The best way to control indoor mold is to remove its source. Mold is most likely to grow in homes that are damp, have high humidity levels due to daily activities such as showering and cooking, or have cold surfaces onto which moisture can condense. A humid bathroom or a damp basement is effectively a microclimate, and it only takes one such room in a home to spread mold spores throughout the entire house.
Where do I start? What do I do?
First on your list of preventive measures is to clean hard surfaces regularly with bleach-based products like Tilex® Mold & Mildew Remover that effectively kill mold and destroy/neutralize the allergy/asthma inducing spores. Allergy or asthma sufferers should ask nonsensitiveve people to apply the cleaning products.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) offers these recommendations to prevent mold from growing:
- Vacuum and clean regularly.
- Keep humidity levels below 40 percent.
- Make sure your home has adequate ventilation.
- Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier during humid months.
- Promptly repair and dry any water leak within 24 hours.
- Do not carpet bathrooms and basements.
Other measures you can take to keep down the mold count in your home include the following:
- Increase the use of exhaust fans in bathroom and kitchen.
- Make sure that exhaust fans vent to the outdoors.
- Do not store books or other paper materials in humid parts of your home.
- Clean refrigerator drip pans regularly.
- Limit the number of household plants that require frequent watering.
- When watering gardens or plants close to your foundation, be careful that water doesn't flow toward the house.
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