Buying and moving into your new home is definitely one of the major achievements for most people. While you’re renting a house or an apartment, you don’t have to worry so much. Every problem that arises is usually handled by your landlord (if they aren’t one of those bad landlords) and all you have to do is pay rent. When you buy your first property and begin living in it… Well, that’s a whole new chapter in your life. Suddenly, there are a bunch of things you have to think about, such as preventing mold in your garage. Detached or not, homeowners tend to overlook the state of their garages when it comes to overall home maintenance. Once it gets flooded or moldy, that’s when they run into a problem. To help you out, we’ve jotted down some useful tips and trick how to prevent mold from appearing in your garage.
Why does mold get into your garage?
Before you start thinking about preventing mold in your garage, we should cover the basic. For example, how does this even happen and what are the possible causes? As you may already know, mold thrives in dark and damp environments. Mold spores can get pretty much anywhere, and if the location suits them, they will grow and spread out fairly quickly. Garages are ideal for mold growth for many reasons. First of all, garages have wide entrances, and people often leave them open for longer periods of time during the day, as they use it instead of the main door. This allows water to easily creep in during rain or snowfall, especially because garage doors are rarely completely sealed off. Even when you close them, water can get in between the edge of the door and the floor, and people often find small puddles in their garages during heavy precipitation.
Other ways in which mold grows in garages
Direct rain and snow are not the only causes of mold here. If you use your garage door as an entrance to the house during this weather, wet shoes are another great way of increasing dampness in the room, much like wet tires on your car or bike. Do you tend to wash your car in your garage? Average American garage gets a lot more water than you may realize at first. All that water doesn’t only damage your garage, but can also be harmful to the vehicles inside. Mold grows on pretty much any surface, such as:
- cardboard
- wood,
- drywall
- ceiling tiles
What every homeowner should do is take any steps necessary in order to stop mold from growing and developing inside their home. Garages aren’t the first thing that comes to mind but they are actually the most prone to developing mold.
Ways of preventing mold in your garage
If you’re not building your dream home and have bought a house with a pre-built garage, there are still plenty of ways in which you can stop mold growth inside. When you ask your Clinton movers for advice on this matter, they will tell you that the first thing you should do in your new home is a complete and thorough inspection of your garage. Make sure that there aren’t any leaks. Check if there are any cracks in the roof through which water can enter. Check the gutters and the pipes frequently, making sure that they are in good condition and that they aren’t leaking. If you notice any leaks, fix them as soon as possible.
Control the humidity level
As most garages don’t have good ventilation systems and natural light rarely gets in, they are perfect for mold growth. Cramped and stuffy rooms are ideal conditions for mold, and every homeowner should work on fixing this. What you can do to reduce humidity in your garage is install a dehumidifier which will lower moisture levels. Ideally, your humidity levels should be anywhere between 30% and 50%. If your budget is tight and you currently can’t afford to purchase a dehumidifier, opening your garage door for a few hours each day increases air circulation. Obviously, this is rarely possible during fall and winter months but is highly advised as a summer home maintenance task. Fresh air is crucial for mold prevention.
Reorganize your storage area
Instead of renting and packing a storage unit, some people use their garage as a storage space. It’s common to see shelves on shelves in an ordinary suburban garage, as well as piles of boxes filled to the brim. Everything you don’t need in the house usually goes to the garage. However, then you face a problem of the lack of space in your garage, as well as a lot of food for mold. Your goal here is to keep your stuff away from water as much as possible. You can do this by building metal shelves instead of storing everything on the floor. Sometimes, you simply can’t avoid leakages in your garage, but you can avoid mold on your belongings. Use plastic containers for storing your things, such as Christmas or Halloween decorations. Cardboard storage boxes are more likely to have mold on them.
Removing mold from your garage
Garage mold removal is most typically a job for the professionals. It is fairly difficult to remove the mold because, in order to do it properly, you have to be extremely thorough and detailed. The professionals’ goal is to leave no mold spores around. This removal process becomes tricky because mold can cause some serious respiratory problems. It is likely to stir mold spores and can be troublesome even for those people who normally don’t have allergies and breathing problems. The good news is that removing mold from your garage is easier than anywhere else in your house. This is because inside walls can prevent the professionals from removing all mold, and in the garage, locating it is much simpler and straightforward. Your NYC moving professionals always say: “To avoid any extra cost (and stress) of mold removal in your new home, start preventing mold in your garage as soon as possible!”
