As the temperatures change the presence of mold growth inside your home tends to go up. There is no way to totally get rid of all mold spores inside your home. The spores continually circulate throughout the indoor and outdoor environment. When the spores find a damp area they will begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on, usually a paper product like dust. The best way to control indoor mold growth is to control the humidity or moisture inside the home.
As the temperatures change the presence of mold growth inside your home tends to go up. There is no way to totally get rid of all mold spores inside your home. The spores continually circulate throughout the indoor and outdoor environment. When the spores find a damp area they will begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on, usually a paper product like dust. The best way to control indoor mold growth is to control the humidity or moisture inside the home.Excess humidity inside can come from many sources. Taking prolonged showers without proper ventilation, drying wet clothes inside, or even excessive boiling while cooking can add moisture. As the temperature of the air decreases the amount of moisture that the air can hold also goes down. That’s why you will see cold surfaces in your home start to develop drops of water. Sometimes you will see it on the inside of a cold window. This condensation can lead to microbial growth if it’s not taken care of. Here are a few ways to control moisture in your home:
- Fix leaks immediately. Water leaks in pipes or around tubs and sinks can provide the perfect place for microbial growth.
- Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens if possible. Make sure these fans exhaust to the outside of the house and not just the attic.
- Make sure your clothes dryer is vented to the outside.
- Avoid the use of heavy curtains over windows and keep your window frames clean and dry. Using heavy curtains on windows limits airflow.
- Use dehumidifiers or air conditioners to reduce moisture in the air especially in hot humid climates like ours. It’s important that air conditioners are kept on long enough to remove the humidity in the air.
- Raise the temperature of cold surfaces inside. Using insulation or caulking around the windows can help keep the interior glass warmer and reduce condensation.
- In order to promote air circulation which will help limit mold growth, open bedroom doors between rooms. Closet doors should also be left open since the closets may be colder than the rooms. The increased circulation spreads the warm air into those colder areas.
- Consider using fans to increase air circulation and keeping big furniture away from wall corners.
- If you live in a newer, energy efficient home it will naturally hold more moisture. In the colder time of year you may have to run a ventilation fan sometimes or open a window every so often.
Controlling the moisture in your home is going to be the key to controlling mold growth. We hope you can use this information to keep your home clean and healthy.