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Mold is all around us. We all know the problems that mold can cause. Anything from coughing, wheezing, irritated throat, to more serious problems such as an infection in the lungs. Unfortunately, we can’t escape from mold completely. But there are thing we can do to minimize the amount of mold around us. First of all, let’s talk about what to do if we find mold growing in our house.

So you see the dreaded spots on your wall, what do you do? For the most part you should call in a professional to determine how much mold is actually in your home. You may only see it on the wall, but it may be much deeper than that. It may already have spread inside your walls. So find a company that handles mold remediation such as Courtesy Care and get them to take a look to see how bad the mold really is. If you’re positive that the mold is just on the surface then there is something you can do. Glenn Rowe of Courtesy Care has provided a little tip to help you out.

The first thought of most people is to grab a spray bottle of bleach and water and go to town scrubbing the mold off. You should NOT do that. Why? For a couple reasons.

1. The force of the spray bottle can dislodge the mold spores spreading them through your home.
2. Mold has to be saturated in bleach for 13 hours before the bleach will kill the mold spores. There’s no way you can, or would want to, saturate your walls for 13 hours with bleach.

So what should you do? Again, only if you know that the mold is on the surface only should you attempt this. Get a mixture of 40% Dawn or Joy dish soap and 60% water and put it on a rag and wipe the mold away. The dish soap has to be Joy or Dawn because of a chemical that they contain. This chemical actually encapsulates the mold spore and suffocates it. That’s how you can get rid of surface mold without spreading it to other areas of your home.

How to prevent mold in your home

But how to prevent mold from even growing in your home to begin with? The CDC has provided some nice tips to prevent mold. They are:

1. Keep the humidity level in your home between 40% and 60%. Use an air conditioner or a dehumidifier during humid months and in damp spaces, like basements.
2. Be sure your home has enough ventilation. Use exhaust fans which vent outside your home in the kitchen and bathroom. Make sure your clothes dryer vents outside your home.
3. Fix any leaks in your home’s roof, walls, or plumbing so mold does not have moisture to grow.
4. Clean up and dry out your home thoroughly and quickly (within 24-48 hours) after flooding.
5. Add mold inhibitors to paints before painting.
6. Clean bathrooms with mold-killing products.
7. Remove or replace carpets and upholstery that have been soaked and cannot be dried promptly.
8. Consider not using carpet in rooms or areas like bathrooms or basements that may have a lot of moisture.

Just remember how dangerous mold can be and take the appropriate precautions. If there are signs of mold, it’s best to get your home tested to see if there is even more mold lurking elsewhere.