The first thing you need to keep in mind when you’re at home and you notice mold issues around it is to look for any leaks. Since mold often thrives very well in warm and damp environments, you will need to work on checking for any possible problems with the plumbing.
The tips of this article will give you something to work with while you deal with the issue in the most efficient way you can:
- You should start your work by inspecting the water pipes, plumbing fixtures and waste lines among other things. If you happen to have noticed a leak, you will need to work a bit on spotting where it originates. You can let the water run through the pipes, all the while looking for and damp spots around the walls. This will help you identify the problem where it occurs, giving you the chance to fix it. In some cases you can deal with the problem by locating the dampness and figuring out where it came from due to the effects of gravity, but other cases may defy expectations.
- Make sure you never ignore any mold if you see signs of it. If you leave it alone for far too long without cleaning it, you will deal with a lot more than what you started with. You have to forget about simply wiping it off and calling it a day, since it will return eventually and you will have to deal with it. If you want to solve the problem permanently, you will have to make sure you focus on finding the leak itself and the source of the dampness, as this will be the reason mold appeared in the first place. This will avoid you having to get professional cleaning services.
- Inspect window wells as well as any vents and flashing, checking for leaks on the walls and the roof. You will also need to figure out the exact spot and by measuring the location on the inside. Figure out the problem and check for any rotting wood both around it and any vents and other places where the mold has appeared. If you have damp grounds around the foundations of your home, the basement may also suffer from such issues and you will need to find a way to limit that. Using a dehumidifier will help in the long run, but you will need to make sure you find the root of the problem and deal with it.
- Assuming mold forms on the ceiling or under a duct, you will have to look for roof leaks. If you have no roof leaks, then this means you are dealing with some poor ductwork. Warm and moist air will condense and it will form drops of water on the surface of ducts, which in turn will allow mold spores to thrive in the nice environment created for them. You will need a good vapor barrier to solve the issue, especially when dealing with kitchen cleaning.
- You can clean most mold species with either straight distilled white vinegar or a mix of water and bleach. These will allow you to eliminate the issue in a certain location, but in the end you will still have to deal with the reason why mold appeared in the first place.
- If things are out of control, then you may need to look for professional cleaning services to help you out. A good cleaning company will have the necessary tools to tackle the other problems you may be facing, so you should look for one in extreme cases.
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