Top 5 Causes of Mold Growth in your Home

Have you ever walked into your home to find dark spots on your walls along with a weird smell? It might seem like your home is just aging, but it could be a bigger problem. Especially if mold is involved.

Mold has grown a reputation as one of the most annoying and inconvenient problems for homeowners all over the world. They don’t just ruin your furniture. They can also do a lot of damage to your health as well. Although they seem small, mold can be a huge problem when it’s not handled properly or detected early.

When it comes to mold problems inside your home, we believe that prevention is key. You might not be able to spot a mold issue with ease but you can detect it early on and prevent them from getting worse. You can do this by knowing what causes them in the first place. Here are the top five causes of mold growth in your home.

1. Humidity

Mold growth only requires two things: moisture and material. When you live in a home where it’s moist and humid, mold growth is bound to happen. In tropical areas or homes with poor ventilation and lighting, keeping surfaces dry can be a challenge. So, to battle mold growth and prevent it from happening, we recommend investing in a dehumidifier or a fan to keep your rooms dry and encourage good air circulation.

2. Leaky Pipes

Leaky pipes are harder to spot but when left ignored, it can cause a myriad of problems including mold growth and water damage. Leaking pipes can be sneaky, so prevention is key in this case. To maintain your pipes, try to do routine checks and maintenance to see if there are any leaks or damages. Oftentimes, pipes placed in basements can be neglected, and even if there are leaks, they’re not found until they’ve gotten worse. If you’re in doubt on how to keep your pipes leak-free, asking an expert or professional to take a look can help you heaps.

3. Damp Clothing

This might be surprising to you but it makes a lot of sense. After all, moisture and material attract mold growth. This might be the most preventable cause for mold out of all the others. We recommend keeping all fabrics or clothing dry and drying your damp clothing as soon as you can. Especially in basements, damp fabrics can propel mold growth due to the lack of ventilation and light in the room.

4. Damp Basement

Basements are the most vulnerable part of the home when it comes to mold growth. A damp basement can be the main cause of mold inside a home. Basements are placed in the foundation of a home and with the moist environment, mold spores can grow freely. To prevent mold growth due to a damp basement, using dehumidifiers and encouraging good ventilation can do a lot. It’s also a good idea to spot other problems such as leaky pipes or damp spots early on since they’re usually found in basements.

5. Water Damage

It’s not new that water damage such as flooding and mold growth complement each other. Usually, mold growth is one of the after-effects of water damage. However, fixing water damage isn’t as easy as you think. Water damage is caused by many problems and might require a professional to observe what the main causes are. So, how can you prevent mold growth due to water damage? No one can prevent a flood caused by a storm, but leaky pipes and old systems can definitely be fixed early on.

Wrapping Up

There are a lot of causes of mold growth but it all revolves around two things: moisture and material. When the environment supports these two, mold growth is inevitable. So, the key is to keep your home dry and make sure that there is enough light coming in and that your ventilation in your home is sufficient. It’s also important to keep your furniture and clothing dry. For leaky pipes, hiring a professional to check your pipes might be a good idea to prevent leaks in the future.