Preventing Mold Growth in the Bathroom

6/16/2021 (Permalink)

Mold damage in a bathroom

Preventing Mold Growth in the Bathroom

The bathroom of your Elburn, IL, home is likely to experience mold growth at some point. This could result from a water damage event, such as a pipe break or leak, or general high humidity. Understanding what causes mold can help you better prevent it from occurring.

Necessary Conditions
It may seem like mold can grow anywhere, but there are several factors that must coexist before a fungal infestation occurs. Mold needs the following to grow:

• Water
• Food
• Warmth
  

Unfortunately, food sources for mold are abundant, and most indoor locations are sufficiently warm to sustain fungi. Water is the prerequisite for mold over which homeowners have the most control.

Preventive Strategies
The bathroom is often the most humid room in a home, making it exceptionally prone to mold growth. Mold prevention relies heavily on keeping the area as dry as possible. Clean up water damage as soon as possible. For extensive damage, it may be necessary to enlist the help of a professional restoration team with the tools and experience to address the issue quickly and thoroughly.
If your bathroom is equipped with an exhaust fan, turn it on before taking a shower and for approximately 30 minutes afterward. If you do not have an exhaust fan, opening the window after you get out of the shower allows the humid air to escape. A portable dehumidifier can be run on days when the outdoor humidity is too high to open the windows.
If your bathroom has grout, apply a sealant once a year to minimize water penetration and scrub the grout regularly to remove any mold growth before it spreads. Mold-resistant paint can be applied to the walls and ceiling to minimize the opportunity for mold to colonize those locations. Other surfaces can be sprayed with a mold inhibiting spray.
Mold prevention may seem complex in a room as humid as the bathroom, but a few simple steps can streamline the process. Keep the bathroom as dry as possible, clean up water damage quickly, use mold inhibiting products and clean up visible mold before it spreads.