As the seasons change from cold to warm, the more humid environment may encourage mould growth. With the new heat that spring brings, you may start to notice mould growing in places, or even pick up on its unpleasant smell. But what causes it and how can you stop it? Here’s what you can do to prevent or get rid of it.
First of all, it’s handy to understand what mould actually is. It’s part of the fungi family, which also includes yeast and mushrooms. These organisms can show up anywhere where the conditions are right, that includes indoors as well as outdoors.
Mould is the green, sometimes almost black stuff that grows on old food and in places like windowsills and walls.
A number of circumstances and environments can cause mould, let’s look at what can encourage it…
Excess moisture causes mould and damp to form in homes, and it can happen in either cold or warm seasons due to certain conditions.
It can happen in winter when you have the heating on, the windows are closed and you’re taking hotter showers. The steam and humidity produced from hot showers will stick to the cold glass windows of your home and create condensation.
The opposite of this can be true in spring and summer, where the hot environment outside will combine with the cooler environment of your home and encourage mould growth.
If you have poor ventilation in your house and you don’t open your windows enough or never put them on the trickle vent, the excess moisture and humidity from showers and weather will encourage mould to grow. You will often notice it growing along the edges of your windows.
If you are having a problem with your windows and you are not able to easily open and shut them to encourage the ventilation needed to prevent mould, as well as bringing in fresh air that will provide benefits for your health, you can always contact our expert glaziers at Able Group.
Mould can also be caused by rain seeping in through your windows, so if you notice this happening, you can give us a call for a service with no callout charge.
One big cause of mould in a home is leaks, this can either be from a damaged roof or plumbing problems like a leaking pipe.
Left unattended to, a leak can cause a number of issues in your home. Not only will the damp environment the leak causes encourage mould growth but it will cause structural damage to your property.
The leaking water will rot wooden floorboards, potentially coming through and damaging your plasterboard ceiling and even your electrical wiring or ceiling lights. This will mean you’ll end up requiring more work and costs needed to fix the problem, rather than just calling a plumber to quickly solve the leak before it wreaks more havoc.
The leak can also affect the efficiency of your plumbing, meaning lower water pressure and more water used to compensate. This could lead to potentially higher water bills, with even just a leak costing you an extra £10 to £100 a month, depending on the severity.
If you are experiencing a leak that you cannot fix yourself, we can provide you with a fast and effective plumber, that can visit any time that suits you.
We also provide electrical services if you are worried that the leaking water has affected any of your wiring. At Able Group we can replace, rewire and perform safety checks on any electrical appliances including lighting.
It’s important to understand the effects of mould, not only is it unsightly but can lead to many other issues…
Mould can cause an unpleasant smell in the room it’s located in; you may even start to be able to smell it from a different room or throughout the rest of the house if it has spread enough or the weather is warm. Though you may eventually get used to the musty odour, it will be a shock for visitors or even yourself when you go away on holiday somewhere fresh and come back to truly realise the smell of your home.
Mould is not just unsightly and bad smelling; it can actually cause health issues too. Mould can either lead to or worsen respiratory issues like asthma as well as health problems like eczema and other skin issues. This is especially true in vulnerable people like children or the elderly, or people with already existing issues, allergies and underlying health problems.
So make sure you don’t neglect your health by living with this problem any longer than you have to.
Damp and mould will encourage creepy crawlies like mould mites, silverfish, millipedes, woodlouse and even slugs. These pests will either feast on or be attracted to the smell of mould and thrive in damp, humid environments.
Some of the bugs like silverfish will feast on starches and fabrics. They can eat away at your clothing, books, wallpaper, plasterboard or even sneak into cereals and pet food. So if you don’t want a nasty surprise in your breakfast bowl, don’t encourage them and keep your house both as dry as possible and mould free.
You can read more information about keeping your home pest free here and if you need expert pest control, we can tackle a range of different pest problems.
Prevention is always key, as although you can get rid of mould using chemical solutions bought from a shop or home remedies like vinegar, if you don’t solve the problem that’s causing it in the first place, it will just keep coming back.
Keep your home well ventilated and dry by allowing airflow to circulate through the house and attending to any leaks. If you need any expert repairs or maintenance, we at Able Group specialise in 7 different trades and operate nationwide. So don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Simply give us a call on 0330 108 4111