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Mold in Your House

Heat in your home causes mold to grow but there is more vital information that you need. Anyone can list the causes of mold growth, but what will that solve? I, on the other hand will give you enough information to avoid and combat any mold quickly and effectively.

First of all Let's define mold to better understand it. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention defines Mold as a type of fungus that has many forms. Feel free to Check out the link for other common questions here.  A good analogy is cars.  Cars are vehicles that allow humans to drive to many places, right?

When you go to a car dealership you can pick out a car from a variety of choices. You could buy a truck, SUV, Mid size Sedan or any other car of your choice! Mold is a fungi that comes in many forms, much like a car. However, fungi may cause health problems and cars make life easier.

Causes of Mold Growth

Mold grows in wet, damp, warm and or humid conditions. A scary fact is: Mold can be found almost anywhere and grow on virtually any surface. Look out for it. The CDC article above mentions the fact that mold can survive harsh dry environments. Yes, that means that once mold is created it can survive dry climates. Fruit and other foods are likely to grow mold in warm places, so keep fruit in the refrigerator.

Ways to Attack Mold and Where to Find it

The most common way to prevent mold indoors is by keeping the humidity level somewhere below 60%. One of the best ways to minimize the humidity level in your home, is by purchasing a nice dehumidifier. If you have a basement or crawl space, installing the humidifier in one of those areas should keep the rest of the home dry.

But, you can place the dehumidifier anywhere in your house where you think mold might be to help reduce its growing conditions. Also, it may help the home be more comfortable by cooling the air as it dehumidifies. If you are looking for a great dehumidifier for your entire home, click here.

One of the things that blew my mind was the simple things you can do right now to control the humidity level, you can open the doors in your home or office so the air circulates in a nice way that way you avoid one spot in your home or office from being too warm or too cold.

You can cover pots while cooking, storing firewood outside, and if you have an aquarium in your house or office you can cover it up to minimize the humidity level! In the hot months, such as May, June, July and August keep using your air conditioner and it would help if you also used your dehumidifier but if you do not have either of those items, please try to purchase one if not both.

More Mold Prevention Solutions and Tips

If you are thinking of painting a room, please add mold inhibitors. Paint inhibitors avoid mold from growing on the walls. In the winter if you have a humidifier, please read all the instructions. Try to point the mist away from the walls so mold does not grow on your walls. Be sure to keep the door open in your room.

That way your room does not become a potential home for mold to grow and spread. Also keep in mind the list of places that have high mold exposures. The list contains the following places: Antique Shops, Greenhouses, Saunas, Farms, Mills, Construction areas, Flower Shops, and Summer Cottages.

If you suspect that mold might be growing in your home please be sure to call a specialist or perform a DIY mold test if any mold is growing in your home.

Mold is not only detestable and unpleasant to look at but it also has many health risks associated with it such as coughing, sneezing, allergic reactions, not to mention that it can strain your eyes, lungs, nose, and throat.

That being said if you do have said symptoms above check if you have mold to prevent your symptoms from happening and don’t brush it up as ‘the common flu’ because it might just be a group of fungi creeping in your house without you knowing.

All of the tips and information provided was by the CDC, Lowes article, and the EPA has a nice article that goes into more detail about the risks of mold and you can check it out here.

About Michael Church

Michael Church has been involved with indoor air quality since 2005 and feels the unhealthy crawl space is one of the major problems causing poor indoor air quality.

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