Mold poses numerous health risks and cause property damage if left unchecked. After all your cleaning, repairs, effort, and spent money, without proper management, mold could still return, making you do it all over again. To make sure that it would not come back, you should take the necessary measures to prevent them from returning.
Here are some tips to prevent molds from coming back.
Identify Possible Areas Of Growth
One of the first steps in mold prevention is to check your home for possible sources or causes. Make an audit of the areas in your house. Identify areas where there could be high humidity or moisture, such as bathrooms, basements, and crawlspaces. Determine if there are issues such as leaky plumbing, roof leaks, damping, poor water drainage, or damaged gutters.
Mold could also grow on numerous household surfaces, including drywall, ceiling and wall tiles, wallpaper, fabric, plants, insulation, cardboard, carpets, and wood products. When constantly damp or wet, these surfaces could host mold growths, which could spread quickly if left unattended.
Fixing these problems early on could not only save you money in the long run but also keep your home safe.
Throw Out Moldy Objects
When dealing with molds, some materials are easier to clean than others. You could easily clean smooth surfaces such as bathroom doors with just a spray cleaner and a sponge. However, for some materials such as wood, fabric, upholstery, furniture, and carpets, removing mold could be next to impossible without the help of a professional cleaner. In such cases, throwing out such objects might be the best option.
Getting rid of moldy items would save you from continually worrying about new mold growing on them. It would also help prevent mold to further spread unto other objects. If a part of your drywall has mold on it, cut it out and replace it.
Also, do no to forget to dispose of rotten or expired food as they are perfect hotbeds for potential mold growth.
Regularly Conduct Maintenance And Repairs
Routinely inspect your home for leaks, damps, flooding, or clogged gutters, especially after a storm or heavy rain. During dry weather, check for cracks or signs of foundation shifting. After finding such problems, have them repaired as soon as possible because where water damage occurs, mold growth often would soon follow.
Make sure to make your house as watertight as possible. Regularly inspect and maintain seals around doors, windows, and pipes. Clean roof gutters to avoid clogs, plug holes on roofs and make sure to direct water away from your house.
Keep Things Tidy
Mold and mildew could almost grow from any surface and feed on numerous substances, including soap scum, dirt, wood, cardboard, and grease. Daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning could dramatically decrease chances for molds to come back. This would also help reduce spores from spreading and growing.
After your initial mold clean-up, disinfect cupboards, cabinets under sinks, and wooden surfaces, wash fabrics, and throw out or replace cardboards. Doing this would eliminate any spores left hanging about in your home.
However, when cleaning, dusting, or disinfecting, remember to wear proper clothing such as gloves, facemasks, aprons, etc.
Maintain Proper Ventilation And Air Circulation
Keeping areas such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, and basements well ventilated would help prevent mold buildup. As simple, as opening windows and doors during dry weather would let fresh air into spaces and maintain air circulation.
Use exhaust fans, stand fans, ceiling fans 15 to 20 minutes after performing activities that raise air humidity. Make sure to vent out appliances such as tumble dryers when drying clothes to prevent additional moisture indoors.
Reduce Moisture Levels
Reducing moisture levels could significantly reduce the potential for mold growth. Eliminating excess humidity from your property would prevent mold from making a comeback. Keep your environment as dry as possible by insulating surfaces prone to condensation, wiping any standing liquid, and adequately fixing leaks. Make sure to dry fabric properly before storing or using them.
In areas with high humidity, you could use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air. The EPA recommends maintaining indoor humidity between 30 and 60 percent for a comfortable and mold-free living.
Call For Professional Help
When all else fails, and mold persists, you could always count on professional cleaners to help with your mold problem. While home remedies can treat some cases of mold, these procedures do not ensure that the problem would not return.
A trained and licensed restoration company would know where and what to look for to treat the issue properly. Using specialized products and equipment, professionals could also prevent further mold buildups.
Sometimes, you would also need to call a professional builder to waterproof your home and damp-proof your property. These procedures stop water from seeping into foundations and walls, preventing further mold problems. Our professional waterproofers could help you fix leaking pipes, damaged walls, and replace drywall. Contact us now to learn more.
