How To Fix Humidity Problems In The Home
A home that has high relative humidity problems indicates there is a problems with the HVAC system, ventilation or poor living habits such as running the air conditioning with the windows open. A licensed HVAC contractor or engineer may need to be contacted.
But that sounds expensive, right?
Well another option is:
Get an external dehumidifier. This is especially good if you are just having a humidity problem in one section of the home.
External dehumidifiers can work great and don’t necessarily need to be ran 24 hours a day. You can run it for a few hours in a room while you are somewhere else in the home and it can make a big difference.
The downside about external dehumidifiers is they need to be emptied because they fill up with water pretty easily.
To prevent humidity problems that can lead to condensation, you should also make sure the air conditioning is set to the “Auto” position and not “On”. You will really start to see mold growing on your clothes if you do this.
Final Word On Black Mold: Best Avoidedbut Not Deadly
As for black molds toxic reputation, those with immune suppression, asthma, or other respiratory problems are most at risk of feeling ill.
Its not likely that youll die from black mold poisoning because its just not that toxic. That said, you should act quickly if you find it in your home. The good news is its treatable, removable, and preventable.
Black Mold Health Effects
According to the Center for Disease Control , Stachybotrys is responsible for mold allergies and over 100 cases of lung disorders. To avoid the risk of getting mold allergies, it is extremely important to remove all mold, regardless of what type you find. Your familys health depends on it.
People who have allergies, respiratory disease, or any type of immune-suppressing disease should be especially wary.
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Visible Dark Rings And Spots
One of the early signs that mold could be lurking in your home is the appearance of dark rings or spots on the ceilings or walls. Even if these spots arent mold per se, they may be indicative of water damage or pooling water, which is a recipe for mold growth.Dark rings on your ceiling? It might be an early sign of black mold.
If you see anything like this in your home, its best to mop it up as quickly as possible and clean the area using disinfectants. If you cant access the area, get an inspector to do it for you. Be sure to check other areas as well, since there could be more widespread water damage.
Ozone To Remove Smell
Ozone generators have become popular removing indoor odors in recent years. It has been said to be very effective according to manufacturers of the product. There is no scientific evidence to back this up and can be harmful to humans when inhaled or ingested. Additionally, no government agency recommends this be used in a location when occupied.
If you use an Ozone generator that states it’s EPA approved, this can be misleading. The EPA states this about Ozone:
Several brands of ozone generators have EPA establishment number on their packaging. This number helps EPA identify the specific facility that produces the product. The display of this number does not imply EPA endorsement or suggest in any way that EPA has found the product to be either safe or effective.
Please Note: EPA does not certify air cleaning devices. The Agency does not recommend air cleaning devices or manufacturers. If you need information on specific devices or manufacturers.
If you decide to use Ozone to remove odors in the home, make sure you are not staying there!
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Problems In The Attic Leading To Musty Odors
Odors that are caused by issues in the attic can be a nuisance because they are not simple to diagnose.
The most issue to diagnose is of course roof leaks. You start seeing stains when it gets bad enough and you easily figure it out.
Unfortunately, it’s not always quite that simple.
There are other issues that can arise in the attic that can lead to your home smelling like mold.
It could have been a problem brewing for years since the day your house was built or it could have been due to the things moved around by people that were doing work in the attic.
Keep It Clean And Dry
It never hurts to clean regularly. Make sure humid areas and rooms with plumbing get regular spot checks. Add mold and mildew removal products to your cleaning routine, especially for the bathroom and kitchen.
Mold thrives on moisture, so use dehumidifiers in humid areas of your home like bathrooms, basements, or closets.
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How To Remove Black Mold Yourself
Did you know that its often possible to remove black mold yourself? Its true! Professional mold remediation can cost thousands of dollars and is often excluded from many homeowners insurance policies. But in many instances hiring a mold removal professional isnt necessary and black mold can be removed by a handy homeowner in less than one weekend of work.
If you feel like you may be a homeowner who is up to the challenge, weve written an eBook that gives step-by-step instructions on how to tackle your mold problem. For less than $20, we guarantee that youll save hundreds, if not thousands, of your hard-earned dollars.
You can purchase our eBook here:
And if youre not comfortable tackling the problem yourself, were happy to provide you a quote if youre in our service area. Just contact us for a completely free quote.
Bottom Line: No mold belongs in a healthy home. Be it black mold, or any other color of mold. It should all be treated the same. If you have mold, remove it.
How To Prevent Black Mold Growth
Conducting routine home inspections and maintenance are the best ways to deal with a black mold problem. Keep an eye out for evidence of water damage and visible mold on a regular basis. The conditions that cause mold should be corrected in a timely manner to prevent mold from growing further.
The extent of structural damage black mold can cause to your home, depends on how quickly you act to fix it.
Some of the ways you can keep mold out of your home is by:
To completely get rid of black mold from your home, you must address the root cause of the problem, so that there is no recurrence of mold. For example, just cleaning up the mold without addressing the moisture problem will not solve the issue because the mold will very likely return.
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Q My Wardrobe And Clothes Are Mouldy Why
A. This is common and again caused by the airborne mositure in your home.
Solutions:
- Do not over load the wardrobe with clothes
- Allow space for air to circulate
- Cut a ventilation hole in the wardrobe and breather holes in shelves to allow air flow and ventilation.
- Move wardrobes away from outside walls.
- Dry clean affected clothes.
Growth Spots Of Varying Colors
Black mold, as the name implies, is often dark in color. When searching for black mold, look for circular-shaped spots that are black, dark green or dark brown. Some black mold can also take on shades of orange or have flecks of white within it.
Most of the time, black mold has a slightly furry appearance. Larger growths of mold may appear as a black stain that stretches along your wall, floor or ceiling.
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When They Have Been Wet For An Extended Period Of Time
If your home has been flooded and not dried out in a timely fashion chances are you will start seeing mold grow on your clothing.
There is a difference between mold on your clothes and actively growing.
An example of this would be if your home was affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Most of the peoples homes were flooded and not dried out in a timely matter, therefore the clothes are not habitable anymore.
Removing Mold On Ceiling And Keep It From Returning
Over the changing of the season, many problems can occur to your house. Extreme heat, low temperature, and humidity can do damage to several parts of the building.
Maybe, one of the most disturbing ones is the mold on ceiling. Not only it destructs the construction materials in long-term, but it also harms your familys health.
As a living microorganism, a mold is a form of fungi that grows, eats, and reproduces. Unfortunately, to reproduce, it releases spores which can be harmful if its inhaled to the humans body system.
It can cause problems like headaches, nausea, lung irritation, eye irritation, and allergic reactionmostly because the spores would try to grow just anywhere it lands including the human body.
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What If You Have Mold That Looks Like This In Your Home
So what if you have mold that looks like these pictures of black mold in your home? Well, your health, and the health of your entire family, is at risk. Black mold is sometimes referred to as toxic mold because it produces mycotoxins that can cause numerous health problems, including breathing problems, asthma attacks, respiratory infections such as pneumonia, coughing, sneezing, headaches, sore throats, exhaustion, and depression. It can even make your pets sick some families have lost pets due to serious infections and other health problems related to exposure to black mold.
If you have mold like this in your home, you need to get it cleaned up as soon as possible in order to prevent health problems from beginning or worsening. If you have black mold covering a large area or mold growing in your heating and ventilation ducts, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends having a professional handle the cleanup. If you have and mold-related health problem, or health issues such as asthma that might be worsened by exposure to mold, its also best to have a professional handle the job. If you need to hire a mold removal professional, or if youd just like some free expert advice about the mold in your home, you can schedule a free consultation with a mold removal professional. Just follow the link to find experienced professionals near you.
Clean Your Closets Regularly
Another essential method to prevent mold growth in your closets is to clean your closet areas regularly. To prevent the accumulation of dirt and other substances in your closet, move items away your closet area, wash the closet area, use a vacuum, and make sure that the interior of your closet is adequately dried before putting any clothing back. Additionally, you may also want to open doors or windows to allow fresh air to circulate the space.
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What Is The Best Mold Killer For Cars
The best mold killer for cars is distilled white vinegar. Youll want to spray the distilled vinegar in the areas the mold is growing, being careful not to leave any stains. Vinegar wont stain the interior of your car, saving you from having to clean the car twice.
If your car has a lot of fabric in it, the Micro Balance EC3 will work the best for you. Simply spray this mold killer around your car and wait for the mold to die.
What Are Black Mold Health Symptoms
We all know mold isnt welcomed in the home, but did you know too that breathing in the presence of mold can harm your health? There are over 2,000 different species of mold and the most dangerous of all is called Stachybotrys Chartarum, also known as black mold or the invisible killer.
Why is black mold so dangerous? Black mold releases toxic spores that linger in the air and attack your respiratory health. The potency of these toxic spores has proved to be the most detrimental to human health.
Black mold often appears as slimy and greenish-black. If its water source runs out, black mold can also appear as dry and powdery. Black mold is also dangerous because its sometimes difficult to distinguish from other species of mold.
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What To Do If You Find Black Mold In Your Home
Experts weigh-in on removal and safety tips.
Mold isn’t always a bad thingbut it’s still not an organism you want growing unchecked in your home. “Some molds are very benign,” says Leslie Andersen, vice president of training and launch at restoration company Paul Davis. “And some are really good: Think about bleu cheese, or penicillin, or mushrooms, or beerall of those have molds in them.” But if you find a musty smell in your basement or see a patch of fungal growth in a water-prone area of your home, that indicates a mold you’ll want to removeespecially if it’s hazardous black mold.
“When people use the term black mold, they’re often identifying a type of mold called stachybotrys,” says Andersen. While many types of mold grow in circular patterns and boast a shiny finish, black mold differs in a few key ways: It grows in a patchier shape and has a much lighter tone. “It’s a dull, kind of chalky mold, reminiscent of if you looked inside your fireplacethat kind of a sooty look,” says Andersen. When disturbed, it releases mycotoxins which can cause irritation in the nose, eyes, and lungs. “People wipe it or they touch it, and they start sneezing, they cough, they get runny eyesit’s because the mold spores are off-gassing to make you stop bothering it,” Andersen says. “What makes it more dangerous to humans is how it affects our respiratory system. We breathe it in, it goes into our lungs, and folks get very, very serious lung conditions from that type of mold spore.”
What Causes A Basement To Smell Like Mold
Basements tend to smell like mold because they are typically more damp which allows mold and mildew to grow and thrive. Being underground, a basement is not only susceptible to water intrusion at the foundation, but also warmer air entering the building envelope which leads to condensation.
If your like me and you grew up having an unfinished basement you probably have an odor that comes to mind
Just that damp/mustiness odor.
This not mean that your basement is dirty. You can vacuum and mop all you want but if you do not resolve the root of the problem it will do you no good.
As stated above, basements tend to have more moisture. It’s just the way it is.
It’s important to find out if moisture is entering your basement in other ways, as well. If you notice a broken seal on a window or a crack in the foundation wall, you may have found your musty culprit. You should also check to see if you have clogged rain gutters, French drains, sewer backups, leaky pipes or even a broken seal on your laundry dryer vent as these problems can all contribute to a musty basement.
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Cleaning Products For Black Mold
This list is arranged from least toxic to most . It’s best to start with the least toxic solution. Note: never mix bleach and ammonia as they produce a toxic gas when combined.
| Substance | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Spray it straight on the effected area |
||
|
Borax |
Toxic if swallowed it but doesn’t emit dangerous fumes like some other mold killers more effective on tiles, less so on carpet |
Mix 1 cup Borax and 1 gallon hot water pour in spray bottle and spray after a few minutes, use a scrub brush or cloth to wipe the mold away don’t rinse |
|
Hydrogen Peroxide |
Higher concentrations may be hazardous and will corrode many materials, including human skin in a lower concentration it is safe to use, doesn’t damage the environment, leave a toxic residue, or produce a toxic fume it is a bleaching agent which may cause material to fade |
Pour 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle leave it on effected area for 10 minutes before rinsing |
|
Ammonia |
Harsh, toxic chemical like bleach, ammonia will only kill surface mold on hard, non-porous surfaces |
Mix a solution of 50% “clear” ammonia and 50% water do not mix with bleach, as this will create an extremely toxic, dangerous fume after spray on effected area and wait 2-3 hours before rinsing |
|
Bleach |
Harsh, corrosive chemical which can damage the materials it’s used on, emits dangerous fumes, and leaves a toxic residue |
Mix a ratio of 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water spray it on and don’t rinse |
Where Black Mold Most Often Grows
Black mold grows in areas that stay consistently wet over long periods of timeso you won’t find it immediately after your toilet overflows, but you might notice it under the bathroom or kitchen sink where a slow drip has gone undetected. Look for it in “utility closets where your water heater is, basements, bathroomsanywhere you have the probability for moisture, or even groundwater seepagebasements are famous for that,” says Andersen. “It doesn’t need dark at all.” It’s also important to note that black mold isn’t the same gunk you might find on grout around an old bathtubthat’s more likely to be mildew, which thrives on residual dampness and dirt in your shower.
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