Fighting mould at home? Get rid of the cause, not the mold

Fighting mould at home? Get rid of the cause, not the mold

Mould build-up in the home is a common problem, especially during the cold season. Many people are looking for effective ways to tackle it, but experts urge you to focus on the causes of mould, not the mould itself. Deividas Karalius, Regional Manager of Civinity, a multi-family management and maintenance company, explains why mould builds up in homes and how to prevent it.

The main cause of mould is excessive humidity

Black spots and an unpleasant smell are two of the main signs that you have a mould problem in your home.

Mould in the home can cause not only aesthetic problems but also health problems. Mould is a fungus that can cause allergic reactions, headaches and even inflammation of the respiratory tract and damage the nervous system.

Mould starts to accumulate when there is an increase in humidity in the home that is not properly evaporated. Moisture levels can rise for a variety of reasons: insufficient ventilation, heating, laundry drying in the room, radiators being covered or intensive cooking.

Check that your home ventilation is working properly

If your home’s ventilation system isn’t working properly, it’s not being ventilated enough, so the rising damp goes nowhere and starts to build up in the coldest parts of your home, such as windows, walls and corners.

A simple test can be carried out to see if your home’s exhaust ventilation system is working properly.

“You can test the functioning of the ventilation system with a flame: put a burning candle or other flame source near the vent. If the flame is pointing towards the vent, the ventilation system is working. If the air is blown back into the room and the flames are directed away from the vent, it’s a sign that the ventilation system is not working,” says a Civinity expert.

If you see that the ventilation system is not working, the problem usually lies in contaminated ventilation ducts. Over time, dust, debris and grease from cooker hoods build up in the ducts, making the ventilation system less efficient and reducing the natural draft. To improve this, the ventilation ducts must be cleaned properly.

Ventilate your home regularly and maintain the right temperature

Regular ventilation of the home by opening windows is also important to prevent mould in the home. This is particularly important in older houses, where the ventilation system of a block of flats is usually less efficient and moisture builds up more easily.

As well as reducing humidity in the home, it is also important to maintain the right indoor air temperature: the temperature in the home should not fall below 18 degrees Celsius.

“We recommend measuring both the air temperature and humidity in every home. The temperature should not fall below 18 degrees and the humidity level should be between 40-60%,” says Mr Karalius.

According to the expert, ventilation should be short but intense. It is also recommended to open the windows additionally when cooking and more steam is generated in the house, or when laundry is being dried in the room. If you cannot reduce the humidity level by natural means, dehumidifiers are also effective.

Mould can also signal window problems

When the temperature outside cools down and the heating season starts, it’s not uncommon for windows to become dewy, and the constant humidity can lead to the formation of mould in the window frames and wall corners.

If even with proper ventilation, temperature and humidity, you cannot prevent dew from the windows, the problem is probably in the windows.

According to the expert, if windows are installed poorly or if the external finish has changed over time, cold air enters the room through the window jambs, creating a dew point, freezing, and mould builds up on the windows. In such cases, it is recommended to contact a window specialist and have the windows repaired or replaced.

The problem may also be in the leaking façade of the house

People living in apartment blocks also often face problems with leaking joints in the façade. Over time, these joints connecting the building blocks become leaky, allowing moisture to seep in and mould to form in the house.

Usually, the external walls of the flat become wet and mouldy. Unfortunately, neither ventilation nor the right indoor air temperature can solve the mould problem.

“To prevent moisture from penetrating through the façade into the apartment, the façade of the apartment block must be sealed at the seams and the blocks must be painted with thermosetting paint,” advises the expert.