Is your home a health risk? Do you have mold, mildew, asbestos, or other harmful elements lurking around the corners? A harrowing survey conducted not so long ago makes a claim that 47% of US homes have some level of mold growth.
Mold is made of dust-like spores of fungus that produce common allergens and irritants. Mildew takes the form of flat, powdery dots, and closely resembles mold in many instances. However, both mold and mildew are bad for your health (and the well-being of your loved ones).
Inhaling or even touching these fungi can cause allergic reactions. Sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash are some telltale symptoms of mold exposure. Also, mold/mildew is bad for people with asthma or similar conditions. That’s why you should prevent mold growth in your home. How? We’ll explain it all in this comprehensive guide for homeowners in 2025.
Maintain HVAC Systems
Mold and mildew feed off moisture. They grow in humid areas of your house. However, a well-functioning HVAC system prevents mold/mildew growth. It gives you a healthy indoor air quality as well. This is crucial for the residents of flooding-prone small towns like Vidor, Texas. Moreover, reports also suggest that harmful chemicals have seeped deep into this western Orange County city’s soil. That’s why you should be extra careful about your HVAC system’s maintenance needs.
You should hire a reliable cooling and heating contractor in Vidor, TX to optimize your HVAC system. This local contractor will make sure that your heating & cooling system is working just fine. Don’t forget to schedule HVAC inspection appointments with qualified contractors every year, at least.
Consider having your air ducts cleaned periodically to remove dust and potential mold spores just to be extra safe! A well-working HVAC system will keep mold and mildew miles away from your home.
Regulate Humidity Levels
Since we’ve established that mold needs humidity to thrive, you should keep the humidity levels inside your house to a bare minimum (30% to 50%, ideally!). Here’s how you can achieve this:
- Use dehumidifiers in your basement and laundry room
- Check humidity levels in your house with a hygrometer
- Keep your air conditioning working fine to reduce humidity
Fix Leaks Right Away
Water leaks make your house more moisture-rich. You see faster mold growth after water leaks. But there’s an easy way to fix this solution. You should keep checking for leaks from time to time. Do you see any signs of leaks? If you do then fix these leaks right away (and call a plumber when it comes to plumbing leaks). You may close gaps around doors and windows using caulk or sealant.
Ensure Proper Ventilation
Proper ventilation will make your air less moisture-laden. You should also install exhaust fans in your kitchen and the bathroom. That’s because a lot of moisture is produced by cooking and showering. Moreover, you should open your window when the weather outside is good. Let fresh air come inside the house and take humidity levels down a notch. You should make sure that air vents aren’t blocked by furniture or something, too.
Immediately Dry Wet Areas
Did you know that mold growth takes like 1 to 2 days after water exposure? You can prevent that by drying wet areas immediately after spills or leaks. Use towels or a wet vacuum to dry these areas and set up a fan to speed up the drying process by circulating air around it. If a carpet gets soaked then you may remove them until they can be dried thoroughly.
Clean Your House Regularly
You can easily eliminate mold spores before they mature by cleaning your home from time to time. Sadly, a survey done in 2023 says that most Americans don’t clean their homes for a whole month! You should avoid that and establish a regular cleaning schedule. Also, you may focus on high-moisture areas while cleaning your bathroom with mold-exterminating solutions like vinegar. Use a HEPA-filter-equipped vacuum cleaner to capture mold spores from carpets and upholstery.
Look for Signs for Mold
It’s a no-brainer that detecting the signs of mold growth early on will prevent larger infestations. So, you should watch out for these symptoms:
- Discoloration of your walls and ceilings
- The area of your furniture and corners looks discolored
- A musty odor coming from humid areas (especially the basement)
Make inspections part of your seasonal home maintenance routine just to be safe!
Manage Outdoor Water Drainage
Drainage failures can make water pool around the foundation of water and increase humidity levels. This increased humidity makes your house the perfect breeding ground for mold. That is why you should ensure property drainage and prevent water from feeding mold growth. It can be done in three simple ways:
- Clean your gutters periodically to keep them free of debris
- Grade the soil around your dwelling so it slopes away from your foundation
- Ensure that downspouts are directing water at least 3 feet away from the foundations of your abode
Properly Store Your Items
Lastly, you should properly store your items to make sure that moisture doesn’t leak out of the storage containers or facilities, leading to mold growth. You can avoid mold spores appearing on your personal belongings via proper storage (pro tip: rent a self-storage unit since these units are humidity-controlled). You should store your essentials in airtight plastic bins instead of using cardboard boxes.
You can easily make your home mold-free and mildew-free with these simple tips. Don’t let your loved ones live in danger of these irritants. Prevent the growth of mold/mildew by curbing your indoor humidity levels. Keeping your indoor environment dry and clean is a great way to protect your property from these harmful forms of fungus. Don’t forget to call exterminators when things get out of hand.