{"id":1645,"date":"2021-08-09T20:59:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T20:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/?p=1645"},"modified":"2021-08-09T20:59:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T20:59:20","slug":"what-are-the-most-common-places-to-find-mold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/2021\/08\/09\/what-are-the-most-common-places-to-find-mold\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the most common places to find mold?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We often get asked what the most common areas we find mold growth are and what can be done to prevent these issues from occurring.&nbsp; While it\u2019s true that mold growth can be found in many different parts of your home, and for a variety of reasons, some causes are much more common than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week we wanted to review some common causes of mold issues and how you can prevent them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind Appliances<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Appliances with water lines (dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.) and those with condensers (air conditioning, refrigerators, etc.) can result in leaks and condensation that you may not notice right away.&nbsp; These small leaks and humidity problems can allow mold to develop underneath and \/ or behind these appliances where it can worsen and spread over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since most people rarely pull out their appliances, most of these issues go unnoticed until they\u2019ve become much more serious problems.&nbsp; Here are a few things you can do to keep an eye out for these issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Read the user manual and complete maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer.&nbsp; Some appliances have filters or hoses that may require occasional cleaning or maintenance.<\/li><li>Pull out appliances once a year to check to see if there are any issues you can\u2019t see.<\/li><li>Check for water damage under appliances like air conditioning units (particularly attic systems).<\/li><li>Have appliances serviced if you notice a change in efficiency or performance.&nbsp; Clogs, leaks, and control panel issues can result in water damage that may first be noticed when your appliance isn\u2019t working as it should.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In Attic Spaces<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Mold issues are extremely common in attic spaces, but generally fit into two primary causes \u2013 water leaks and humidity problems.&nbsp; While a roof leak is most often the result of a sudden event such as a recent storm, humidity problems are caused by long-term construction or design issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High humidity in an attic space is a serious issue that can lead to moisture condensing on rafters or sheathing where it will wick into the wood, providing the perfect environment for mold growth.&nbsp; Here are the most common causes of humidity issues in attic spaces and how you can address them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Don\u2019t over-insulate your attic.&nbsp; Attics are intended to breath, so stuffing insulation down into soffit vents or baffles restricts this airflow, trapping moisture in your attic area.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t vent bathroom exhaust fans into your attic.&nbsp; While not to code, this is still extremely common.&nbsp; Bathroom exhausts should be vented to the outside.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Ensure your attic is adequately vented.&nbsp; This is particularly common in older homes that weren\u2019t well insulated when they were originally built.&nbsp; These properties relied on gaps in the construction for airflow and often didn\u2019t have dedicated soffit or gable vents installed.&nbsp; As your home became better insulated, the gaps in the construction were sealed up, necessitating dedicated vents.<\/li><li>Inspect attic air conditioners regularly.&nbsp; These units can leak, resulting in water damage and \/ or humidity issues.<\/li><li>Go up in your attic periodically.&nbsp; Many homeowners rarely, if ever, go up into their attic.&nbsp; As a result, issues aren\u2019t discovered until months or years later.&nbsp; If you can\u2019t go up into your attic yourself, ask a friend or family member to check on this for you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In Basements<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Basements, particularly in Northeastern PA, can be wet and damp.&nbsp; High water tables, fieldstone foundations, and yards that are graded towards the house all encourage moisture issues.&nbsp; To make matters worse, many of these issues are impractical, costly, or difficult to address properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean, however, that basement moisture issues can\u2019t be addressed to prevent mold growth.&nbsp; Here are some common causes of moisture issues in basements that you may not even think of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Ensure gutters are properly installed, unclogged, and directed away from the house.&nbsp; This is an incredibly common problem.&nbsp; The purpose of gutters is to direct rain water away from your foundation so that as little as possible comes into your basement.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Install exterior drain tile.&nbsp; If your yard is graded towards your home, exterior drain tile can catch and divert rain water around your home reducing the amount of water that will get into your basement.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t plant bushes, trees, or plants too close to your house.&nbsp; This can trap moisture against your foundation where it can cause damage and \/ or enter your home.&nbsp; Plants should be planted no closer to your home than the drip edge of your roof (the end of the overhang).<\/li><li>Install a Basement Waterproofing System or sump pump.&nbsp; Depending on the type and severity of your moisture issue, it may be recommended to install a system to remove the moisture or from your basement.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Install a Dehumidifier.&nbsp; If you notice moisture condensing on surfaces, you have a humidity issue that needs to be addressed to avoid mold and other moisture damage.&nbsp; A dehumidifier should be adequate, able to reduce the humidity so that moisture is no longer condensing on surfaces, self-draining, and be intended to operate 24 hours a day \/ 7 days a week.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Moisture and mold issues are much more common than many homeowners realize.&nbsp; While we hope you never have a moisture or mold issue, we hope this helped you understand some common causes and what you can keep an eye on yourself.&nbsp; If you have any additional questions, please don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to our offices, we\u2019re happy to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Disaster Blaster<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Disaster Blaster is an indoor environmental firm serving the Northeastern PA Area.&nbsp; We have been providing our local area with unparalleled water damage mitigation, basement waterproofing, mold remediation, asbestos abatement, radon mitigation, and fire \/ smoke restoration services for decades, and are proud to have been named The World\u2019s Greatest Indoor Environmental Firm.&nbsp; For more about Disaster Blaster, as well as more helpful tips, please visit our website at: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.disasterblaster.com\">www.disasterblaster.com<\/a> or call our office at (570) 963-1123.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We often get asked what the most common areas we find mold growth are and what can be done to prevent these issues from occurring.&nbsp;&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-popular","category-tips-for-your-home"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1645"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1646,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1645\/revisions\/1646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}