The sun is out and the humid summer days are ahead. For most Mid-Ohio homeowners, this means long months of shutting the windows and running the air conditioner full blast. Even though barring the outside air from entering your home is energy efficient, a lack of air flow makes your house an ideal place for mold to grow. Let's take a look at a few places that mold may develop in your home due to inadequate ventilation:
In your attic
Your attic is the most likely candidate for mold growth. As warm, moist air rises, the moisture can become trapped in your attic and create ideal conditions for mold to develop. With inadequate ventilation, mold can cause substantial damage. Attic fans or soffit vents will draw sufficient air into your attic to keep it dry and prevent mold.
In your kitchen
Mold loves moisture, and there's plenty of it in your kitchen. Your counters may get wet from cleaning, and when you cook or wash dishes you create steam. It's important to completely dry surfaces to stop mold development. When cooking, make use of your stove exhaust vent. When washing dishes, crack a window to provide ventilation.
In your bathroom
Bathtubs, toilets and steam from your shower are all causes of mold development. Leave surfaces dry and utilize the exhaust ventilation. Open the window when you shower to decrease the buildup of humidity.
In your laundry room
Laundry areas are typically inadequately ventilated. Moisture from the washer and heat from your dryer create ideal conditions for mold. Keep the humidity in your laundry room below 50 percent. This can be achieved with a dehumidifier, open windows, ceiling fans or an exhaust system.
Take care this summer to keep your home properly ventilated. Mold growth can be hazardous to the health of yourself and your family, so be sure to keep the air flowing with exhaust fans and open windows. If all of these do-it-yourself strategies don't do the trick, consider a ventilating system for your home.
For more expert advice on adequate ventilation and other matters related to home comfort, contact us at Joe Behr Plumbing & Heating. We have been serving the Mid-Ohio area since 1965.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.
Joe Behr Plumbing and Heating, Inc. services the Mid-Ohio area.
