The problem of mold growth persists in almost every single home. You don’t often find it till you can smell a particular odor or see the growth somewhere. It resembles a fuzzy fungal growth that can be white, orange, green,or even black in color. It could start to grow on the walls, the flooring of your home, bathroom tiles, kitchen cabinets, clothes, shoes, furniture, etc.
In short, it can be found on any surface.But, how does it usually multiply in growth? That’s because of the presence of excess moisture. It’s gross, we know. Although you cannot eliminate mold entirely from within your home, there are ways to reduce its growth or even prevent it from multiplying before it gets too difficult to get rid of.
One thing you should know though, mold spores in the air outside find their way into our homes through windows, doors, and vents, and even attach themselves to pets, shoes, or even our clothes. These particles are so minuscule you can never really see them at first – up until there’s a huge fungal growth in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
What Are the Causes of Mold Growth in a Home?
1. Open Doors and Windows
As we already mentioned above, mold spores find their way into our homes through open windows and doors as well since it is carried through the air.
What can you do:
Well for starters maybe keep your doors and windows closed most of the time unless absolutely necessary. When the weather’s nice we understand it’s a normal habit to leave your windows open to let some cool breeze in. So if you can’t keep them closed most of the time, maybe use an air disinfector to purify the air within your home.
2. Humidity & Moisture
Humidity and moisture are the perfect elements for mold growth to aggravate. That is why you would find that mold growth is common in bathrooms and under the kitchen sinks. These are the two places where there is always moisture.
What can you do:
Most you can do is air out and use ventilation for such spaces and rooms. Ventilation in general is a good way of airing out any room. But in places where humidity prevails for long periods, it would be wise to invest in a dehumidifier. These devices work to extract the excess moisture from the air in your home.
3. Maintenance and Cleanliness of Your Home
If you slack behind in cleaning your home frequently or doing a deep clean every now and then, then you wouldn’t know when and how mold spores make their way into your home.The only time you would be made aware of them would be because of unexplained respiratory and allergen issues, and of course when you see patches of mold around the place.
Other than cleanliness, it is also things like leakages in your home that cause mold growth. Leaky pipes or roofs for instance are one reason which contributes to the presence of moisture in the air, and as we already know mold spores thrive in moisture.
What can you do :
Frequent vacuuming of your homes – especially carpets and corners can get rid of any dust that accumulates, and along with it any mold spores that have settled. And to deal with the problem of leakages, maybe install a water leak detector in your home. These devices are smart and quick to alert you of any leaks in your home’s plumbing system.
Is Mold Really A Big Problem?
We already know that mold is technically a sort of fungus, which is super gross but it also poses a great health risk for those within the home. It can cause eye irritation and respiratory issues like difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing; and for people with asthma and immuno compromised health, it can be much more problematic.
We hope these tips were helpful in understanding how you can minimize the problem of mold in your homes. Investing in devices like air disinfectors, dehumidifiers, and water leak detectors can go a long way in helping curb the problem of moisture and humidity within your home’s environment. These are the major causes behind the entire problem of mold growth.
So if you were to take care of that from the start, you’re in a better position of managing the problem of mold in your homes should you come across any.
You can find these devices on First Energy Home’s website, www.firstenergyhome.com at reasonable rates. And if you still think they’re pricey then there’s a reason we call them an investment. It is because these devices can go a long way in helping keep the mold issue at bay, and in turn, keep everyone at home healthy.