Hello dear readers and welcome back for another post in my Home Ownership 101 Series. Today I am sharing some very important information about preventing household mold. Several years ago when my immune system was already compromised from chronic illnesss, I was exposed to a moldy building and became very ill from the mold. I developed a condition known as Mold Biotoxin Illness. Since then I have taken drastic measures to reduce mold in our home. I think it is important to educate people about this topic so that they can avoid the dangerous effects of mold exposure.
While mold can be useful, especially when used in making penicillin and decomposing organic matter, it can also be harmful when it grows in your home undetected. Mold grows in a variety of places, including above ceiling tiles, on the carpet, clothing, or walls. Mold is costly to fix and brings along a multitude of allergy symptoms, such as eye irritation. The best way to eliminate mold is by controlling moisture in your house. Below are tips to guide you in the reduction of moisture indoors.
Identify Critical Areas and Mend Them
In normal circumstances, it will be challenging to make your home mold-proof. However, it’s possible to make it mold resistant. In almost every home, there is a weak point that leads to the existence of mold. Issues such as leaking roofs and pipes should be addressed as soon as possible. While some moss may look quaint on a little shingled roof cottage, remember that moss, mold, and algae can cause considerable damage to surfaces that they cling to, including the shingles and tiles on your roof s you will want to get rid of the moss on your roof as soon as possible. If you have any issues with your roof, be sure to contact a licensed roofing contractor.
You should also take care of other critical areas such as flooding basements. The best solution is the adoption of the appropriate flooring for basement approaches. Some leaks may be hard to find, so detection may require a thorough home inspection. It’s therefore upon homeowners to repair any small defects that will lead to the explosion of the problem.
Use Proper Ventilation
The daily activities in our homes may be the force behind the mold. Simple activities like cooking, taking a showing, or even doing laundry cause the menace. All these activities lead to an accumulation of moisture within the home.
Home that are located in high humid areas will benefit from dehumidifiers. It is essential to take care of these machines so that they don’t introduce moisture into the room. Do frequent checks and cleaning as directed by the manufacturer. The best approach to prevent the build-up of moisture from the inside is opening windows or running an exhaust fan.
Keep Water Away from Home
Rain water may find it’s way into the basement of your home, especially if it is sloping. To stave off this water, you should install barriers that direct the water to other areas. Gutter care is another important facet of roof care. If they fill with leaves, water can start to pool. This can lead to leaks in the roof, and if there are any small gaps, the water will worsen the problem. Gutters can also be pulled away from the roof if they become too heavy or overloaded with branches and leaves.
Runoffs carry with them large quantities of fungal spores. Directing it away will reduce the chances of contaminating your home.
Improve Air Flow
There is a direct relationship between temperatures and moisture content. A drop in temperature means that the air holds less moisture.Lack of a consistent airflow leads to condensation on the walls and floors. This process makes it conducive to the growth of mold.
Always consider opening doors and windows to allow air circulation. There should also be some reasonable spacing between the furniture and the walls. The balance in room temperatures and sufficient air supply is enough to keep mold at bay.
Invest in Humidity Monitoring Tools
In standard cases, the humidity level indoors should range between 30 and 60 percent. Anything above that should be a cause of worry. Purchase a humidity meter to help in the monitoring process. In case accessing the equipment is a problem, you can use observation as your monitoring tool. In this case, critical areas like the condensation on the walls are enough indicators. On noticing these critical areas, it’s necessary to dry the surface thoroughly before proceeding to address it for the long term.
Avoid Household Plants
Household plants are beautiful, and they make rooms appealing. At the same time, there is the scientific aspect of cleaning the air you breathe. Unfortunately, mold loves them the same way that you do.These plants require water and soil for survival. In the process, the moist soil provides a favorable environment for mold to breed. The mold may eventually spread to other parts of the house. Sometimes, you may have to add some other substances to keep off the plant mold from the household plants.
Use Mold Resistant Products
When planning construction of a new house or renovating an old one should always use mold-resistant products. When it comes to drywall, use the modern gypsum core. It has fiberglass, which makes it more water resistant. Such walls are valuable in areas that are prone to wetness such as bathrooms and laundry rooms.
The fiberglass also makes it possible to remove mold in case of any growth. Another good choice for basements are gypsum walls. However, the basement will require special flooring and techniques to make it waterproof.
Flooring for Basement
Basement flooring adopts a different approach from the usual flooring. The proximity to the ground means that the basement floor is more susceptible to moisture. Heavy rains may cause water to seep in cracks. When building a new home renovating a basement, it is important for contractors to employ approaches that either prevent moisture or enhances its drying.
Basement flooring uses strategies like sheet vinyl flooring. This involves both tiles and sheets that invite moisture infiltration when there is water on the surface. Vinyl flooring is waterproof, warm, and cheap but requires a clean surface to install.
Immediately Dry Wet Areas
The salient feature for the growth of mold is moisture. Tackling the wet areas from the onset is the right way to go. Water may seep into the basement, which should never be the case when there is adequate flooring for basement approaches.
Any spillage should be dealt with in the shortest time possible. Equipment that soaks with flood water has to be replaced. Some of them may never be dry and, thus, create a conducive environment to mold survival.
Close monitoring of the house should be a daily routine. Wet items should never be left on the floor for long, and wet clothes in the washing machine can also bring mold. Essentially any wet items lying around the house should be left out to dry.
Survey Your Environment!
Environment surveillance and mold prevention should go hand in hand. It’s upon you to analyze the environment before picking an appropriate measure of controlling mold. Understanding your surroundings is the first step in controlling the menace that is mold.
I have spent the last ten years detoxing from toxic mold and trying to avoid exposure. This includes avoiding indoor estate sales, most antiques shops and even some garage sales. Once you become sick from mold, you are can have flare ups with even a slight exposure to mold so avoidance in key.
I hope you have found this information useful and that it will help you avoid any issues with mold in the future.
Thanks for visiting today!
Amber
Resources – The Spruce, The Huffington Post
No Comments