Checklist to prevent Toxic mold

Plumbing Leaks & Floods

Repair Water Leaks or Water Intrusions Immediately If you discover any leaks or flooding, fix it right away so that you don’t allow mold to grow and multiply. Some of the most deadliest forms of mold only take 5 hours to form!! Make sure you thoroughly dry out the affected area, whether it’s a carpet or drywall. Unfortunately, with drywall construction, the moisture is absorbed into the walls and becomes nearly impossible to dry out. Water damage on drywall requires cutting out the bottom of the drywall (minimally one foot from the floor), disinfecting the affected area, drying the wall with a commercial blower for 3 full days and replacing it with new drywall.

• Ventilating the affected area properly eliminates the dampness and mold spores. A water damage company can help you with this process.
• Inspect or Poor Drainage and Water Pooling Outside Mold infestation doesn’t have to be inside your resident or workplace to make you sick. A high concentration of mold spores around a building can find its way inside.
• Check sprinkler heads to make sure that they are not spraying the house wall.
• Inspect the crawl space underneath your house to make sure no pipe are leaking or water pooling. Put in appropriate drains to move water away from the building.

Remove Water Damaged Items IMMEDIATELY

• Thoroughly clean and dry out wet or damp areas immediately.

• Clean and dry (within 24 hours) or remove water-damaged carpets.

• Remove flooring that has been water damaged IMMEDIATELY and let base floor dry for at least one week after free from standing water.

• Throw out any couches or beds that may have been wet - DO NOT TRY TO SAVE THEM

• If ceiling tiles become moist or wet throw them out immediately and do not replace them until the leaks are fixed and/or the celing area is dry for one week.

 Keep humidity levels between 40% and 50%
 

 If you ever see dark spots, bubbling or dampness in a wall, get the wall tested properly by a professional who has proper equipment to make tiny holes inside the wall and who has the proper equipment like cameras and swabbing supplies to test in a lab to see what’s causing it and what it actuallly is. 

 Fix leaky faucets, pipes and other leaks Including leaky roofs and windows as soon as you find them.

 Have your heating and air conditioning system serviced each year.
 

 Vent bathrooms, laundry and cooking areas to the outside, using exhaust fans, air conditioners and dehumidifiers

 Clean kitchens, bathrooms and laundry area with anti-mold (NON TOXIC) products.  (Ammonia, essential oils, baking soda, borax are all good choices).

Never carpet a bathroom, laundry or kitchen floor

 Replace shower curtains when mold begins to become visible.

  Do  NOT use wallpaper on walls.  Wallpaper increases the risk of attracting mold spores that produce mycotoxin.

Ensure the ground under your home is well ventilated and walls are properly sealed against moisture entry. Putting polythene (visqueen) over damp ground can help prevent dampness from rising into the house.

Check the exterior of your home regularly for accumulation of ground water.

Ensure your attic has sufficient air exhaust outlets and airflow is distributed evenly throughout the attic (peak mounted ridgevents maximize air flow).
Clogged or faulty rain gutters can cause excessive water leakage through the walls, roof, and foundation of the home. You can clean your rain gutters with a light broom, a garden hose with a controllable-spray nozzle, or by using one of many gutter-cleaning devices on the market.
Don’t leave wet clothes in the washing machine where mold can quickly grow.

Airborne mold spores from live indoor plants can travel in air currents to cause health problems for occupants and possible mold growth in the home through mold cross-contamination. To help prevent mold, do not keep live plants indoors. Also, you should not keep inside dried flowers and plants upon which mold loves to feast, utilizing high indoor humidity to drive the mold growth.

Keep water out of crawlspaces, by digging  ditches around the sides of the house down to the footing. Install gravel and drain lines that are sloped about 2 inches per 10 feet to carry water away from the house. Direct the water to a natural drainage, to the street, or a French drain.  Before backfilling, place waterproof membranes against the foundation wall.  Also, ensure water from downspouts is directed away from the house.

Do NOT store firewood anywhere inside a home or basement/crawl space, or outside close to entry doors and windows. Store firewood away from the house, and off the ground and covered by a waterproof tarp to reduce rain and high humidity on the firewood, and thus minimize mold growth on the firewood. Moldy firewood indoors or outdoors generates airborne mold spores that can mold cross contaminate a home and its heating/cooling system.

Change your HVAC filters on a regular basis. If this is not done, the filter itself can become a fertile breeding ground for all the molds and other biological contaminates that are collected. Once this happens, the spores from the mold will multiply, and will be circulated throughout the home or building through the ductwork.

Prevent rising dampness from entering a foundation wall by improving your home’s perimeter drainage. Direct all surface rainwater away from the home through drainpipes, culverts, French drains, etc.

Get your basement waterproofed through a professional service