Posted by: Lara's Services Group LLC on June 15, 2022
Don’t Let Mold Sneak Into Your Home This Summer
Summer is a time of carefree fun, family vacations, days spent by the pool, and relaxing in the sunshine. However, lurking behind these fun times, the threat of mold is evermore present in your home during the warm summer months. Higher humidity, hotter temperatures, and more rain during this season increases the likelihood of mold entering and growing in your home. Being aware of these issues ahead of the summer months can help you prevent this unwanted “house guest”.
Mold loves to grow in warm and moist areas. Preventing that environment from being created in the first place is a great place to start when trying to avoid mold growth in your home. An easy way to tell if the humidity is high in your house is by looking for condensation. This can come up in normal places like around a soda can (which is a minor example) or on a toilet tank or sink basin. This is an indicator that it is warm and humid enough for mold to grow in those areas. To avoid this, try setting your air conditioner to a lower temperature to keep it nice and cool throughout your home. Another option you can try is buying a dehumidifier for those troublesome areas. They can remove the unwanted moisture from the air and keep the area dryer.
As the temperature on the thermostat rises so does the risk of mold growing in your home. While summer heatwaves are unavoidable, keeping your home cool should be a priority for your comfort and to avoid mold growth. Try to maintain a household temperature of under 80 degrees. This is also important even when you are away from home on vacation or at the cabin.
April showers may bring May flowers, but big summer storms can end up dumping large amounts of water on your neighborhood too. This increased amount of water can enter your house through cracks in your roof, foundation, or siding. This water, even if it is just a small amount, can help mold start to grow in spaces throughout your house. Make sure your home is water tight and inspect for leaks every year before the wet season.
The last thing you want during your carefree summer is to worry about mold growing and spreading throughout your home. Make sure to take precautions year round, but especially during the summer mold season, can help you have the blissful summer you imagined. If you suspect that you might already have mold in your home, our team of professionals can help! Call us today to schedule an at-home inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
While there could be some initial cost-saving in laying new shingles over an old, aged roof, we generally don't recommend re-roofing. Old shingles also mean an old roof deck. By tearing off the old shingles, our licensed roofing contractor will then be able to spot any areas of instability or damage to the roof deck that may have been hidden by the shingles. We can replace any sections where there may be wood rot. Roof installation techniques and materials have also changed over the last couple of decades, and your old roof may not be up to code. "Re-roof" jobs may also not carry the same warranties as a full replacement.
Yes! Our experienced, licensed roofers will inspect your roof up close to assess the scope of any obvious damage and also map out the probable unseen damage just below the surface. With that knowledge at hand, we will let you know if roof repair is the most affordable option or if you're better off with a full roof replacement.
For the majority of surfaces in your home, bleach won't actually get rid of your mold problem. It's the "iceberg effect." Visible mold is usually a small percentage of the actual amount of mold growth. Bleach can't kill mold on porous surfaces like wood, and while tile or fiberglass surfaces can be cleaned with bleach, often the mold has spread far deeper. The reason why mold remediation companies don't recommend DIY cleanup isn't that they want to make more money; they know, in their experience, that a mold problem is usually far more invasive than can be seen with the naked eye. Simply cleaning the surfaces can provide false assurances that you got rid of the mold, only to have it come back time and time again.
Sometimes mold remediation is included if the cause of the mold was a "covered peril" like a burst hot water heater or water damage caused by firefighters extinguishing a fire in your house. Gradual water damage - like from a leaking pipe or hose - will often cause mold growth, but your insurance coverage will usually not cover that by claiming that it was caused by poor maintenance or neglect. If your insurance company denies your claim, you should request an inspection from a mold remediation company that can help you document the source of the mold.
Most homeowner's policies cover most water damages, but not all water damages are created equal. There can be a lot of exceptions to coverage depending on the intricacies of your policy. This is why it's a good idea to be familiar with your policy and call your agent right away when damage occurs.
A good portion of water damage can be prevented by proper household maintenance. Routine plumbing maintenance as well as sump pump and appliance maintenance are effective ways to avoid preventable damages. If you live in a cold climate, preparing your home for the winter can also help avoid damage. Finally, it's a good idea to regularly check the exterior of your home, particularly your roof, for damage to ensure water isn't unexpectedly leaking into your home.
DIY soot removal is not recommended. Commercially available products can actually cause permanent damage to surfaces. Soot itself is primarily oil-based, but that residue also contains toxic, possibly biohazard contaminants.
Identifying the source of the water damage is one of the first steps in both the insurance claim process and before beginning to dry out and repair the damaged areas. After all, if you replace a sagging, wet ceiling that was caused by a roof leak but don't fix the roof, too, the next rainstorm will start the cycle all over again. The buckling to your hardwood floor could be caused by a leaking pipe. We will pinpoint the exact cause of your water damage and make sure the source is repaired. We make sure your restoration job is done right the first time.
If the inspection/assessment process was able to pinpoint the source and cause of the mold growth, once that source is repaired, you can be relatively confident about the success of remediation. Ask if your restoration technician has the IICRC certification for "Applied Microbial Remediation Technician." You can also request a "post-remediation mold clearance" from a third-party mold inspector to re-test the area for any remaining traces of mold before the area is treated with a sealer or encapsulant to resist future mold growth.
Each shingle brand provides a different guideline for how long they expect their shingles to last. A properly installed asphalt shingle roof will generally last up to 20-30 years with regular maintenance and inspection, especially after severe weather events.
