Queensland’s warm, moist environment harbours the perfect growing conditions for mould. After just a day of rain, this fungi can take hold in bathrooms, ceilings, cupboards, clothes and housewares. Although not life threatening, letting mould spread throughout your home isn’t healthy and it can trigger asthma and allergies.
Roof and wall mould is often because of a leaky roof, which is probably doing serious damage to your home. Call your local roofing company immediately to have your roof inspected.
Why is mould a problem?
Alongside potential health risks, mould can cause significant damage to your home if left unchecked. Any areas of your home that have been subjected to mould need to be treated by professionals to guard against two major problems – termites and timber destruction by fungal decay.
Moist wood encourages termites which are attracted to decaying timber as a potential food source. For them the wood is carbohydrate, the fungi is protein, and they get water – so it’s a well-balanced meal! Certain types of mould can also cause wood decay, they eat through the cellular content and this leads to structural collapse.
How to check for mould?
Checks for mould in your home should be undertaken on a regular basis. Even if you happen to spot a patch don’t turn a blind eye to it. As mentioned above, it can take hold after just a day of rain and can be difficult to remove from porous surfaces once it gets into them. These include surfaces such as:
- Furniture
- Fabric
- Carpet
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Clothing
Even if you do manage to remove it, there may be a stain or holes left behind as mould feeds on organic matter. So semi-porous materials usually fare better, and non-porous materials (such as hard plastic and tiles) are the most easily cleaned.
How to remove mould?
Removing mould is relatively easy if you’re dealing with surfaces that are semi or non-porous. Vacuuming up the majority is recommended if you have a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner. If you don’t have one of these filters then there’s a risk of spreading spores to other parts of the house.
For any remaining mould, use a solution of diluted vinegar and water which works to kill the active spores. (Don’t use bleach as it will just take the colour out). Always do a patch test first when you’re cleaning a mouldy surface and use a microfibre cloth which has a slight electric charge and can be reused after a hot wash.
Follow the following process for self-cleaning, you’ll need three buckets to make sure that you’ve effectively rinsed the cloth. It’s easy to cross-contaminate when cleaning mould and potentially spread it:
- Bucket One for killing the mould: A concentration of 80% vinegar to 20% water
- Bucket Two for rinsing the cloth: A concentration of 40% vinegar to 60% water
- Bucket Three for the second rinse: Plain water
How to prevent mould?
There are four things that mould needs to grow in your home – moisture, warmth, nutrients and spores. Of these four, moisture is the easiest thing to deny it access to. So, dehumidifiers, fans, air conditioning and DampRid Moisture Absorbers are all worthwhile investing in to reduce humidity and prevent mould in your home.