Updated on 04-Jan-2024
Attic mold is a serious problem that can lead to health problems and even death. Mold spores can be present in your home’s insulation, which allows them to grow and spread throughout the house. If you suspect that your attic is harboring mold, it’s important to take action quickly!
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What Causes Attic Mold?
The two most common sources of attic mold are leaking water pipes or damp crawl spaces under the house. Water pipes that leak water into the attic often cause mold because they’re located directly over insulation, which is an ideal environment for growth. Additionally, moisture can accumulate in the crawl space or other areas of your home if it isn’t ventilated properly.
Also Read – Water Damage Repair & Restoration Toronto – Cost & Factors Involved
How Do I Prevent Attic Mold?
If you suspect that your home has mold in the attic or any other area of your home, there are several steps you can take to prevent further growth and damage:
1 . Clean up any water leaks immediately – This should be done by a professional who has experience with this type of repair work. The sooner you clean up any leaks, the less likely they are to have an impact on your family’s health!
2 . Inspect for any signs of moisture – Look for wet spots around windows and doors; check for moisture
3. Keep your attic sealed. You may not even know that your attic is leaking air until you start to notice a musty smell or see evidence of mold growth in your home. If you suspect that your attic is leaking air, call an expert for a mold inspection so that you can get rid of any mold-causing moisture.
4 . Replace old insulation with new insulation. Old, broken down insulation poses a serious threat to your home and family health because it allows moisture to seep through into the living space below it. Replacing this old insulation with fresh new insulation will help prevent moisture from entering your home and causing problems such as mold growth, which can cause serious health problems for both you and your family members.
5 . Use fans in attics during warm weather months when temperatures rise above average levels inside an attic space. Fans help circulate warm air throughout the attic space and out into the rest of house, keeping it cool and dry all year long
6 . If your home has insulation in the attic, remove it because it will trap moisture inside and increase humidity levels inside the house.
7 . Replace any damaged insulation with new ones made of cellulose fiber insulation or cellulose spray foam insulation so that water vapor cannot pass through it easily
Also Read – Mold in Home – Symptoms, Problems & Prevention
Tips To Prevent Attic Mold From Returning
1 . Keep your attic temperature below 68 degrees
Another way to prevent moisture from building up in your attics is by keeping an upper limit on how high your heating bills can be. Your home should not have an internal temperature higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit, especially if you use any form of cooling.
This includes air conditioning, ceiling fans, or other forms of heat removal. If your house is cool enough that mold growth isn’t a concern, then it can also help reduce the cost of energy needed to keep your bedroom warm.
Practise safe overnight drying out of your AC system. This means when you go to bed at night time, make sure you dry out those clothes you wore earlier that day, so there won’t be any damp spots when you wake up in the morning.
Also remember to clean out all humidifiers and vacuum condensers, since both will remove moist gas molecules from the room.
Also Read – Air Testing To Detect Mold Growth – A Complete Guide
Use attic heaters
Only turn off your heater when you are sure there is no person in the room with the heating element. This helps prevent accidental fire or smoke poisoning.
Never leave children or animals alone near a heater, even if it’s turned very low. You can also try covering the pipe openings to reduce air flow.
If possible, put plants and flowers that do not require watering in front of the return register to promote more airflow into the home. Better yet, open up some windows!
Also consider having better ventilation installed in your home, especially if you live in a place where there’s been mold damage. Read more about how to protect yourself from attics while breathing here.
Finally, keep humidity at a minimum below your ceiling so water does not pool there due to evaporation. The best way to do this is by using a humidifier.
Ventilate your attic
Even with the most effective prevention methods, you are still going to get mold in your attic. The only way to prevent it is by maintaining proper ventilation.
There should be at least one window that faces north or east, or there can be more if you live in an area that has wind.
Also make sure there’s another window that faces south so the wind doesn’t come in through any gaps around these windows. Additionally, don’t have all of your furniture against the outside wall, put some plywood on the floor to keep things separated. Clean this surface every month to help reduce dust and dirt buildup.
These are just guidelines though, nothing restrictive. Also, ensure that people living here know about attics being vulnerable to excessive moisture and overheating. Anyone who lives in your home should know not to put anything up there!
Also Read – What Is The Difference Between Mold and Mildew?
Do not allow water to collect in your attic
The most important thing you can do to prevent mold from growing in your home is to avoid allowing any fluid inside yourself or flowing through ducts into spaces below where you will be able to see dark greenish-black patches of mold starting to grow.
This may seem difficult, but there are ways to keep this from happening. First, make sure that all members of your family understand why it’s so important to follow these directions and get them vaccinated.
Then try to have as little contact with others who are infected. This is a very infectious disease and anything you touch could easily spread it around your room or even between rooms.
Finally, stay away from places where people might be infecting each other. Keep your eyes open for leaks in the roof and walls, and stick to your bathroom and kitchen while you clean up.
These are things you can do to help prevent an outbreak of IgG vaccine in your house.
Keep moist towels near heating vents
It is recommended that you keep two dry bath or hand wash towels within reach of the ventilation openings in the attic. These need to be washed regularly (at least once a year) so as to remove any build up of dried out air.
The dry towels prevent mold by absorbing water into the flooring, which can then be removed with moisture-absorbing laundry detergent.
If needed, add more insulation by installing batts in the ducts. Hang seasonal decorations such as lights or garland inside your attic for added protection from mold.
Also Read – How to Get Professional Help For Mold Removal Near You?
Do not use drying vents
Another problem with chimneys is that they sometimes have breathing places for insects such as ants. When there are too many animals in the house, they often starve to death when no food is available, but die of heat exhaustion after eating something. This can happen if there aren’t enough windows or air-conditioning units in an attic.
When it comes to preventing infestation inside your home, nothing is better than cleaning those screens yourself. But even if you have professionals check out your window and door screens, they should never replace checking your attic space.
That’s because some spaces in attics are far more difficult to access and clean. And depending on how long you’ve been using the place, there could be plenty of things hidden there that want to make you sick.
If you haven’t used that space since you were little, you might think that everything is fine. However, according to the EPA, growing evidence suggests that mold may cause health problems up to a year later.
To safely enjoy all the benefits of fresh air without all the risks, consider having professional cleaners remove mold and other contaminants from your property.
Use a dehumidifier
When it’s very humid, there are hundreds of ways that mold can grow in your home.
One of the most common places that mold is found is in basements and attics. This is because these parts of the house usually have higher levels of moisture due to their location in the structure.
If you haven’t lived in a place with moisture problems long, then I recommend that you don’t try to fix this yourself. Contact a professional air drying expert for help. They will be able to assist you in removing the excess water and prevent any further damage from happening.
Also Read – How to Remove Mold From Clothes and Fabric Effectively
Vacuum regularly
The vacuum is one of the most important tools in your mold removal toolbox. Use it periodically, at least once a week during any period when you know there is moisture (rain or high humidity) so that molds don’t have a chance to set up.
Your vacuum cleaner should also be equipped with a filter; use it whenever possible. It will help prolong the life of your pump!
Vacuuming helps remove loosened dirt and sediment. Having clean surfaces ahead of time doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to sweep or dust either way.
Surprisingly, undisturbed base layers can cause attics to sag and collapse, so removing all material from an attic floor can protect it from future damage.
Attics are rarely taken care of except by specialists who understand this fact. By keeping this in mind, you can save yourself plenty of frustration.
Also Read – How Can Mold Make You Sick? – Dangers Of Mold
Clean dry dust from vents
If your attic is filled with dry dust, you’re allowing mold to grow. Dust includes many elements that can be used by fungi as food, but it’s important to remove any that are already there.
The best way to do this is by sweeping away the dried air that gathers in hidden places. Dry dust often accumulates near heating and cooling systems and along wall edges, so make sure to get rid of that before adding new material.
Wall-mounted equipment such as circuit breakers may also need to be tested and reset if they’re causing problems. Finally, ensure all cables into or out of areas containing cool surfaces and humidity levels above 40 percent are corrected.
This works better when combined with periodic cleaning of sources of moisture and suspension of drying techniques. In other words, don’t just leave things as they are; keep doing what you’re doing until the problem gets solved.
Also Read – How To Prevent Mold Growth In Your Home – 7 Surprising Tips [2023]
Conclusion
Don’t ignore mold in the attic. These and other steps can help you prevent mold from growing in your attic and other areas of your home. The goal, of course, is to keep the indoor spaces in your home as dry as possible.
By taking some proactive steps, you can address mold issues before they develop or even become a problem. Act quickly to get rid of attic mold. You can get professional help for mold removal in Toronto and nearby areas. Get economical cost estimate for attic mold removal at Ultimate Mold Crew.
The longer you wait, he more damage it can cause. Prevention is the best way to get rid of mold infestations before they begin. Inspect your attic on a routine basis so you can catch mold before it causes too many problems.
Also Read – What Is Mold Remediation & Why It Should Be Done?