Mold is found everywhere both indoors and outdoors. Mold and mildew enters your home through clothes, shoes, pets’ bags, open doorways, shoes, windows, vents, heating or air conditioning systems. Mold grows well in most environments such as a leaky faucet or roof, ceiling tiles, gypsum board, wood, wall paper glues dust, paints or insulation.
YOU CAN CONTROL MOLD BY:
>Controlling your humidity level which means keeping your humidity level below 50%
>Repairing and leaky roofs, windows, pipes or cracks in your foundation
>Complete drying after any water incident Regardless of how large or small. Water follows the path of least resistance and failure to dry all the wood, furniture, insulation will result in mold growth. Mold can start to grow in as little as 24 hours.
>Check all your bathrooms, kitchens, and utility to secure that you have adequate ventilation
>Develop a checklist to assess that your gutters are not clogged.
>Check your landscape to see that is sloping away from your foundation
>Check windows and doors to ensure that the caulking is tight and intact
> Observing for musty foul smelling odors which in many cases are the first warning sign that something is going on with your indoor air quality.
>Look for any discoloration on your wall, ceilings which may be an indication of mold
If you notice mold growing in your home it should be cleaned up. Before anything is done you should having a mold inspector or certified hygienist visit your property to do an assessment and mold testing? By you seeing mold could be only one part of a much larger problem for you and your property. If you are dealing with toxic mold this cause much damage to the structure of your property and your health. Your goal should be to need to clean up the mold, identify and fix the moisture problem.
If you decide to tackle this without a professional you should wear gloves, mask goggles, protective clothing before you start. If you are dealing with an area greater than a 10×10 this should be of major concern to you as a do-it-yourself project. Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water or a bleach solution of no more that 1 cup of bleach in one gallon of water. Failure to kill the mold and it spores will only results in placing your property and family as risk for expensive medical and structural repairs in the future.
Once the mold is removed you should consider have a professional perform a follow up mold test to ensure that your indoor air quality is back to acceptable limits. Visit moldremoval.org where you will find articles and videos relating to your indoor air quality. Once you have successfully identified the reason for moisture, removed the mold, the spores and keep you humidity less that 50% you will have a good start on doing what you can to control mold and mildew in your property.
