How to Maintain Moisture Levels in Your Home and Prevent Mold

Living in South Florida has many benefits: the sun, the sand, and the surf, all while having incredible weather all year long! However, with the sun comes the rain, with the rain comes the humidity, and with the humidity, comes the mold. Mold thrives in humid environments and this is why many homes in South Florida are highly susceptible to mold contamination. Fortunately, there are many preventative measures that are already in place to help reduce humidity in your home, however if not taken care of properly, these measures can weather away over time.

The HVAC system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is designed to condition the air by cooling, ventilating, and reducing the humidity in your home. The HVAC Unit is comprised of several different segments where the coils, blower, and vents are the most essential. The purpose of the coil is to remove the heat and humidity from the indoor air so that the blower can send cool air back to the home through the ducts.

If the HVAC Unit were to be turned off for an extended period of time, the humidity levels in the home would increase dramatically. Many individuals only reside in South Florida for half of the year so the HVAC Unit is turned off for the remaining 6 months without the homeowners understanding the risk of mold that they are now putting their homes in.

In order to understand how to maintain moisture levels in the home, we must first understand what the humidity levels should be in the home and how to gauge them.

1. The optimal humidity level in a household should be anywhere between 40-55%.
2. Mold can thrive in any level at or above 60%, so keeping these levels under 60% to be safe is advised.
3. Mold grows naturally in humidity (as opposed to growth via water damage, leaks, or external contamination) which means the mold is not just isolated to one area of the home.
4. As all of the air inside of homes are circulated through the A/C, that means the air you are breathing in your living right now may have been in the kitchen 20 minutes ago and in the bathroom 10 minutes before that.
5. If mold occurs naturally from humidity, more likely than not the entire home is contaminated with mold. If you are experiencing symptoms such as runny/stuffy nose, watery, red eyes, a dry cough, rashes on the skin, sore throat or wheezing, your home may be contaminated with mold and a mold inspection should be carried out immediately.

During the inspection, a state licensed mold inspector would come in to your home and run various tests with one of these tests being an aerosol sample. To acquire an aerosol sample, the mold inspector uses a specialized machine that has the ability to suck the air from the room through a filter that will collect any microscopic mold spores that are currently floating in the air. That filter will then be sent over to a lab that specializes in environmental science to determine  what type of mold is present in your home. If there is any mold visibly present in the home, the mold inspector would collect a swab sample and send that over to the lab to find out exactly what kind of mold it is. Although low humidity (<40%) will not create an increased chance for mold contamination, the dryness will, over time, deteriorate any wood furniture you may have in your home, dry out your skin, hair, and nail all while creating an environment for the flu virus to thrive. The ideal range of 40-55% is high enough to ensure the health of your furniture and your skin and low enough to prevent mold contamination.

How can you determine the humidity level in your home?

Key signs that humidity is too high:

• Visible mold on the walls, ceiling, clothing, or furniture
• Condensation on windows, mirrors, or glass
• Concentrated moisture on the walls or ceiling.

Key signs that humidity is too low:

• Dry, itchy skin/eyes
• Instances of static electricity
• Cracking paint
• Cold and flu like symptoms such as runny nose and sore throat
• Dry /chapped lips.

Additionally, there are devices available in the market that can accurately read the humidity levels in your home such as a hygrometer.

What to do when your humidity levels are too high?

Act quickly to prevent the spread of mold through the A/C as the spores may get stuck in the coils and blower, eventually contaminating the ducts followed by the air that circulates in your home. To make matters worse, when the coil and blower are contaminated with mold, their efficiency is expected to drop about 50% from its normal working range which is already malfunctioning as made evident by the existence of mold in the first place.

Step 1: Have your A/C inspected and repaired if needed. The results of the inspection may come back as either non-contaminated, minimally contaminated, or extremely contaminated.

Results are negative: You are issued a clearance document that ensures that your HVAC has no signs of mold damage or contamination.

Results are minimally contaminated: This means the lab results showed evidence of mold spores and possible contamination of the unit. It would then be recommended to remediate the HVAC Unit through sanitization methods provided by a licensed A/C technician. These methods include sterilization and sanitization of the ducts as well as acidic baths for contaminated components of the A/C.

Results are extreme contamination: Removal and replacement of highly contaminated parts including the coil and the blower would be recommended and where in the most extreme cases, full duct replacement which can range anywhere from $10,000+.

Step 2: Turn off any type of humidifier you may have and to use a dehumidifier as soon as possible.

Step 3: Ensure proper ventilation when cooking or showering as those activities blast moisture into the air where, if they are not properly ventilated, remains in your home. If ventilation is not possible, it is suggested to take quick, colder showers and to cook with a lid on your pots/pans.

Step 4: Remove any indoor plants you may have, dry your laundry outside, and open a window if it is sunny outside.

What to do when your humidity levels are too low?

The opposite steps would be advised in order to add moisture to the air. Turn on your humidifier (if you own one), take hot showers, cook without a lid, add indoor plants to your home, and keep windows closed are the simple fixes to a low humidity issue.

In extreme circumstances, the help of a professional environmental services technician may be required in order to get the humidity levels in your home back to the optimal range.

Additionally, if there is any concern that your home may have been exposed to mold contamination due to prolonged periods of high humidity, it is essential for a mold inspection to be carried out to ensure the safety of you or any loved ones that live in the residence. For questions or concerns regarding maintenance of moisture levels in your home, water damage, or potential mold exposure, call us now at 954-850-6653 to speak with one of our experts today!