How To Prevent Mold Growth In Your Home?

Mold growth can be a serious problem if found in or around your house. This could easily result in chronic health problems especially if you already have kids and the elderly living in the house as well with underlying complications. Apart from that, mold can also damage your expensive furniture and other valuable items. Eventually, you will have to hire mold removal services to get things back to normal. These services are effective in removing but they will cost you money. So, it’s better to learn ways to prevent mold growth. Read on to find out.

Eliminate Clutter

Although most homeowners do not believe or simply ignore the importance of keeping their house clutter-free, it plays an important role in preventing mold growth. This is because piles of clutter block and restrict airflow, promoting mold growth.

Even if you have the HVAC unit turned on or opened the windows to allow some fresh air, it still isn’t going to make any difference considering the airflow will still be restricted. Technically, this all happens due to furniture and all other such items blocking the air supply and causing condensation.

As a result, the moisture does not have any space to escape and this creates microclimates in the house that welcome and feed mold growth. That said, it is important that you either remove or simply throw out things that are of no use. If you have any valuable items, simply shift them to another location until the moisture can escape.

Shut The Windows And Doors When The AC Is On

You might be tempted to open all the doors and windows while the AC is turned on to balance out the temperature, humidity, and all but this is not going to work out. No matter how effective or efficient the air conditioning unit is, you will simply invite humidity in and the unit will have to constantly fight with it.

This is why you if your HVAC system is functioning, close the doors and windows. Plus, you should maintain your home at around 80 degrees while you are on work or vacation. Sometimes, homeowners tend to bump the temperature up to 85 degrees or simply turn the unit off when they are away.

As a result, the temperature and humidity inside the house increase, which creates the perfect conditions for mold to grow. Plus, when you turn on the air conditioner, it has to work harder than usual to achieve the desired temperature.

Properly Size Your AC Unit

Properly sizing the AC unit plays a crucial role in the way your house is cooled or warmed. It is a common misconception that bigger units tend to be more effective and efficient, which is not the case. This is because a unit bigger than the room itself will achieve the desired temperature relatively more quickly and frequently trip as well.

This constant tripping will consume more power and lead to higher energy bills every month. On the other hand, a unit smaller than the room will work extra hard to achieve the desired temperature and won’t cycle off as long as it reaches the temperature required. This will increase your energy bills as well.

To prevent such situations, you should measure the dimensions of the rooms and the house and consult an expert to pick the best option. Your air conditioner should be able to circulate air properly in the area or the entire house.

Why it’s important? Because when an air conditioner doesn’t work properly, it can lead to increased humidity and temperature fluctuations.

Monitor Humidity

Back in the day, no tool or innovation could keep track of humidity. But, today, we have a wide variety of tools that keep track of humidity and help control it as well. Also, you have dehumidifiers that remove humidity and make the area a much more comfortable place to live.

Humidity monitors are very important, especially in hot regions where temperatures could turn extreme. Mold tends to thrive in hot temperatures and humidity can contribute to that. So, you should make sure you prevent that from happening in the first place.

Plus, you do not need to necessarily spend on expensive humidity monitors or controls. Simply purchase a reasonable one and keep the humidity in check.

Fix Roof Issues Promptly

Roof issues like leakages and blocked gutters can increase moisture levels in your house. So, make sure to inspect your roof properly. Moreover, make it a habit to clean the gutters frequently because leaves and debris can block them due to which when it rains, water doesn’t drain off the roof, leading to leakages and water damage.

How To Clean Mold Buildup?

While controlling mold growth is one thing, cleaning it is another. These tips and techniques will help you perform mold cleanup if you suddenly come across it out of nowhere.

The first thing you are going to do is check if there are leaks, cracks, or damage. Sometimes, pipes tend to crack due to wear and tear and might be leaking water. In the initial stages, the leakage might not be noticeable but it will still give mold a reason to grow.

Furthermore, you should not wash and hang the clothes in the wardrobe or indoors. You should hang them in the sunniest part of the house. Also, do not deal with mold with your bare hands. They can easily disperse in the air and inhaling them can cause serious issues.

Should I Call A Hire Professional?

Hiring a professional is going to be the best option if you can afford it. Sometimes, we are not aware of leakages until we find mold growth in different areas of the house. In such cases, you should immediately hire mold remediation Gaithersburg experts who can use special tools and techniques for getting rid of mold.

The team will also perform a thorough inspection of the house to check for leaks and other areas such as the attic, where human traffic is relatively less.

Quick Summary

Preventing mold growth is going to play an important role in terms of avoiding health complications and keeping your furniture and other valuable items from mold influence. You can do this by acting quickly in situations such as leaks or water spills.

You might think that water will evaporate quickly during the summer season but in some cases, it might be too late. At the same time, you should also keep an eye on the outdoor water as well. If you are in the habit of leaving the water turned on for the plants in your front or backyard, make sure that you set an alarm to remind yourself.

Plus, whenever possible or when the weather is good, you should open the doors and windows to allow fresh air in. Moreover, you should also keep your air conditioner clean and maintained. With time, the filters can become clogged and this could also result in blockages.

Conclusion

Keep in mind the tips mentioned above are tried and tested and will surely help you prevent mold-related complications. However, if there is already mold in your house and there has been water damage or flooding, you should not waste any time in consulting water damage restoration Rockville services for handling the situation.

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