Moisture Issues and Reducing Risks from Mold

By Reuven Walder

As they say, April showers bring May flowers, but it’s the flowers that bring coughing, sneezing, stuffed noses, and all sorts of other unpleasant symptoms of allergies. Unfortunately, Spring is also a great time for mold to grow, and it’s not always obvious when an allergy problem has turned into a mold problem.

Mold, a form of fungus, does not require light to grow. Instead, mold grows best in damp, dark places eating away at the wood in your home. Outdoors, mold is most virulent stating from late winter going in to the peak of summer and early fall. But indoors, mold can be a problem year round.

Here are a few ways to help combat mold in your home:

Use air conditioners and dehumidifiers inside your home. Humidity levels should be kept to around 30 to 50 percent. Don’t forget to change filters in your air handler regularly, and use an allergen-grade air filter if you are particularly sensitive. Measuring devices — such as a humidity and temperature monitor — can be used to help you know when the humidity level is too high or too low, allowing you to take action as needed.
Reduce indoor humidity by venting excess moisture. Vents should be installed in bathrooms, dryers, kitchens, and next to other moisture-generating sources. Exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens can help. If you don’t have exhaust fans, crack a window in the kitchen when you’re cooking or in the bathroom when you’re bathing. Make sure your vents go to the outside of the house (yes, most fans have dampers to prevent outside air from coming in). You don’t want to vent moisture from the bathroom into the attic because the attic is a prime environment for mold!
Stop water from entering your home. Rain water accumulation can spell big trouble for homes that are not properly graded, or whose downspouts and gutters are not getting the job done.
Clean (or replace) water-damaged or -contaminated surfaces quickly. This prevents the spread of mold spores to other parts of your home. Hard surfaces can be cleaned with a diluted chlorine bleach solution (one part household bleach in nine parts water). Carpeted and other soft surfaces that become moldy should be simply thrown out. Whenever working in a potentially contaminated area, always use proper protective gear (mask and goggles) to reduce your exposure to mold spores.

If you think mold may be an issue, always be sure to get your home tested. You can buy mold testing kits at most hardware stores that can detect the presence of mold and tell you what kind of mold it is and if the quantity found is excessive or natural. Make sure you address any issues before you air seal or do major renovations to your home!

[Reuven Walder is Founder/Vice President of Ecobeco LLC, 2009 Maryland Home Performance Contractor of the Year and 2010 and 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award Winner. He lives in the neighborhood on Lombardy Road. Contact him at 301.802.7038 or reuven at ecobeco dot com.] ■