How prevent mold in your house?

Worried that you might eventually get mold in the living areas of your house? Or have you had mold in the past and want to learn how to better prevent it?

In case you missed the first mold prevention post we'll start at the beginning.

Let's start with the basics. Mold needs three things to grow.

1. Mold Spores

2. Food Source

3. Excess Moisture

You can't control No. 1 since mold grows naturally.

You're probably wondering what kind of food mold likes to eat. Well you can't control No. 2, the food source, since our buildings are constructed with materials that are food sources for mold.

So let's concentrate on the only thing we can control - excess moisture.

What causes excess moisture that enables mold to grow on surfaces within our homes and commercial buildings?

Common causes of moisture in the living areas of the home are water intrusion around windows, doors, skylights and plumbing leaks.

Periodically replacing the caulk around these fixtures is a good idea.

To be extra safe, you can add a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture

You can get one with a built in pump, so the dehumidifier can run continuously without needing to empty the condensate collection bucket.

There are some that are small and budget friendly.

For a larger area, you'll need a larger dehumidifier with are larger bucket to capture the water. With this model, you'll need to empty the bucket periodically.