Preventing Mold in Your Home | Tips from Your Marrero, LA Plumber
For most people, mold is looked at as a simple annoyance; it looks bad and is a pain to clean. However, the real problem with mold is the fact that it can cause numerous health problems. Mold can cause problems ranging from respiratory irritation to making problems like asthma and allergies significantly worse. The unfortunate part is that mold can grow in so many parts of your home and can be so hard to prevent without the help of a plumber or another professional. If you’re looking for more information about the adverse health effects of indoor mold and how you can keep mold out of your Marrero, LA home, we’ve got everything you need to know.
What Causes Mold?
There are various factors that contribute to mold growth, but any good plumber will tell you that mold is caused by excess moisture above all else. This moisture can come from a lot of different sources, but plumbing problems are often to blame for mold growth.
If you’ve got a leaking pipe somewhere, the resulting moisture could be promoting mold growth. What’s even worse is the fact that these pipes are often located in dark, hidden areas, which creates the perfect breeding ground for mold. While a lot of small leaks and other plumbing problems can go unnoticed, it’s important to call a plumber if you notice symptoms of a plumbing problem. If your water bill suddenly shoots up, your water pressure is low or you smell mildew in a certain room, you could have a hidden plumbing problem.
In simple terms, the best way to prevent mold from growing in your home is to do what you can to minimize excess moisture.
Clean Fixtures
One of the best things you can do to make sure you don’t have a mold problem in your home is clean your fixtures regularly. Things like toilets, sinks and showers are constantly getting wet, so they’re a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.
For your shower, you can purchase a daily cleaner that you can spray after you’ve finished showering; this spray is designed to keep the walls of your shower clean and prevent mold growth. Cleaning toilets is a bit more work, but a good toilet brush and some cleaner can take care of the inside of the bowl while the outside can simply be wiped down. As far as your sink goes, you should keep an eye on the base of the faucet.
If your fixtures are clean and there’s still a mold smell in your bathroom, it might be time to call a plumber.
Insulate Pipes
While most people think of mold as resulting from serious excess moisture, it doesn’t take a lot. As a matter of fact, condensation on pipes can be enough to promote mold growth, which is why proper insulation is important.
If you’ve got pipes that are exposed, you should always insulate them to prevent condensation. While this isn’t an incredibly difficult thing to do, it may be in your best interest to call a plumber to insulate your pipes if you want the job done right guaranteed. Fortunately, this is a pretty simple fix.
Ventilate Properly
When it comes to keeping moisture out of your home, ventilation is one of the most important factors. Moisture can come from a lot of different sources in your home, so it’s important to do your best to eradicate it.
If your bathroom doesn’t have an exhaust fan for ventilation, get one now. A plumber can recommend a good fan for your needs. The steam from hot showers tends to build up on walls and ceilings of bathrooms and makes them the perfect spot for mold growth.
While your bathroom is the worst spot for excess moisture, you can have this problem in any room. If you notice a room has a moisture problem, you have two potential solutions. The easy route is to simply buy a dehumidifier or put a few fans in the area, but that only works for minor problems. If you’ve got too much excess moisture in your room, have somebody take a look at your windows and doors to make sure there aren’t any leaks.
Prevent Standing Water
Water damage comes in a lot of different forms, but the bottom line is it’s always important to take care of that damage as quickly as possible to prevent mold growth and serious structural damage in your Marrero, LA home. One important thing to remember is that standing water can be harmful, so having a professional handle it is best.
Whether there’s a leak in your home or a flood in the area, you need to get that water out of y our home as soon as you can. Your first step should be to call a plumber to make an emergency trip to your home. If the leak is smaller and in an easy-to-access area such as beneath a sink, you can clean the water up yourself to minimize damage.
If you’ve got standing water near anything electrical or water that may be sewage or some other type of waste water, call a professional before you do anything. Handling this water can be harmful without knowledge of what it is and the proper equipment.
A Little Help
Keeping mold out of your home is crucial to you and your family’s health, and preventing excess moisture is the best way to do that. If you’re not quite sure what’s causing mold growth in your home, have a plumber inspect your plumbing for leaks and insulation problems that could be causing it.
Preventing and removing mold is serious business, so you need a plumber that’s up to the job. Fortunately, if you do have a mold problem or another plumbing issue in Marrero, LA, you can give bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of New Orleans a call at (504) 291-6121 to get it taken care of.
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