4 Effective Ways to Eliminate Mold in Your Home in Summer

Warm temperature, humidity and stagnant air are the perfect combination for mold to thrive and grow. Not only does it look bad, but mold is also bad for your health. Getting it professionally removed can be very costly, but there are simple ways you can deal with the problem yourself.

• Locate where mold grows – check in the attic, in corners, in cupboards and anywhere that you don’t clean regularly. Is a part of your home notorious for damp? Check north-facing rooms as these will often suffer from condensation because, as the air heats the walls remain cool. Also avoid leaving any standing water – always mop it up.
• Check for leaks –  it is worth making checking the roof part of your annual property check. Leaks don’t just go away if you ignore them and instead need to be repaired immediately. It can take some time for a tiny leak in your roof to actually start to damage your ceiling – it is rarely an overnight occurrence.
• Keep the air flowing – this is one of the greatest ways of avoiding mold growth. If you keep the air fresh, clean and dry in your home, mold has nowhere to grab a hold. In areas like your basement or attic, two places that are notorious for still air, consider installing a fan to circulate the air. The cost of two fans can be a lot less than the cost of removing masses of mold. Also make sure that dehumidifier ducts are sealed to guarantee maximum airflow throughout your home.
• Aim for maximum indoor air quality (IAQ.) – mold can grow throughout your home as its spores can travel in the air. Whenever you carry out cleaning maintenance on your HVAC unit, aside from a safety aspect, switching it off will help avoid spreading mold spores throughout your home. The same applies when removing mold from affected places.

Prevention is always better than cure where mold is concerned, so serious consideration needs to be given to the installation of a dehumidifier. There are smaller portable ones, or larger fixed-site humidifiers with ducts which allow you to tackle damp throughout your whole home. To discover which might be your best option, give us a call here at Petrocelli Services in Austin, TX and we’ll gladly come out and advise you, and at no charge for the visit.