Moisture and Mold are two things that bother many home owners across the United States of America, and they’re not as easy to deal with once we “let them” happen. You see, some of these unwanted conditions are easier to prevent than deal with, and when it comes to home maintenance, this is something we have to think of each time we take care of our houses.
Mold makes everyone cringe as soon as the word is brought up in a conversation, especially those “hygiene freaks” who can’t stand even a slight speck of dust in their living area. But, hygiene freaks won’t allow mold to occur in their home in the first place, right? Well, kind of.
You see, mold and moisture are both present at homes where not enough maintenance takes place. Such examples are homes visited only for holidays and other similar “seasonal” places. It’s simple, you’re not there regularly, and so the home cannot clean and maintain itself. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to visit and be greeted by moisture and mold problems every time. There are ways to prevent it. Wondering how to do it? Worry not, we’re here to help you. Let’s take a look.
1. Prevent any type of moisture in your place
Some people engage in domestic activities that promote increased moisture in your rooms, which is definitely not a good idea if you are looking to reduce the chances for mold. Taking a steamy bath and not ventilating properly afterward is one of the many examples that can cause mold in your home due to the increased humidity in your place. AC Units are a great solution for something like this and since most people have them installed already, we wanted to remind you of their ability to increase air circulation.
If you happen to be interested in other easy ways to prevent moisture in your home, Elite Moisture is a website where tons of useful information is listed on their blog. Now let’s take a look at what mold-resistant walls are and why it’s smart to consider investing in them.
2. Invest in mold-resistant walls if you live in a humid area
Mold-resistant walls are becoming more and more popular as time goes by because they are a modern solution that can save many hours of headaches and cringe. Say bye to the mold forever with something that doesn’t even cost that much money. Mold-Resistant Walls are covered in fiberglass and that’s a highly water-proof and mold-resistant material. It’s also very durable, but it doesn’t cost that much. In rooms where the chance for mold is the highest, adding such walls is the best way to prevent the problem from happening. Kitchens and bathrooms are just some of the examples. Oh, and don’t forget basements too.
3. Reduce the amount of water directed to your home
If you can somehow make sure that the soil close and beneath the foundation of your home doesn’t collect any water, your entire structure will be more stable, and you’ll also avoid and mold and moisture issues that may happen in the future. This is of course difficult to do once your home is already built, but in areas where the soil is regularly full of water, architects pay a lot of attention to this. If you are the one who built the home on your own, which is the case with some of the older houses, mainly in rural areas, give your best to try and “re-direct” some of the water that goes underneath your home or close to it.
The easiest and most common way of doing this is to create a slope so that the waterfalls on the opposite side. Just like the streets are curved at the edges in some of the larger cities.
4. Don’t hermetically shut your rooms when leaving home
Plastic windows are more convenient, cheaper and also easier to find. But, are they the most efficient ones when it comes to natural air circulation in your home? Not at all. But, some of us have plastic windows and they do quite a good job at isolating sounds and giving us peace when it’s rest time. However, if you close them off completely before leaving your home for a longer time, humidity and moisture can build up inside the home and that’s how you get mold. If you plan to leave your home for a week or so, try to at least leave the windows open even the slightest bit so that air can circulate while you’re away. It’s a very common solution that many people practice.
5. Use humidity monitoring solutions
Last but not least, you can always use humidity monitoring devices which are great if you are trying to avoid mold and moisture at all costs. They are easy to find and they don’t cost a lot of money, just visit any hardware store and you can get one for less than twenty dollars at most. Your indoor humidity levels need to be between 25 and 55 according to the EPA.
Conclusion
“It’s better to prevent the issue than having to deal with it later on” is an old saying and we honestly think is made out of words to live by. This exact saying applies to the mold and moisture situation that many people are facing. But, as we said above, sometimes you’re just out of reach and you cannot maintain your home the way it needs to be maintained. So, like it or not, mold will appear. That’s why we included a few preventive measures as well as a few solutions, so feel free to apply all of those as an attempt to solve your problem.
You shouldn’t be afraid to call professionals to help you for the job if you are inexperienced. It’s simply something that not everyone has dealt with within their life. A small investment for the solution of such a huge problem shouldn’t even be considered twice.
