If there is something that will make any person cringe, especially a Central Florida insurance agent... It's MOLD!
As an agent, I have seen several mold claims and they are usually very expensive and in some cause dangerous to the occupants' health. Heat and humidity play a huge role in growing mold inside of your home. Mold remediation, or mold clean up, is extremely expensive, so taking steps to reduce your chances of it growing in your home is important.
Since it is always so hot and humid here in Florida, I thought it would be helpful to give our readers several helpful tips on reducing your chances of getting mold damage in your home.
Wet Areas
Mold needs a few things in its environment to grow, and one of them is moisture. This is why it is important to know what areas in your home have exposure to water and moisture. If you have any leaky pipes or faucets, you should fix them as soon as possible. Given the right environment, mold can grow very quickly in wet areas.
Ventilation and Temperature
Your bathrooms should always have vent fans that will force the humid air outside. Make sure that your vent fans are forcing the air outside and not into your attic. If the steam and humid air get pushed into the attic, there is a chance that mold could grow in the insulation and other places the attic.
It also is a good idea, when looking at replacing your central air conditioning system, to consider spending a little more money to get a dehumidifier system with your new central AC system. You can reduce the humidity in your home, making it much more difficult for mold to grow. Most experts recommend a humidity setting of 50% or below to reduce your chances of mold. Reducing the humidity in your home can help with your utility bills as well!
Another factor that mold needs to grow is heat. Most experts recommend that a home's temperature should always be at 79 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Also, keeping the temperature down in your house will allow the air in the home to be well-circulated. Good air circulation is also important in reducing your mold risk. Since circulation is so important, it would be a good idea to keep your interior doors open as much as possible during the cooler months, allowing air to circulate throughout the day.
Clean Often
While it is possible to prevent mold from growing in your home, it is pretty much impossible to prevent mold spores from getting inside your home. We track in all sorts of stuff when we go in and out of our homes, and mold spores are no exception. We bring them into our house almost on a daily basis, but there is hope! Mold spores should not grow in a dry and cool environment, but nonetheless, they are still in every home. This is why it is so important to dust, vacuum, and mop often. This will regularly remove the spores that are in your home.
These are just a few ways to avoid mold growing in your home. If you follow these helpful tips, your risk of mold growing in your home will be greatly reduced.
Sometimes, though, following these tips is not enough, and mold attacks your house. Make sure you contact your local agent first and seek their advice about remediation. Most likely they can recommend a mold remediation expert. I would NEVER recommend trying to remove mold damage on your own. It is very dangerous and unhealthy to be overexposed to mold.
