Spring and summer mean fun in the sun, family, and barbecues. But the last thing you probably think about is mold in your New Jersey Shore home. Opening the curtains and laying out the deck furniture, cleaning the bathrooms, and stocking up on groceries may be part of your yearly routine for getting the house ready. But have you ever thought about adding a mold inspection to that list? Probably not, and that’s okay but here are a few reasons why you may want to add it.
Why Get A Mold Inspection?
After winter is over, a closed house could develop a mold problem. Your shore home sat vacant over the winter months waiting for the birds to start chirping outside. Inside your home potentially lurked an unseen, living organism that could be affecting your health. With the air flow in the home significantly decreased, temperature more than likely brought down to a minimum to save on the heating bills, the relative humidity in your home could remain elevated enough to cause some issues.
Get A Mold Inspection – What is relative humidity?
Relative humidity is the amount of moisture currently present in the air as it relates to temperature. This means that based upon the temperature the amount of moisture held in the air changes significantly with temperature increase or decrease. It is the reason steam builds up on the mirror when you take a hot shower. And why it disappears quickly when you turn on the exhaust fan or open a window. Simply put, the higher the temperature, the more moisture can be held within the air. I know, it sounds scientific, right? So, how does this effect your Jersey Shore Home.
The lower temperatures and lack of airflow in your home may be carrying significantly high relative humidity. 50 degrees in your house means that it cannot hold as much moisture then if you set your home to 70 degrees. This also means that even though it is cold and dry outside in those winter months, 50 degrees inside may have held enough moisture to cause mold to grow within your home.
Moisture is the driving force behind mold
It is a key factor for its growth. Learn more about mold growth here: HOW MOLD GROWS. Several molds only need 60% relative humidity to grow, other molds need more moisture to grow. This is where dehumidification becomes necessary. Control the moisture and you can control the mold growth. At Mastertech, this has become a phrase that we say to clients quite often. And living here at the jersey shore we are surrounded by moisture.
Signs To Look For When You Come Back To Your Summer Home
If you have ever thought about why you see moisture built up on the windows, or you see discoloration or have odors in your shore home when you open it up for the summer months, consider having it inspected for mold. Musty odors are usually an indicator of potential mold growth within your home but trying to figure out the source can be exceedingly difficult for someone who is not familiar with it.
Our team of professional mold inspectors are trained and certified to find moisture, locate the source of any growth within your home by performing mold testing, and also help you the homeowner to prevent future problems from occurring.
