How to Prevent Mold from Taking Hold In Your New Home

by | Sep 26, 2018 | How To's

Four little letters comprise a word that stops everyone in their tracks. M-O-L-D. Mold is a fungus that has spores that freely travel the in air at all times. It grows on paper, cloth, wood, and behind drywall, among other things. Moisture of any kind from anywhere, such as flooding or humidity, can cause mold to grow.

Of itself, mold has useful properties; it is responsible for penicillin, for instance. It’s when the mold spores proliferate that the trouble begins. Mold attaches to any organic material, eating away at it and causing structural damage. It attacks those with allergies, asthma, and other lung problems; they suffer first and worst.

Controlling the humidity and moisture levels inside your home is your best course for avoiding the growth of mold. Everyone knows that one of the most reliable and efficient ways to lower the humidity in the home is to have a dehumidifier installed on your heating and cooling system. It pays to begin at the beginning—outdoors.

Clean the Outside of the House

Clean out the gutters and downspouts. Accumulated sludge, leaves, and twigs clog the gutters and downspouts. This prevents them from doing their job properly, leaving water to get into your walls, basement, and crawl spaces.

If the drainage on your property isn’t enough, have trenches dug so water will be headed away from the house. You can even do it yourself and backfill the trenches with decorative gravel.

Check the roof; this is your first line of defense, and the first place moisture will try to get through. Loose shingles and damaged flashing should be repaired or replaced before any worse damage is done. Then check the attic for mold.

Decaying organic matter such as dead trees and flowers can make a potential mold problem worse. Remove fallen trees, check for rot on living trees, and make sure you remove or grind stumps so they don’t pose a threat to your home.

Move to the Inside of the House

Seek out any wet areas and dry them immediately. Dripping window unit air conditioners, condensation from HVAC units dripping from air vents, drainage problems with dishwashers or washing machines are all sites for mold growth. If these appliances are causing the moldy issues, it might be a good idea to look into replacing them with new appliances.

Then check your house for mold-friendly areas. Does condensation gather on windows? Are there watermarks on the ceilings? Does your basement flood? Check on these areas and have them repaired or replaced.

Use Mold-Resistant Materials

Building materials are now mold-resistant; paint is, too. Drywall is mostly gypsum plaster between sheets of paper. Today’s technology offers us drywall that is not made of paper at all. It’s made of fiberglass wrapped around the gypsum and is also waterproof.

Mold-inhibiting paint is available for those with water problems in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements. Remember to scrape off the mold and clean before painting. Mold-resistant primer is also available.

Moisture Control Indoors

When working in areas of high moisture, such as kitchens and bathrooms, open a window for venting if there is one handy. Indoor humidity is ideally 30 to 60 percent. The HVAC unit can’t do it all, so helping with an open window will save you from a moldy kitchen or bathroom.

Keep an eye on indoor humidity with an inexpensive humidity checker from your local hardware store. Another way to tell if there is excess moisture in your house is to look at the windows. If they have condensation, then open them.

Now is the time to remember that one of the reliable and efficient ways to lower humidity in the home is to have a dehumidifier installed on your heating and cooling system. Make sure to check the unit as well as the air handler for moisture. Empty drainage pans. Mold will grow here as well and will blow through a house.

A lot of homeowners think an air conditioner removes humidity in the home. It does, but not at the rate that will prevent mold from entering and growing. The harder it tries to dehumidify, the power bill costs rise. A dehumidifier added to the HVAC unit will lower the power bill.

Dehumidifying works using a refrigerant. The air at dew point is basically moisture. Water then condenses in the air in the house. It is collected by a coil, which freezes. When the unit senses humidity, the air conditioner kicks on. A heating unit melts any ice on the coils.

This is called a humidistat, while an air conditioner has a thermostat. You can set the desired humidity level on the humidistat. The dehumidifier cycles on and off with a fan blowing as it senses humidity and then the lack of humidity in the air. It will remain on much like an A/C does until the air is dry.

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