Mold: What You Need to Know About It and How to Stop It

There are two things homeowners should know about mold: It’s already in your home, and there are things you can do to stop it from becoming a problem.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you can’t keep it out of your home because it grows on almost any surface — the carpet, walls and beneath the floorboards. Mold grows anywhere there’s significant moisture, and it thrives and multiplies in warm, dark spaces.

Once it takes hold, mold can become invasive, rotting studs and sheet rock, causing asthma and allergies flare-ups and making your home’s value plummet to its foundation. All it takes is one hot, humid Ohio summer or a long stretch of warm weather and homeowners can quickly find themselves in a battle against the fungus for the resale value of their property — unless they take the proper steps to stop it in its tracks before it becomes a major problem.

Because fungus needs moisture to grow to problematic levels, one of the best ways to control it is to manage the humidity level of your home’s air. Getting a dehumidifier for the basement, which is typically much more damp than the rest of the house, can work wonders.

Making sure you have the right air conditioner and then ensuring that it’s running properly makes a big difference as well. Air conditioners that are too large for your home don’t do as thorough a job of removing humidity from your home. Air conditioners that aren’t run on the “auto” setting have fans that run constantly, meaning moisture can actually be blown back into your home. And air conditioners with enhanced moisture removing systems are more effective at helping you prevent mold.

Installing a home ventilation system or a geothermal heating and cooling system can also help control the growth of fungi.

For more information about how you can protect your home from mold, contact Stack Heating & Cooling. We proudly serve homeowners throughout Northeast Ohio and greater Cleveland.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about mold and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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