Mold is everywhere; it is all around us. Whether you are lounging around at home, working at the office of driving down the street, you are in the presence of mold.  Mold only becomes problematic when it begins to grow indoors. Mold requires three things to thrive: an organic food source, oxygen, and moisture/water. Unfortunately, the organic food source and oxygen are not preventable, so the best way to prevent mold is to control the moisture or water in your home. 

Controlling the moisture in your home is the most effective way to prevent mold growth. Be sure to inspect your water supply lines and drains regularly for leaks. If you do have leaks, fix them immediately to avoid mold growth.  It is valuable to monitor the humidity in your home with an RH meter and to keep humidity levels in your basement down with a dehumidifier. In rooms such as closets or storage rooms, it is essential to remove clutter. If these rooms are jam packed then there is a lack of air movement, which can allow moisture to build up. Another tactic for preventing mold growth in your home is to keep your house as dust free and clean as possible. Settled dust contains mold spores that will start to grow if moisture is present. Changing your furnace often, and having your HVAC system cleaned regularly are efficient ways of limiting dust in your home. It is important to have your indoor air quality checked once or twice annually to discover a problem at its early stages, before mold growth begins to cause severe issues in your home.

If mold has already started contaminating your home, removing the moisture is not enough to fix the larger problem. The mold growth would remain dormant until moisture returns, allowing it to begin growing again. Once mold growth begins, the only way to fix the problem is to have it physically removed. Mold removal should always be done by a professional to make sure the problem is completely removed without cross contaminating.

 If you suspect you may have mold in your home call us at 1-800-349-7106.