Everyone knows that mold thrives in areas that are moist and warm and that have poor circulation. That means that kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements are perfect breeding grounds for mold to grow. These areas have high levels of humidity that have limited airflow and mold can be found on walls, ceilings, caulking, between tiles, etc. The most common place to find mold is in tile grout and there’s a good reason for that. Grout is porous and more susceptible to mold growth. Mold development in grout makes a room look dirty and poses a serious health risk. Mold growth can also compromise the integrity of your home.
Keep Tile Dry to Prevent Mold
The best way to keep your home free of mold is to prevent it from developing in the first place. You need to remove it as soon as you see it and figure out how to keep it from coming back. Keeping mold at bay means you need to deprive it of what it needs to grow; moisture. Keeping tiles dry in these rooms can be difficult because these rooms are designed to be wet. While it seems impossible to keep these rooms bone dry, you can certainly reduce the amount of moisture. There is a difference between getting wet and staying wet.
How to Prevent Mold Growth
1. Keep windows and doors open. Leave windows and doors open for as long as possible to make sure there is proper air flow. This also allows moisture to escape instead of sitting on the walls and tiles. Open the kitchen window when you cook so steam can escape and make sure your laundry room and basement are vented.
2. Run the fan. The exhaust fan should be run for about 20 minutes after a shower to allow moisture to be pulled out of the room.
3. Use shower curtains. Purchase ones that are easy to clean and shake most of the water off them after a shower, so it can dry faster. Leave it pulled open a little for better circulation.
4. Wipe walls down. Use a squeegee or a towel to wipe the walls down after you shower so tile grout doesn’t have water sitting on it for too long.
5. Use a mold-prohibiting solution. Use these solutions once a week to inhibit mold growth. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle for a natural way to inhibit mold growth.
6. Keep tiles clean. Regular cleaning is a great way to prevent mold growth because even a fine level of soap scum creates a porous surface for mold to grow.
7. Fix leaks. Remove extra moisture that mold needs to grow by fixing any leaks.
8. Seal grout. Dry grout can be sealed to further protect grout from developing mold. Grout sealants do a great job at reducing the amount moisture that gets drawn into grout because it gets less wet and dries faster.
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If you don’t want to find yourself spending time and money removing mold, prevent it from appearing in the first place. Contact ADC Carpet Cleaning for more tips on how you can prevent mold growth. We can thoroughly steam clean your tile and grout today!
