy and sick. To avoid mold and the negative impact on your health and home it can bring, make sure you’re armed with these tips on how to prevent mold growth before it begins.
Why Mold Growth Is Hazardous
Why do homeowners want to prevent mold so badly in the first place? Frankly, finding mold in a home is an unsettling experience and can leave homeowners feeling grossed out. Not only is mold unsightly, but it can also be dangerous to your home and your health.
Mold Effects on Health
Home mold growth can affect your health in multiple ways. Mold is a common allergen, which can exacerbate allergy symptoms in those who suffer from seasonal allergies. This can leave you feeling miserable both indoors and outdoors, even when allergen and pollen levels are low. Allergy symptoms are bad enough outdoors—you don’t want them to follow you inside as well.
Mold growth and proximity are especially concerning to those who may have preexisting conditions such as asthma or other troubles breathing. Because they can affect your airways, mold exposure symptoms can be especially harmful or even life-threatening to those who have trouble breathing. Those with asthma and similar conditions should be cautious and try to prevent mold as much as possible.
Mold Effects on Home
Mold is such a concerning safety issue because of how easily it can spread throughout your home. Mold spores that become airborne can travel and grow throughout your home’s ventilation system and in nooks and crannies, like your attic or crawl space. These mold growths can be difficult to notice and pinpoint, which is why we should do our best to prevent mold growth in the first place.
How To Prevent Mold Growth
Now that you understand the dangers of mold growth and why it’s so important to prevent it, you might be wondering how to go about the prevention process. Here are some key steps that you should take to prevent mold and disrupt the ideal conditions for it.
Monitor Humidity Levels
The ideal conditions for mold growth are warm, humid environments. This is why step one to stopping mold growth in its tracks is to monitor your home’s humidity levels. Many modern HVAC systems come equipped with dehumidifiers and meters built in, so that you can always know the overall indoor levels. However, these readings might be less accurate in spaces that are tucked away, like your home’s basement or attic, so consider investing in an individual monitor for these spaces. Some dehumidifier systems even come with a humidity meter installed.
Now that you can monitor your indoor humidity levels, make sure that they always stay below 50%. Humidity fluctuates throughout the day, so make sure to check back in and adjust your dehumidifier as necessary. Pay attention to how weather influences indoor humidity levels as well.
Promote Air Flow
Poor ventilation inside your home can lead to mold. Stagnant air due to poor air circulation can create a moist and humid environment, which is prime territory for mold growth. If you suspect your home might not be properly ventilated, stay alert for signs of mold growth. Musty odors and brown, black, or white spots on walls and ceilings are telltale signs of mold in poorly ventilated areas. Utilize exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom to circulate air when humidity conditions rise. You should also have a professional inspect your HVAC system regularly to check for damage and mold growth.
Catch Leaks Early
Water damage is another common cause of mold growth in the home. While it can be difficult to predict and prevent water damage due to storms and flooding events, the sooner you can catch these damages the better. Roof damage due to storms can often lead to leaks around your attic or ceilings of your home. Make sure to check inside and outside the home for damage and early signs of mold growth. Another common cause of water damage is floods. While you can’t always prepare your home for flood damage, you can check your sump pump and drainage system to make sure excess water stays out of your basement and foundation. Even pipes from your home plumbing and appliances can become old and damaged, causing leaks. You just need to know where to watch out for leaks throughout your home.
If your home does have water damage or you suspect a leak somewhere in your home, make sure to call a professional water mitigation company immediately. They can help to clean up and restore the water damage as quickly as possible to minimize the chance of mold growth.
Pay Extra Attention to Mold-Prone Spaces
Mold is prone to grow in humid, warm environments. Make sure to pay special attention to mold-prone areas of your home such as the humid bathroom, basement, or attic. There are also special measures you can take to prevent mold throughout your home. For example, clean your bathroom with mold-killing products such as bleach. There are also specialty paints that contain added mold inhibitors. Utilize these products and cleaning methods throughout your home for added protection against mold growth.
What To Do When You Find Mold
Even after utilizing all these mold-fighting tips, you could still end up with a mold problem on your hands. Water damage and mold are tricky to completely control, but it’s not the end of the world if you do find mold in your home—you just need to know how to combat it. Call a professional mold removal service, like us here at Aloha Restoration. Mold can be dangerous to encounter, so hiring a professional is always recommended when it comes to mold cleanup and removal.
No homeowner wants to discover mold in their space. We hope these tips on how to prevent mold growth before it begins help you better protect your home from this allergen in the future. Keep your home clean and healthy by preventing mold and the conditions in which it grows.
