How to prevent mould growth in your home

Exposure to mould in the home is a bad thing for a number of reasons. It is particularly associated with respiratory problems and it can cause or exacerbate asthma, chest tightness, coughing, and sinus congestion. As well as this, it can cause headaches and skin irritation.

It can be hard to avoid mould growth in the home because this fungus grows easily in warm and moist conditions. This means that every time you have a shower, mould will want to grow afterwards in the moist environment of your bathroom. It means that mould can grow around any leaking pipes. And it means that mould can grow in a neglected, unventilated basement.

Although it might seem as though mould is an all conquering fungus to which you have to surrender, there are many things that you can do to stop mould growth in its tracks and to protect you and your family from respiratory and other conditions caused by contact with mould spores.

Ventilate your home. The single most important thing you can do to combat the growth of mould in your home is to ensure that your home has good airflow throughout – and particularly in rooms where a lot of moisture can be retained, such as the bathroom and the kitchen. The best way of doing this is to invest in a dehumidifier (particularly useful in Australia's oppressively humid summers) and an air conditioning unit.  Air conditioners essentially remove the moisture from the air and help to circulate it. As a result, those nasty mould spores won't have any place to thrive in your home. For more information, contact a company like Kintore Airconditioning.

Tackle any leaks. Any leaks that you have in the home, whether from pipes or roofing problems, are obviously bad news because the leak will allow moisture into your home. Rather than putting it off until tomorrow, tackle any leaks as soon as they are found. If you don't quite have the home improvement skills to tackle these fixes yourself, hire in a professional for the job.

Check on your guttering. Guttering is a system you have in place to take water away from your home. When it is working, this is great news because all of that potential moisture that mould loves is taken far away. But what if you have clogged or damaged gutters? In this case, it is totally possible that mould spores will be attracted to the damp materials clogging the gutter and the fungus will grow. Guttering can be a difficult thing to check on yourself because it involves ladders and specialist knowledge, so hire a specialist to check on your gutters once every six months.

Look after indoor plants. The connection between indoor plants and air quality is complicated. On the one hand, plants produce oxygen from CO2 and purify the air, which is great news. On the other hand, indoor plants can be a breeding ground for mould. This is because plants need moisture to survive, and mould needs moisture to survive as well. A great way of combating this is by adding Taheebo tea to the soil that feeds your plant. This tea is a natural fungicide that mould will want to stay away from, but it won't stop your plants from growing and offering their air purifying qualities.

Dry clothes outside. When it is possible, do not dry your clothes indoors on a rack or on a radiator. Doing this can up the moisture levels in your home by 30%, which means a 30% increase in fungus too. When the weather permits, dry your clothes outside on a clothes line. Or invest in a tumble dryer for your home space so that you can dry your clothes safely inside the machine without raising moisture levels in the home.

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