How To Reduce Moisture In Your House

CONTENTS

• What is mould?
• How does moisture cause mould?
• Will removing moisture kill the mould?
• How to reduce moisture in your home
• The risks of moisture in your home
• What to do if you see mould in your home
• Get in touch

One of the main causes of mould is the accumulation of moisture on a property. When it has access to water from condensation during showers and cooking, it is more likely to grow and spread throughout your home.

At the first sign of mould, ICE Cleaning can be on-site within hours of your first call. We offer a thorough mould remediation service, where our Dewpoint-accredited technicians identify the source of the mould and remove it.

Read on to learn more about how moisture causes mould and how to reduce it.

What is mould?

Mould is a common problem which can manifest in your home at any time, provided it has all the factors required to begin growing. It is a type of fungus that relies on warmth, moisture, and dead organic material, and without prompt remediation it could take over your household.

Having mould in your home may cause structural damage over time, including damaged floorboards. Living with mould also puts you at risk of suffering from mould allergies and might affect your child's health permanently. Mould allergy symptoms will include:

• Wheezing
• Sneezing
• Irritated skin
• Red or watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Aggravated asthma

How does moisture cause mould?

Increased moisture in your home could be due to pipe bursts, leaks, shower water, and condensation. If your property is warm, the air will hold more moisture, so bathing, showering, and cooking produce more wet steam.

When this steam or heat touches cold surfaces, it becomes condensation: something you see on your windows during colder seasons. Moisture is normal in a home, but excess wetness caused by higher levels of humidity and a lack of air circulation quickly becomes damp.

When this happens, wet areas of your home like the bathroom or kitchen, could become a breeding ground for mould. It requires moisture to grow and spread because the airborne spores it produces need warmth and oxygen to multiply.

Will removing moisture kill the mould?

We are surrounded by mould spores every day, both outdoors and indoors. These spores seek out wet porous surfaces such as curtains, upholstery, silicone, and grout.

Mould spores embed themselves deep in these materials to thrive and multiply, producing more spores to continue the spread. It is impossible to completely kill the organism because it is always in our presence.

Removing moisture from your home does not eliminate mould if it has started to grow, but reducing it will slow the spread. Controlling moisture before mould starts to grow could equally prevent it from multiplying in the first place.

How to reduce moisture in your home

To prevent mould, you must control the factors that require it to grow. If you reduce warmth and moisture and increase air circulation, you are less likely to see mould growing in your home. There are a few steps you can take to reduce moisture in your home, including:

• Using dehumidifiers in affected rooms
• Identifying any leaks or burst pipes
• Installing extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom
• Drying your clothes outside or on a heated clothes horse
• Updating your insulation
• Ventilating your home
• Installing double-glazed windows
• Closing doors to the bathroom and kitchen when in use

The risks of moisture in your home

Built-up moisture may lead to some issues aside from mould or mildew. When it accumulates across your home, mechanical objects or metallic surfaces could rust over time and cause failures in their functions.

Damage to other objects in your home might include warping wood, stale foods, musty smells, and stained surfaces.

Excess moisture and humidity result in air and heat building up behind wallpaper and paint. This leads to pockets of warm air and wetness swelling, causing damage to plaster and drywall. These will require replacing as mould spreads quickly on these surfaces.

Humid and moist areas can also exacerbate illness or trigger chronic conditions such as asthma, or similar respiratory ailments. Increased moisture in your home could expose you to:

• High levels of dust and pollen
• An increase in dust mites
• Chemical contaminants

What to do if you see mould in your home

If you spot mould in your home, do not try to clean it away yourself. Because mould is not a surface issue, cleaning the growth will not remove it. Mould is caused by the conditions of your home, and removing it at the source is the only way to stop it from returning.

Commercial cleaning products like bleach could also be dangerous to your health and damage surfaces. Instead, you must contact a professional mould removal company that can tackle the growth safely and identify the cause in your home.

Get in touch

Our technicians offer an effective mould removal service, which we adjust according to your needs and the severity of the issues. At ICE Cleaning, our mould services come with a lifetime guarantee*, where we will assist if the mould returns, free of charge.

To discover more about our professional cleaning services, chat with our friendly team at 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk. We are available nationwide, 365 days a year, all day and night, including bank holidays.

*subject to advisories