9 Tips for Preventing Mold Damage in Your Home or Office
Mold Damage can grow in the right conditions in as little as 24 hours. Like any living creature, Mold needs the right conditions including food, air, and water to flourish. Take one or more them away and you will stop mold growth in its tracks. If you do find mold call The Flood Guys for a mold inspection and estimate for abatement and treatment against future mold growth. Our professionally trained and certified technicians will help identify the source, clean the area, and treat against future mold growth.
Details for preventing mold in your home:
- Identify – find problem areas in your home that may lead to mold growth. Leaks in the attic or crawlspace, musty basements, humid bathrooms. Concentrate your initial efforts on these areas for potential water damage first.
- Dry – if you find a leak or spill on the carpet, clean it up right away. Dab away liquid for a spill or have the leak fixed as quickly as possible. Mold Damage can start within 24hrs if not properly dried. If you have to call a plumber or roofer to repair a leak, Call The Flood Guys right away. We will work in tandem with your leak repair specialist to make to the structure is stabilized and then dried properly using moisture detection and procedures following the IICRC standards for structural drying.
- Ventilate – steam from showers and cooking is priority #1 and the easiest way to combat moisture in your home. Keep bathroom fans clean and running well, make sure your stove’s hood is clean and working well. A noisy fan could mean poor ventilation. Open a window to direct steam outside. Air flows from high pressure (hot and humid) to low pressure (dry and cool) naturally, use this to your advantage. If venting outside is not possible, look for other opportunities reduce humidity by purchasing a dehumidifier.
- Mold Resistant – in possible, build or remodel problem areas of your home with mold resistant building materials. Bathrooms already require moisture resistant drywall, but there are other areas you can use this in like laundry rooms and basements. You can also find paint with mold inhibitors.
- Monitor – there are many inexpensive brands that offer temperature and humidity in your home. They will help you continue to identify those problem areas of your home and give you some advance warning for potential issues that need to be addressed.
- Remove The Source – When it starts to rain, one of our top calls is water and moisture in basements. Prevent mold by stopping the source of the water.
- Direct rain spouts out away from your home.
- Look for puddles near your home’s foundation.
- Make sure sprinklers aren’t hitting the house.
- Slope landscaping away from your home, water flows downhill
- Keep foliage and plants away from the foundation to keep air flowing around the the exterior
- Gutters – Overflowing gutters are a part of #6, but deserve its own number to highlight how much damage can be done by gutters that are not properly cleaned and maintained. Clean out gutters and make sure down spouts are flowing freely away from your home and foundation.
- Airflow – Mold lurks in stagnant air, dark, humid environments. Don’t Mold the food it needs to survive. Open interior doors and exterior windows up as often as possible to keep fresh air flowing and light streaming stop mold before it starts.
- Plants – House plants help with cleaning the air, but they can also be a source of mold. Do not over water your plants and keep them free of mold growth. There are anti-fungal treatments you can use, available at any plant retail store.
The Flood Guys will be there to help if you find mold and provide mold removal and mold remediation services. Hopefully these helpful tips will help you prevent mold damage from happening in the first place. Call 844-FloodDude for 24hr Emergency support for your home or office.
Follow us on our Social Media for more fun #TipsTuesdays and #5StarFridays from The Flood Guys
