Tag Archives: mold

Jan20

How To Keep Your Home Healthy During Quarantine

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How To Keep Your Home Healthy During Quarantine

Right now, you are probably growing used to spending pretty much all of your time at home. Rather than being a place that you spend your evenings and weekends; your home is now your gym, workplace, and everything else besides. During the quarantine, you may have spent time perfecting your work from home set up, trying to keep yourself entertained, and the majority of it trying to stay in touch with friends and family via Zoom.

One thing that you may not have considered is whether your home environment is beneficial for your health. As everyone is spending far more time at home, it is more crucial than ever to make sure that your home helps your health rather than damages it. Here is how you can ensure that your home is as healthy as possible so that you can quarantine in the knowledge that your home is the best place to be right now:

Deal with Damp:

Dampness is a common problem in many homes and can cause health problems if it is left untreated. Mold and mildew are things that no one wants to see in their house, especially when you are spending all your time there. Ensuring that your home has adequate ventilation can help reduce damp, but if mold and mildew have already developed, you will need to remove them effectively. Using a bleach solution or proprietary mold remover should help clean off the mold and kill the mold spores. Remember that you will need to take care when using these treatments.

Clear the Air:

There is nothing more important than the air that you breathe, but it is easy to forget that you can play a part in improving the air quality in your home. Breathing in low-quality air can lead to a range of health problems and cause some potentially serious issues. Asthma and allergies can flare up when air quality is compromised, and your HVAC system could be causing these issues.

If your HVAC system is not maintained by a reputable air duct cleaning specialist such as DUCTZ, it can cause a range of problems. Over time, dust and dirt collect in your air ducts and if they are not cleaned regularly, then they will be spread throughout your home every time you use your heating and cooling system and pollute the quality of the air that you breathe. For this reason, scheduling regular HVAC maintenance is essential to ensure that your system is working correctly and that your air ducts are kept clean. A quick search for ‘HVAC contractor in Frederick, MD‘ or wherever it is you are located will put you in touch with the right professionals to guarantee good air quality in your home throughout the year.

Try a Deep Clean:

Deep cleaning your home is an excellent way to freshen it up and remove any potential health hazards. Deep cleaning removes the dust that can cause allergies and aggravate eczema-prone skin. Having a thorough deep clean of your house will also help to eliminate any harmful bacteria that could be lurking on your surfaces. Tend to what you can clean safely and leave the rest to the professionals should there be high places you can’t reach or your home is in need of a professional air duct cleaning. A freshly-cleaned, healthy home will make staying in it a far more pleasing experience.

Make your home even safer to be at during the pandemic by following the tips above!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Feb8

Don’t Let Damp Put A Damper On Your Home

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Don’t Let Damp Put A Damper On Your Home

Damp can be a problem in any home. Not only does it damage your home and your health, but it doesn’t make for an attractive place to live, either. If damp has taken hold, it can seem impossible to deal with because damp isn’t an easy problem to eliminate. Even so, it’s not impossible. All it takes is patience. It isn’t going to go away over night and it won’t be cheap to deal with, either. Even so, it’s worth the effort. Leaving damp to run riot is not good for the air in your home and the foundations of your house in general. If you’re not sure where to start the battle, here are some tips that can help:

Diagnose The Cause: Sometimes damp will happen because of bad circulation and wet conditions. Sometimes, though, there’s more to it. To solve the problem, you need to diagnose the cause. Often, a problem on the outside will cause damp on the inside. Are there gaps in the grouting on your house? Is your roof leaking? Issues like this can cause major problems. Not to mention that the damp will come back time and again if you don’t deal with them!

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EW!

…And Solve It: That’s why it’s important that you do all you can to solve the problem. If there’s a gap in the grouting between the bricks in your home, find out what you can do to address the problem. If there’s a leak in your roof, a company like Frederic Roofing can solve the problem for you. Even if the problem is nothing more than damp conditions, take steps to improve them. As well as causing damp, humid air is bad for your health. Open windows where you can, and buy moisture catchers to keep the humidity at bay!

Deal With The Damp: Once the problem has gone, you can turn your attention to the damp itself. With a bit of luck, you’ll be able to remove the damp yourself. In extreme cases, you may need to get the help of professionals. If you are tackling the problem yourself, make sure to wear protective eyewear and gloves. The mold won’t do you any good if you come into contact with it! Fill a bucket with soapy water, and use a cloth to wipe the mold. You may need to scrub hard to get the stubborn parts off.

When you’ve finished, take the time to wipe your walls with a dry cloth until they’re dry. You can’t remove damp if you’re leaving more moisture, after all! If this doesn’t work, it’s time to get the professionals in. This may be a cost, but professional damp removal companies can ensure that all mold is gone. They may even be able to apply damp protection to your home. That way, you can rest easy knowing that the problem won’t be back!

Now that you know what to do, you have no excuse not to deal with this super yucky situation!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Jan4

Banish Black Mold In Your Home For Good!

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When the weather gets colder and wetter, many of us start to notice dreaded black mold appearing in our homes. Not only is this unsightly but it also poses some pretty serious health hazards too- respiratory problems, eye irritation, rashes, headaches, and even fatigue can be symptoms. Of course, if you have anyone who’s vulnerable due to their age (either old or young), have a weakened immune system, or allergy sufferers living in the property are going to be particularly affected. Here are some points to bear in mind about black mold and how you can go about getting rid of it for a healthier home.

What Causes Mold In The Home? Mold grows in damp areas in the home and so if you spot it, it’s a sign that you have some kind of moisture problem. This could be a result of a leak, or alternatively mold can accumulate due to condensation along with poor ventilation. Condensation is more of an issue in the colder months. If you notice it a lot in the bedroom, this is because when you sleep the warm air you breathe contains moisture and condenses on the cold walls and windows. The same applies if you take a hot bath or shower, or if you hang out damp washing in your home. When the area stays moist, it provides excellent growing conditions for mold.

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Public Domain Pictures Image

How To Get Rid of It? If you suspect a leak to be the cause of your mold problem, have a plumber come out and have a look. There are also countless step by step guides online to help you remove black mold on subfloor or ceilings. Some leaks can be very slow flowing so it might not be glaringly obvious that it’s because of this right away. Sometimes leaks can come from the roof or from outside, as a result of things like blocked guttering. A thorough check is essential. If a leak is discovered, you will need to remove any wood, carpeting, or other materials that is damaged to prevent rot and get rid of the mold spores. If the damage isn’t too bad, allowing everything to thoroughly dry and treating it with an anti-mold product might be enough. Regardless of the severity of the situation, it can bring peace of mind to call an expert in to take a look. To get started, simply enter a search for “Mold Removal Denver, Co” (or your local area) and get an appointment right away before the problem worsens.

Your second step is to ensure good ventilation, even in cold weather (in fact, especially in cold weather) you should ‘air out’ your home every day for at least thirty minutes. This helps any moisture to evaporate, and when the areas are dry mold won’t appear. Having an extractor fan fitted in kitchens and bathrooms can help to prevent moisture building up in these areas. Another thing you could try if you’ve noticed mold, especially in the vents of your home is to have your air ducts cleaned. These should be done every three to five years. You could look online for companies offering duct cleaning services locally to you.

How To Keep It Away: The first step after removing mold is to have verification that it’s truly gone with a trained eye and the right technology. You will want to enlist the help of home inspectors columbia sc (or your local area) to make sure that all of your efforts were successful. Once you pass your inspection, regularly airing out your home will help to prevent condensation and therefore keep mold away in many cases. If you notice a lot of condensation on windows that doesn’t evaporate when the window is left open for thirty minutes, you could buy a squeegee and manually clear and dry the windows yourself over the colder months. If any mold does start to grow, treat it right away with an anti-mold product. Painting areas prone to it in an anti-fungal paint can also keep it at bay.