How To Live In A Mold-Free Home!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that mold growth can exist practically anywhere. Mold spores are everywhere and they can easily enter your home. Although shower stalls and basements are typical moist areas prone to the growth of molds, any moist area in the house may harbor mold. Once they gain entrance, they can grow on your furniture, clothes, or even pets.

The worst part of mold is that it will release clouds of potentially harmful spores that, when they are airborne can enter your lungs. Not all mold is harmful, but how it affects you can depend on your sensitivity. Some people experience symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, wheezing, watery eyes, skin irritation, runny nose, and itchy eyes.

Here are some tips to keep your home mold-free:

Keep humidity below 50 percent in basements. Improve outside grading and drainage by keeping gutters clean and soil always sloping away from your home. Cover dirt crawlspace floors with plastic to reduce moisture.

1. Keep all storage at least several inches up off concrete floors and away from foundations where dampness can easily seep in. This is especially important with organic materials like cardboard boxes. Avoid using wooden shelves; metal or plastic shelves are preferable.

2. Spaces like finished basements are more likely to grow mold and should be heated. The warmer the space, the less the chance that condensation will form and cause a mold issue.

3. Ventilation fans in bathrooms and kitchens can take moisture outside. Keeping the bathroom door open after bathing will speed up the drying process.

4. Avoid using carpet in your basement. Carpets can be very good environments for mold. Even non-organic carpets can collect dirt, dust, and moisture that combine to provide mold a fertile ground in which to grow, in rooms where relative humidity tends to be higher. Laminate flooring or engineered hardwoods are always a better choice for basement spaces.

5. A whole house air cleaner attached to your forced-air heating and cooling system house air cleaners are indispensable in fighting mold. Mounted permanently to the home’s HVAC system, a whole-house air cleaner uses ionization technology to charge particles making them stick to filters like a magnet.

6. Your duct system that carries heated or cooled air throughout your house should be insulated whenever it passes through unheated or uncooled spaces like attics or basements. If it isn't, condensation can form inside the ducts and, when combined with dust in the air, can allow mold to grow in the ducts. Then spores can easily circulate throughout your entire house.

7. Use mold-inhibiting cleaners in your bathrooms and kitchen.

8. When painting damp spaces like kitchens and bathrooms, use paint with a mold inhibitor EPA-approved for indoor applications.

Alleviating mold in your home will improve the air inside your house. Good air quality inside your home is essential for more than just comfort—it's essential for your family's health. That's why it's reassuring to know that with Adam's Air Systems, you can help you be in complete control of your indoor air. We're a licensed HVAC contractor and we have been ensuring comfort since 2006. When your system is running smoothly, you can be confident that your family is breathing safe, clean, and comfortable air. Call us today, to schedule your HVAC inspection!