Dealing with mold can be incredibly stressful for any homeowner or business. It’s true that mold damage restoration services can minimize the impact of mold growth, as well as treat any damage that’s occurred as a result. But it’s understandable if you want to be proactive about preventing mold in the future. So how can you do it?
At 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, our mold damage restoration team can help you understand why mold occurred in your building, giving you a crucial first step to minimizing its appearance in the future. But today, we’ll take a look at some broad strategies to aid in mold prevention in your home or business.
Before we start, why does mold appear in buildings in the first place? Mold only occurs where it has moisture to survive, so when mold growth occurs, it’s because enough water has accumulated to allow it to surface. But mold needs very little moisture. Even humidity in the air can be enough to create the right conditions for growth.
When mold occurs, it also needs food materials—but the interiors of buildings offer plenty of food sources, including wood, drywall, carpeting, and more.
With that in mind, let’s review some common causes of mold, prevention methods, and how mold damage restoration can help if mold occurs.
Why Mold Grows and How to Help Prevent It
4 Common Causes of Mold Problems
When it comes to indoor mold, certain issues are more likely to cause growth than others. Knowing these contributors is useful in taking preventative action. So, let’s take a look at some of the most common causes our mold damage restoration company has witnessed:
- Plumbing problems. Leaks and other plumbing issues will often contribute to mold growth. That’s especially true when the leak occurs out of sight—beneath a sink, behind an appliance, or within the walls allowing mold to flourish.
- Flooding. When your home or business is flooded, mold is one of the big risks that comes with it. It’s also one of the reasons that proper flood damage restoration is recommended. Without proper equipment and methods, it’s easy to overlook pockets of water, especially beneath surfaces.
- Inadequate ventilation. When areas of a building are poorly ventilated, they’re more liable to encourage mold growth. That’s especially true in bathrooms, kitchens, and basements, where moisture can easily occur in the air or on surfaces.
- Condensation. You’re most likely to encounter condensation on windows, but that’s not the only place it occurs indoors. This issue goes hand-in-hand with inadequate ventilation and poor insulation, allowing condensation to form within your home or business.
3 Prevention Tips for Mitigating Mold
Now that you know some of the common causes of mold, how can you take steps to prevent these and other issues? Here are three ways you can be proactive about minimizing the risk of mold:
- Make the most of ventilation. If you already have exhaust fans in the bathroom, make sure they’re running when the bath or shower is in use and even afterward. Likewise, turn on your kitchen’s exhaust fans when cooking.
- Keep plumbing in good working order. Make sure to schedule regular maintenance of your plumbing systems. If you notice issues, like difficulties with the sink draining, strange odors, or gurgling sounds, contact a plumber right away.
- Maintain good humidity levels. It’s a good rule of thumb to keep your home’s humidity levels between 30-50%. Dehumidifiers can help to regulate these levels. If your home is drafty, it may be time to improve its insulation to help with humidity, too.
Mold Damage Restoration You Can Count On
Why Mold Damage Restoration Matters
If mold has already entered your home or business, it can feel incredibly stressful—but it makes all the difference to take action now and enlist trusted mold damage restoration services. At 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, here’s why we always recommend professional treatment:
- It’s fast-acting. Once mold takes root, it can spread fast. Professional treatment can put a halt to it, limiting the damage it wreaks on your surfaces.
- It’s thorough. Because mold grows at a microscopic level, it can be difficult to detect on your own. 1-800 WATER DAMAGE uses comprehensive measures to find and treat mold with impact.
- We can address any damage. Sometimes, mold has already deteriorated surfaces or caused structural damage. In these cases, our mold damage restoration services can return affected areas to their pre-mold condition.
Get Started with Powerful Mold Damage Restoration
Don’t let mold spread unchecked in your home or business. To get started with our trusted mold damage restoration services, simply contact 1-800 WATER DAMAGE today.
