About 60% of your body is water.
About 70% of the earth’s surface is water. We also invite a lot of water into
our homes; each person uses an estimated 80-100 gallons per day. And there is
about a 99% chance that extra moisture in your bathroom is encouraging indoor
mold, even in the cleanest of homes.
Bathrooms have the perfect
combination of high moisture, low natural light and poor ventilation which can
create an optimal opportunity for mold and mildew. For example, after your
daily shower, mold spores have ample moisture to start growing. And since you
don’t usually open up the shower curtain until the next day, they also have
time to continue to grow, undisturbed. With so many mold removal companies available, how do you know if the company you have hired
is reputable or not? It can be a tangled
web to weave through if you are unsure. Since mold isn’t always visible and
obvious; here are some tips to managing your risk:
Dry It Out
Every bathroom of the house needs
an effective ventilation fan. Vents work by sending the moisture-saturated air
outside; it’s the first line of defense against moisture and mold. But make
sure your fan actually exhausts outside through the roof or a side soffit and
not into the attic. Don’t encourage moisture into an unconditioned space, and
you might be spreading even more trouble.
The CFM (cubic feet per minute)
label on your fan will tell you if it’s large enough for the space it is
installed in. No installed exhaust fan? Keep the doors open when not in use and
set up any movement of air to help dry out the bathroom. Even a desk fan on the
vanity will help. With any style of fan, leave it on for 30 minutes after your
shower.
Keep It Out
Identify porous and nonporous
materials in the bathroom:
Non Porous, hard, sealed surfaces
like tile are great barriers to mold. However, grout (the dried paste in the
cracks) is semi-porous and can support mold growth. If lots of molds have built up on your
caulking, it’s probably because it’s spread deep into unseen spaces behind it.
If so, re-caulking may solve the problem. (Check behind the toilet and under
the sink, as well.
Porous materials must always stay
dry and ventilated. Soft materials like fabric, drywall, and wallpaper get damp
and stay damp– the perfect breeding ground for mold.
Starve It Out
Mold is alive and spreads by
floating, airborne spores. And it can
grow on any surface coated with organic matter: porcelain, plastic, copper,
silicone. Mold doesn’t live on your shower walls, it actually lives on the
deposited skin cells and soap residues. So you have to physically clean away
the food source.
Soap and water work well, no need
to over toxify the space. While bleach and peroxide remove the stain, they
don’t kill the mold. As you clean, don’t scrape or brush mold spores with your
hand; they will go airborne and find new places to colonize.
Clean It Up
Pare down your bathroom ‘stuff.’
Clutter interrupts airflow and causes condensation to build up. All that
moisture creates microclimates that feed mold growth. Only keep the essentials
within the bathroom; remove the things you don’t use every day. Push large
items away from vents and grilles to keep air circulating.
The surface of the sink and
counters should be kept clean and dry. Inspect the toothbrush area, behind the
toilet, and underneath the bathroom sink where cleaning supplies are stored.
Ensure that all damp rags, clothes, towels or shoes are dry before storing.
After a bath or a shower,
squeegee water off the shower walls to eliminate at least three-fourths of the
moisture that supports mold and mildew growth. Open the shower curtain to let
it dry. Mop any water spills on the floor and counters. Avoid piling in too
many shampoo and body wash bottles. Remove loofahs, sponges and product bottles
from the shower when not in use. All these are opportunities for moisture and
mold spores to hide.
To keep your family’s home safe
from mold, K-tech Kleening can help. The team of highly trained and certified
technicians can handle any job, big or small. Whether you are in need of a
bio-wash antimicrobial cleaning in one room or entire remediation of your home
or business, K-tech has the equipment and the staff to put your worries at
ease.
K-tech serves customers in
Rhinelander with multiple offices and a 45-plus fleet of vehicles to reach
outlying rural and metropolitan locations.
