While mold spores are all around us, mold growth can be prevented. Mold growing in your homes requires moisture, warmth, and food. Depriving mold of any of these three items will stop it from growing, but it will not kill the mold that is already there. Mold spores will remain dormant, and if the moisture, warmth and food all reappear, mold will begin to grow again.
The most important steps in controlling mold growth are to clean any existing mold and to eliminate excessive moisture. You can take numerous precautionary steps:
- Vacuum and clean regularly to remove possible sources of mold growth. Pay special attention to bathrooms and other areas of your home that are likely to generate a lot of moisture.
- In portions of your home that are susceptible to moisture, use area rugs or washable floor surfaces rather than wall-to-wall carpeting. If you use area rugs, launder them periodically.
- Do not store materials such as paper, books, clothes, or other possible sources of food for mold in humid parts of your home.
- Repair water leaks in your roof, windows, or any other part of the home as soon as possible.
- Clean refrigerator drip pans regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. If your refrigerator and freezer doors do not seal properly, moisture can build up and mold can grow there. Remove any mold on the door gaskets and replace faulty gaskets.
- In the kitchen and bathroom, open windows or use exhaust fans when engaging in activities that produce moisture. Exhaust fans should be vented to the outdoors and not to an attic or crawl space.
- If you live in a house with a basement, consider using a dehumidifier there. The cold basement floor and walls can be a source of moisture build-up.
- If your home has an attic, make sure it is properly insulated and ventilated.
- If you have a crawl space under your house, cover the soil in the crawl space with waterproof polyethylene plastic. If your crawl space is ventilated, close the vents in the summer and keep them open in the winter.
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You can find more information about household mold at the Household Mold Resource Center's Web site at www.moldtips.com. This site is brought to you by the National Associations of Home Builders.
