Mold can have long-term effects on your health. It is a hazard in many homes that can trigger allergies that range from a mild sneezing attack to severe medical concerns requiring a visit to your doctor at best. Considering this, it’s advisable to keep a mold prevention checklist.
Some symptoms that occur when people are exposed to mold spores include (but aren’t limited to) itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and sinus headaches.
In severe cases where people undergo prolonged exposure to harmful mold, they can experience severe conditions, like aspergillosis, an infection that mainly affects the lungs and spreads to other internal organs. Specifically, people with autoimmune diseases are also at risk of dangerous infections if they inhale mold spores.
The good news is that mold doesn’t have to negatively impact your home if you take precautions and keep up with your preventative measures.
Below, we delve into some actionable tips on how to prevent unwanted microbial growth in your home. We also discuss the most effective ways to treat household mold in a follow-up blog, so make sure to check it out.
To prevent mold from in your home, you will need to eliminate the factors that propagate its growth. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that there’s no practical way of getting rid of all mold spores indoors. It’s important to note that a certain amount of mold is expected to be present in a home, and it is not unhealthy or hazardous. Further, a remediation company can never remove all microbial growth for this reason. The best way to prevent uncontrolled microbial growth is to control indoor moisture.
Here is a definitive mold prevention checklist on how to prevent mold in your home:
- Keep your house dry. Except for the bathroom and the pool area, there’s no reason for any part of your house to be damp. Even the laundry room should be dry at all times.
- Install exhaust or extractor fans in your bathrooms and kitchen.
- Scrub your bathroom tiles and kitchen backsplash regularly. Use water and detergent or antifungal cleaning products.
- Always complete a wash and dry cycle when doing laundry. Don’t leave wet clothes in the washer or dryer.
- Wipe the walls, tub, and shower curtains dry after taking a bath. Alternatively, turn the exhaust fan on or keep the door open to ventilate and air-dry the bath area.
- Keep your windows open whenever possible and allow air to circulate through your house.
- Make sure that your towels, sheets, jackets, and seasonal clothes are completely dry before storing.
- If you must use rugs in your bathroom, wash and air them out regularly.
- Regularly inspect your indoor plumbing, gutters, and drains for leaks.
- Have your dryer vents checked and inspected at least once a year.
- Don’t overwater your indoor plants.
- Don’t put carpets in areas that often get wet, like near the water cooler, on your balcony, your pets’ feeding and drinking areas, or in the laundry room.
- Air out your closets and rarely-opened drawers from time to time.
- Take out the trash daily, especially food waste. Don’t wait for a bag to fill up before getting it out of the house.
- Following a mold prevention checklist and a regular maintenance schedule, you can effectively protect your family and your home from the harmful effects of household mold.
