How to Relieve Mold Allergies with Winter Mold Inspection

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By LisaBud
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Do a winter mold inspection.

We often associate allergies and mold and mildew growth with hot summer weather, but winter can be a prime time too. Houses closed up tightly against the cold, along with wet winter clothes and boots and less sunshine all can contribute to the problem. Here are some mold inspection and prevention tips to help lessen the symptoms of winter allergies.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Flashlight
Newspapers
Cleaner with bleach

Step 1

Check humid rooms in your home.

Start your home's mold inspection in the areas that retain humidity like bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room. Look for condensation around windows and water stains on ceilings and floors. Also check for leaks around plumbing and appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers. Laundry rooms can be especially bad, because they're usually small and lacking an exhaust fan ... so use a room fan to keep air circulating if you must. Make sure the hose and seal around the dryer vent is in good condition.
Step 2

Prevent mildew by not letting laundry loads sit in the washer or wet clothes collect in the hamper or basket. In the bath, hang wet towels so they get as much air around them as possible. Run the exhaust fan for 10 minutes after showering or bathing to vent remaining humidity from the room. Mold and mildew love moisture, so keeping things dry is the key to dealing with these allergies. Clean with products containing bleach.
Step 3

Continue your mold inspection by checking your walls during and after big snow or ice storms, especially where they meet the foundation, inside and out, for signs of ice and wetness within your walls and floors. Also check for ice buildup in rain gutters and around porches that can seep through to ceilings.
Step 4

Keep damp basements or garages dry with dehumidifiers to quickly and consistently eliminate moisture. Make sure they are placed out in the open to work most effectively.
Step 5

To prevent mildew in clothes and thereby minimize mold allergies, make sure coats, hats, scarves and gloves are thoroughly dry, inside and out, before hanging them in the closet. In general, closets should not be tightly packed, so that air can circulate around and between clothes. (They'll also be less wrinkled!)
Step 6

Use newspapers in boots.

Remove liners from winter boots to speed drying. If your boots have no liners, stuff a ball of crumpled newspaper into the toe to help draw out moisture and change it every few hours. If tall boots flop over, place a rolled newspaper in the leg to keep them upright and open to the air. If you can wear a second pair of boots on alternate days, they'll be able to dry completely in between uses.
Step 7

Sun is the enemy of mold!

Take advantage of any warm sunny days to open up and air out your home. Also, hang or lay clothing, boots and rugs that are often damp or wet out in the sunshine to "bake" through and dry completely. Sunshine is the enemy of mold and mildew! This is especially important to do right before putting winter things away in storage at the end of the season.
Step 8

Protect carpet that gets saturated often with a plastic or rubber mat. Where carpet does get wet, absorb excess moisture before it seeps through to the backing. Vacuum up whatever moisture is left. In rooms with a constant humidity problem, consider bare floors or using area rugs made of "breathable" materials like cotton or woven matting that dry quickly and easily.
Step 9

Allergies are year-round :(

As the final step in your mold inspection, have cracks in your foundation and any evidence of water damage in walls and ceilings checked by a professional as soon as possible, so you can schedule any needed work in early spring. Dealing with mold allergies is a year-round ordeal, but with some basic prevention you and your family can live a little easier with them.

©2009 Lisa Budwig