Controlling mold in your home

Molds are generally microscopic organisms found virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors. They are living organisms, but are neither plants nor animals. It is a type of fungus. It is part of a group of living organisms that are very common and serve an important role in the environment. Penicillin, an antibiotic that has saved many lives, is a type of mold, and so is yeast, which is widely used in cooking. When tiny airborne spores of mold burst, and then land on a favorable surface, they proliferate into visible colonies, and find new favorable surfaces on which to further multiply. The three important factors that help mold growth are moisture, warmth and food. Hence, mold is most likely to find a place to grow in a bathroom, basement or kitchen, but it can grow in other rooms also if conditions are favorable. The climate in which you live and living habits in your household can greatly affect the ability of mold to grow in your house.

Mold normally thrives and reproduces in wet or damp parts of your home: areas that have had flooding or where leakage has occurred in roofs, pipes, or walls, or areas around house plants, especially ones that sometimes are over-watered. In just 24 hours, a moist environment combined with favorable room-temperature conditions and an organic food source can lead to mold growth. Some places where mold can grow in your home are: beneath the carpet, wet upholstery, drapes, clothing, if left unused for long periods, as well as store rooms that are not dusted and aired regularly. Once it gets the food it needs, molds can virtually move to any kind of surface. It is difficult to completely eliminate mold from our surfaces as they are an integral part of the atmosphere, but these need to be controlled as too much of mold can lead to diseases, especially  in children.

Some common steps that can be taken to ensure that mold does not interfere with your life are the following: Reduce humidity inside by airing your house regularly every day. If you happen to go out of home for a longer period, make sure that you leave atleast one ventilator open, so that there is sufficient air flow into the house. Prevent water leaks, and if they do occur, repair these quickly, within 48 hours. Try to water proof your house during construction, so that there are no seepage or drainage issues. Reduce usage of carpets, and if you do have them, make sure that these are dusted or vaccumed regularly. Driers or such appliances are best kept outside, especially in areas where there is sufficient sunlight. Porous materials such as wood, fabric, cushions, and mattresses retain water and are likely to be contaminated, making it difficult to clean them. In the event that these objects are contaminated, it is advised to dispose them, as these invariably become huge mold colonies.