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Where You Should Check For Mold in Your Home

Do you know where you should check for mold in your home? Mold can grow in numerous places in your house. Some mold may be fairly obvious while others could be the farthest from your thoughts. If you think your house might be affected by mold or you’re just curious to know since your neighbors are having mold challenges, these are some tips for you to determine if you need to call a mold professional to investigate.

 

 Bathroom

The bathroom is the most common area for mold. The main reason is due to the moisture in the shower or bathtub and possible lack of areas for humidity to escape from.. Whether your home has a window in your bathroom or a vent fan on the ceiling, if you don’t utilize them properly mold will grow.

It’s best to evaluate these common locations for mold regularly:

• Shower doors or curtains. These areas often stay moist and are not usually dried after use.
• The area on the bottom of the shower door or the folds in the curtain should be cleaned regularly in addition to being dried after each and every use.
• Tiled bathrooms should be cleaned several times a week as mold can grow on grout and spread to the entire wall in a short period of time.
• Faucets in both sink and shower may be perfect places for mold to develop.  If you find a leak or if water pools in these areas, mold will grow.  It is a good idea to clean these areas several times a week and dry the area immediately after each use.
• The bathroom toilet is the last area to evaluate for mold. Look carefully around the base or on the lid for mold growth and in any areas within the toilet where humidity reaches regularly. A tip to remember….if you don’t utilize the window or vent your bathroom may introduce more mold to many other places within the home.

 Kitchen

Your kitchen is another area where mold can form easily and quickly. It’s best to check the pipes beneath your sink, faucet, and the areas behind and beneath the refrigerator regularly because these places can pool water without even realizing it until it’s too late.

It’s best to inspect these common locations for mold regularly:

• Small drips under the sink where the pipes are, the faucet is, or where the sprayer tube hangs.  You may not think there is a leak because it’s not noticeable whenever you reach in to get to your cleaning products; periodically remove those cleaning supplies and look at the back of the cabinet for drips and other wet spots.
• The faucet is yet another area that easily can be wet. You can reach towards the handle to shut off the water as the water from your hands drips to the faucet, you place a little when placing dishes inside sink, or you spray the wall behind the faucet when spraying the plates. Pooling water in this region is very common and should be cleaned and dried after every wash.

Other Locations

There are many other locations in your house that could hold mold. These locations would include basements, attics, water pipes, ductwork, laundry rooms, and garages.

Thorough inspections in these areas of your house should be carried out regularly because it only takes forty eight hours for mold to develop and start creating problems. No matter if you feel certain areas of your house are mold free you need to confirm anyway because you never know when moisture can seep in and cause a problem.

If you still have concerns after you have performed this preliminary inspections, then dial our number today.  Alpha Environmental Diagnostics at 813-961-6653 or in Pinellas at 727-331-6653  We provide Mold Testing and Inspection along with Indoor Air Quality Testing.  Breathe Better.