Mold: We cannot ignore it, but we can prevent it

11/16/2023 (Permalink)

Mold can grow just about anywhere in our home or business. SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney can help with mold remediation.

Mold can be found just about anywhere around us, and there’s always some level of mold or mildew in our home or business building.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following tips to help prevent mold growth in your home:

• Keep humidity levels in your home as low as you can—no higher than 50%–all day long. An air conditioner or dehumidifier will help you keep the level low. You can buy a meter to check your home’s humidity at a home improvement store. Humidity levels change over the course of a day so you will need to check the humidity levels more than once a day.
• Be sure the air in your home flows freely. Use exhaust fans that vent outside your home in the kitchen and bathroom. Make sure your clothes dryer vents outside your home.
• Fix any leaks in your home’s roof, walls, or plumbing so mold does not have moisture to grow.
• Clean up and dry out your home fully and quickly (within 24–48 hours) after a flood.
• Add mold inhibitors to paints before painting. You can buy mold inhibitors at paint and home improvement stores.
• Clean bathrooms with mold-killing products.
• Remove or replace carpets and upholstery that have been soaked and cannot be dried right away. Think about not using carpet in places like bathrooms or basements that may have a lot of moisture.
• To learn more about preventing mold in your home, see the Environmental Protection Agency’s book A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home at www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-10/documents/moldguide12.pdf

To learn more about mold, how to clean it and whether to test for mold in your home, check out this article by CDC:

www.cdc.gov/mold/control_mold.htm

In the event you have severe and visible mold in your home or business, leave it to Team Gutierrez at SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney and Silver Spring North. We are the experts on mold remediation, as well as fire & water cleanup and restoration. Call us 24/7 at 301-340-1313.