Mold Prevention

When it comes to most things the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies perfectly. Such is the case when it comes to protecting your home from mold. But before we go on to discuss strategies for mold prevention, let’s first talk about how molds thrive inside our homes in the first place. First off, molds are not alien creatures. They are part of our natural environment and in fact, in their natural habitat, they play a rather significant part in the decomposition of many organic materials such as dead trees, dead leaves and some such. However, as great as that sounds, you should never allow mold to grow inside your home. Molds reproduce through tiny spores which are invisible and can float about without anyone noticing. Molds can cause potential health problems and there are some varieties that produce really toxic substance and as such accidental inhalation or just mere touching it can cause severe allergic reactions.

Molds aren’t usually a problem indoors unless they accidentally land on a wet surface. Molds need moisture to thrive and without it they wont grow. So look around your home, Im sure by now you have spotted at least 3 potential mold growth environment. Places like your sink and the air condition are like prime spots of real estates for molds. So now that you know how molds thrive, Im sure you want to know how one can prevent them from getting into your home and start building their own little towns and cities. Well, look below for some helpful tips.

When water spills indoors act quick, if these damp spots on your carpet or anywhere else gets dried up some 24-48 hours since the spill the likeliness of mold growth is very low. Another type of mold prevention is to always keep you’re your roof gutters clean and to have them checked regularly for damages. Making sure that the ground around your building foundation slopes away so that water would not collect in the area around the foundation helps a lot too. Keeping your air conditioning drain lines unobstructed and drip pans spic and span would help prevent water formations. You should also keep the humidity indoors low. If its possible, keep the humidity in your home below 60% or at least between 30 and 50%. This can be measured through the use of a humidity meter which is a small and relatively expensive instrument which you can find at hardware stores. Lastly, if you notice moisture or some condensation forming on your home’s windows, pipes and walls dry them as soon as you spot them.

To help reduce humidity in your home, add vents on your appliances that produce some kind of moisture. This would include your clothes dryer, your stove, kerosene heaters and other some such appliances. When needed, do use air conditioners as well as de-humidifiers. It also helps if you turn on the bathroom fan or open a small window when you shower. The same goes for when you are cooking, washing the dishes or when you operate the dishwasher. These might seem like little things, but they help a lot in your mold prevention efforts.