No homeowner wants to see mold in his or her house. Mold prevention in your Western Colorado home can prevent a situation that’s not only unsightly, but unhealthy as well. It can also damage your home. While our outside environment is relatively dry, indoor mold can come from spills, leaks or stagnant air in a too-tight house.
Signs of excessive moisture include a clammy feeling or musty smell, peeling paint and wallpaper, condensation on windows, wet spots or stains on ceilings and walls, insect problems and damaged wood materials.
Here are some tips for moisture control and mold prevention in your Western Colorado home:
- Keep humidity low, ideally between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity. The level can be measured with an inexpensive meter. If your heat pump or air conditioner doesn’t sufficiently control humidity during the cooling season, consider a whole-house dehumidifier.
- Consider buying a fresh air ventilator to replace stagnant indoor air with fresh air. Consult with your HVAC professional about what model – heat recovery or energy recovery – makes the most sense for your home.
- Install a UV light system in your HVAC ducts to eliminate potentially hazardous micro-organisms, including mold spores and allergens, from your indoor air.
- If you see moisture or condensation on windows, walls or pipes, dry the surface quickly and address the source of the moisture. Condensation can mean high indoor humidity.
- Vent moisture-producing appliances such as stoves and clothes dryers outside. Under no circumstances should they be vented into your attic.
- If you have a water leak or spill, dry the area quickly. Mold will not usually grow if wet areas are dried within a day or two
- Open windows or run exhaust fans when taking a shower or, in the kitchen, when cooking, washing dishes and using the dishwasher.
- Increase natural ventilation by opening doors and windows when practical. Use fans for improved air circulation.
- Insulate cold surfaces such as cold water pipes.
- If you see mold or signs of mold, consult an HVAC specialist for ways to both prevent and eliminated it.
For more expert advice about mold prevention in your home or other home comfort advice, please contact us at Climate Control Company. Based in Glenwood Springs, we’ve been serving Western Colorado since 1956.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about mold prevention and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Climate Control Company services Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado.
