Your vacation home can be easily wrecked by mold growth, if it remains unattended for a long period of time. Here are some steps you can take to prevent mold growth in your vacation home
Steps to prevent mold growth in your vacation home
1. Steps to Prevent Mold Growth in Your Vacation
Home
As summer approaches, you start heading towards your
vacation home to unwind and make the most of your
weekends. You probably have plans to visit a beach nearby and
enjoy sunbathing. But as you enter your vacation home, you
smell the dampness in the air and observe mold growth on the
2. walls. This breaks your heart with disgust and you probably
take up cleaning tasks instead of enjoying your summertime.
Such things are likely to happen particularly when any place is
left unattended for few months. Mold growth can easily
happen on wallpapers, wood products, carpets, fabric, ceiling
tiles, cardboard, drywall and insulation. In order to ward off the
last minute disappointments due to mold, you must take
certain steps to prevent it. Here’s what you should do.
1. Remove unnecessary items
Removing clutter and unnecessary items out of the house is the
first step that you should take. This is because if your house is
dumped with several unnecessary items, it becomes difficult for
your HVAC system to circulate air. Moreover, the supply grilles
get blocked and condensation is caused causing mold growth
on the walls. Also make sure that you get rid of all the items
that have mold on them so that it doesn’t spread any further.
2. Get rid of stranded water
Find out if there are small water puddles in and around the
house. Check around places like sump pumps, freezers,
basement doors, water tanks etc. There is also a possibility of
foundation leaks and ground water dampness. If you aren’t an
3. expert in checking these things, consider hiring water damage
restoration professionals. Remember that stranded water can
cause a lot of moisture leading to mold growth and you will
definitely not like the results.
3. Check the size of AC unit
Even if you rarely use the air conditioner at your vacation
home, you must ensure that it is of the right size. A small unit
can prove to be quite expensive and a big one will start and
stop incessantly which wastes a lot of energy. This can cause
temperature fluctuations. Try installing HVAC unit of the right
size. It will definitely make a difference.
4. Set up a dehumidifier
As the name suggests, a dehumidifier removes excessive
moisture from the air. And needless to say, the chances of mold
growth will lessen if it is installed at the right place. There are
whole house humidifiers available in the market. These can be
attached to the furnace and have the capacity to take care of
air circulation in the entire house. As it can be connected to a
drain, you don’t even have to empty your tank. If your house is
around humid areas or a beach, a dehumidifier is all you need.
4. 5. Get in touch with professionals
If you observe a lot of mold growth, there is no need to get
upset or distressed. As such, mold inspection and removal can
be taken care of in a better way by professionals. They also
5. have all the necessary equipment to eliminate mold from your
surroundings. Find out about the nearest water restoration
company in your area and ask for a quote. As these companies
work 24/7, you can call them anytime and they will provide you
with all the mold remediation and restoration help you need.
Your vacation home is your second home. So make sure you
take the above steps and deal with mold growth at the earliest!