Kick Mold’s Butt Without the Hassle - Mold in Your Home, Part 1

Eww… what’s that smell coming from the shower?

After moving into a newly purchased home, mold is one of the most annoying and disgusting problems you deal with. Mold will cause bad stains, noxious odors, and will even impact your health. Some chronic health issues can be directly related to mold buildup in your home (Harding CF, et al., 2020).

And once mold takes hold, it’s hard to get it out of your house.

Thankfully, getting rid of mold doesn’t have to be as troublesome as you might think! If you want to know the secret to stopping mold in your home, keep reading to find out just how easy it is to stop mold from ever entering your beautiful new home.

Where does mold hide in my house?

Toxic mold rears its ugly head in 3 main places in your home:

• Bathrooms
• Smaller, dark rooms (like closets, attics, basements, and utility spaces)
• Anywhere that can get damp or experience leaks.

The key to understanding mold is simple — mold needs moisture!

“But Andrei, doesn’t that mean mold can show up basically anywhere in my house? There are pipes in every room, but the living room, and so many of my closets, bathrooms, and basement don’t even get sunlight!”

You’re right, and that’s why you must work not just to get rid of mold before you move in, but to prevent mold from returning ever again. After mold takes over, the repair costs continue to just go up and up until what might have originally been a couple of hundred dollars to repair becomes a multi-thousand-dollar burden.

So, let’s see how, with only a few minutes per day, you can make huge progress in controlling mold in your home for good.

How to stop mold – bathroom first

If mold needs moisture, your wet bathroom is mold’s favorite living space. The best thing you can do to get started controlling mold is to control the moisture in your bathroom first.

And like I told you before, it’s super easy. It’s not high maintenance, and it won’t take you hours on end.

Step 1: Run the bath fan

Your first step to controlling mold in the bathroom is to turn on the bath fan when you take a shower. Most bathrooms have one installed, and if your bathroom doesn’t have one or it’s broken, you should get that fixed ASAP.

The fan will take the extra moisture in the air from your hot and steamy shower and send it outside.

Make sure to keep your fan running for 20-30 minutes after your shower. Then you can shut it off again to conserve energy and electricity costs.

If your bathroom has windows, keep them open during and after your shower for added ventilation.

Pro tip: You can purchase a small dehumidifier to run in your bathroom as well if it tends to get extra steamy in there.

Step 2: Dry the shower walls and floor

Mold likes to hide in the nooks and crannies of your shower, in all the cracks between the tiles on the floor and walls. This is because after your shower, water tends to get stuck in these cracks, providing the perfect new home for mold.

To prevent this, take 3 minutes after your shower to dry the shower walls and floor. You can use a squeegee or a towel to wipe off the moisture that collects on the tiles in the caulk lines. If your bathroom gets especially humid, wipe off the windows and doors too.

If you use a shower curtain, be sure to spread it out and let it air dry while you run the fan after your shower and wash it once a month.

This will help eliminate 75% of mold- and mildew-causing moisture.

Step 3: Seal the grout

Grout protection doesn’t last forever. If it’s been a long time since you sealed your grout, consider trying this. The worst mold in your bathroom loves to grow there.

• Start by using a daily cleaner to clean the tile and grout.
• Then, spray on an antimicrobial or mold spray, such as Concrobium or Mold Armor.
• Finally, using two coats of grout sealant, seal the grout lines.

This will prevent water from seeping in and starting a mold party in your walls.

Easy as 1, 2, 3!

And just like that, you can keep your bathroom free of mold and all the stinky, unhealthy issues that come with it!

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on mold in your home. Next week, we’ll cover how to fix and prevent mold in those dark, hard-to-reach places in your home, at the bottom of your basement, and corners of your closets.

If you’re buying a home and are concerned about mold, hiring a professional inspector with a mold scan and mold spore sample testing could be right for you. Click here to get in touch with a WIN Home Inspector today.

— Andrei, with WIN Home Inspection

References:

Harding CF, Pytte CL, Page KG, Ryberg KJ, Normand E, Remigio GJ, DeStefano RA, Morris DB, Voronina J, Lopez A, Stalbow LA, Williams EP, Abreu N. Mold inhalation causes innate immune activation, neural, cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Jul;87:218-228. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.006. Epub 2019 Nov 18. PMID: 31751617; PMCID: PMC7231651.