Mold, mildew, and moisture issues are especially common in areas with hot, humid weather. According to the EPA, our interior environment is two to five times more hazardous than our outside environment. In fact, indoor air readings have been shown to be 100 times more contaminated in some situations. Mold is one of the most dangerous issues that may impact the quality of your home’s indoor air. Fortunately, there are professional mold remediation companies like National Resoration Experts that can help rid your home of mold and mildew. However, retaining a proactive approach to your interior and exterior’s humidity and moisture issues is the first step to limiting the amount of mold that accumulates in and around your home. But before we talk about the 5 mold prevention methods you can use to protect your home from this hazardous substance, let’s first discuss exactly what mold is and why it’s so dangerous.
What is Mold?
According to some studies, there are more than a hundred thousand species of mold that exist in the world. Mold is a type of fungi that can be found indoors and outdoors, although indoor molds are often more dangerous since they grow in conditions where they aren’t exposed to natural light or outdoor elements like wind and rain. Molds can be found growing on algae, plants, and trees, but they’re only a threat to your health if they start to grow or eat away at the materials that make up your home. Mold can grow unnoticed for months, if not years, in damp locations such as inside walls, below floor tiles or just inside ventilation ducts.
Mold Prevention Methods
It’s important to take preventative measures in order to keep mold away from your home and make sure that you don’t start a small infestation of molds in the first place. Here are the 5 mold prevention methods you can use.
- Keep Healthy Humidity: Levels Mold and mildew flourish in humid environments, therefore it is critical to maintain low humidity levels. Make careful to ventilate places that are prone to excess moisture. Turn on the vent fans whether you’re in the kitchen or bathroom. If these rooms do not have vent fans, have them fixed or installed by an electrician. Consider adding whole-house humidifiers or plug-in dehumidifiers as well. Attics fans may also aid with moisture management and ventilation in the home. Inquire with your mold remediation firm if attic fans are appropriate for your house. You may also use your HVAC system, which may or may not include a humidification system, to manage the humidity levels in your home. Running the air conditioner, on the other hand, will assist to dry and circulate the air. In the summer, a closed-up home with no air conditioning and minimal air circulation will provide the damp, warm, and gloomy conditions required for mold growth.
- Let in Fresh Air: Open windows assist to promote ventilation in your house and are an effective approach to reduce indoor carbon dioxide levels. High carbon dioxide levels can reduce oxygen levels in the body, obstructing oxygen passage to the brain. Carbon dioxide can accumulate in your home after it has been closed for several months, especially in rooms where people spend the most time. Fresh air will also aid in the drying of wet, musty regions, as well as the reduction of smells and stuffiness. Open a window or two for 5-15 minutes every day to give free, natural air to your home.
- Use Green Cleaning Products: Cleaning chemicals with strong odors are, unfortunately, the most significant producers of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the house. This is especially true of goods containing fake pine and lemon. When you use these cleansers to remove mold and other contaminants from a space, you are basically exchanging one contaminant for another. When dealing with mold prevention (and cleaning your house in general), aim to use water-based, non-toxic, and non-aerosol cleansers.
- Dry Wet Areas: Although you should avoid using hazardous cleaners, you should nonetheless clean your home’s surfaces on a regular basis. Cleaning and drying the surfaces in your bathroom and other wet places is a fantastic method to maintain your bathroom clean and free of mold and mildew. Due to mold prevention, mold cannot develop and thrive in the absence of moisture, therefore it is critical to dry wet spots in your house as soon as possible. A leaking pipe, or simply a spill on your carpet must be dried completely and immediately (within 24 hours). Also, avoid leaving wet clothing or bath towels out for an extended period of time. It is quite difficult to fully clean mold-affected material.
- Keep Indoor Plants: Bringing some houseplants into your home is a fantastic method to improve the quality of your indoor air (IAQ). Live plants can aid in the removal of VOCs such as formaldehyde, paint, and benzene (a byproduct of chemical based-cleaners).
A Mold Prevention and Cleanup Company Serving South Florida
Not many mold prevention companies in Florida can compete with National Restoration Experts’ work and service quality. Contact National Restoration Experts at 754-216-4660 now for 24 hour water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, or mold remediation, or receive a quick mold prevention and cleanup quote from our website. In 30 to 60 minutes, our mold prevention crew will arrive at your south Florida house or office.
Want to learn more about the causes of mold? Learn more here.