Whilst many people want to know how to effectively get rid of mold in the home, the main thing that you should be worrying about is how to prevent it getting there in the first place. Mold is pretty bad for your home, and if it does get in to the materials in your home, then you will find that it can spread rapidly, and be rather difficult to get rid of. The initial problem will also come in that the mold can spread fairly unnoticed in the initial stages, and by the time it is bad enough for you to have noticed, then you will be at a point where it can be doing some serious damage, and even becoming a health hazard. The mold spores spread and move in the air, and if inhaled, the bacteria in the mold can be dangerous. This is especially the case in people with respiratory illness, and children, who are more susceptible to such issues.
The key to preventing mold, is to avoid your home being a place where it can grow easily. Mold requires warm and damp conditions, especially the latter, and if your home is susceptible to damp, then you may have an issue with mold at some point. The main thing to do to prevent damp conditions is to encourage air to circulate around the house. Some houses are just more damp than others, and this can make the house cleaning more of a problem for those domestic cleaners who have such homes. Basement flats and homes with levels below the water table are particularly likely to suffer this problem. You will find however, that installing ventilation and ensuring that you open windows and doors to the outside to encourage air flow will mean that the problem is less likely to occur. Even in dry houses, the bathroom will be susceptible to mold growth, simply because the use of the room promotes humidity. It is sensible therefore to open the window as soon as you get out of the shower, to get rid of the wet, hot air, and to keep the cycle of air flowing.
Fabrics are a good place for mold growth sometimes, as they provide a perfect place for the spores to settle and grow. Your upholstery cleaning will be a nightmare if you are trying to get rid of mold, as it can be stubborn, and stain the material quite badly. This is the same with carpet cleaning, though mold in the carpet is less common. Avoiding letting these materials get wet is the key to preventing mold growth, as damp will remain in fabrics much longer than it will in hard surfaces. Wet towels should be hung up to dry straight away, as should damp clothing. If you are coming in from the gym, then wash your clothes straight away, or hang them if you need to wait for the washing machine. Dry all clothing and sheets in a well ventilated room, preferably with sunshine coming in. The UV rays in sunlight will kill off mold bacteria very easily. Make sure that if you are doing any sort of sofa cleaning, you do it with the window open, or that you don’t let the upholstery get too wet. The densely packed material will take a while to dry, and in this time, the mold can take a hold and the result will be that the sofa will be extremely difficult to clean, as the spores can get pretty deep in to the fabric!
