Dealing With Mold In Your Attic

Mold can be a big problem in your attic because the attic is the one place you don't go into very often. This gives mold the chance to spread until you notice a musty odor in your home. Cleaning mold out of your attic can be a tough job if your attic is small and there is little room to maneuver. Even if the attic is finished and large enough to move around freely, it's still best to call in a professional for help with mold removal. Here are some problems you could encounter.

Determining The Reason For Mold

There's no use removing the mold and restoring your attic until you find out why mold is growing, or it will just grow right back. You might have a leaky roof or rain might be leaking through a vent, window, or the siding. Mold can also grow due to excess humidity.

Your bathroom or kitchen might not be vented properly, and that could create too much humidity in the attic. A restoration professional can help you pinpoint the cause of mold growth so that repairs can be made so your attic will stay dry once restoration is complete.

Removing Moldy Porous Materials

Depending on how bad the problem is, you might have to remove a lot of moldy materials from your attic. The insulation may need to be removed and replaced. If the walls and floor are finished, drywall and plywood may need to be pulled out and replaced. If you use your attic as a storage area, then cardboard boxes and clothing might be ruined due to mold growth. 

All these things need to be bagged in a way that prevents the spread of mold as the bags are removed from the attic. Not everything that's covered with mold has to be removed. Hard surfaces and solid wood can usually be cleaned and sanitized. Valuable clothing might be saved by taking them to a dry cleaner.

Cleaning Moldy Ducts

If you have metal ducts, they might have mold on the outside and inside. Metal ducts can often be cleaned to get rid of the mold, and this requires the use of equipment that pulls the mold outside as mold is removed. Even duct surfaces that might not normally grow mold can be contaminated with it if they're dirty or have other debris on them such as paper fibers or bug and rodent droppings.

Removing Mold Spores From The Air

Pulling mold spores outdoors is important, so the count is lower in the attic. This improves the air quality and reduces the risk of mold growing back again. A restoration specialist can install fans to draw the contaminated air outside and pull fresh air inside. However, with new building materials and a dry space, mold shouldn't be a problem as long as your attic stays dry.

Mold requires water, a food source such as paper fibers, and the warm temperatures in order to flourish. Keeping the space dry removes one vital requirement for mold growth, so checking your attic periodically for leaks and high humidity is a good idea so you can catch problems when they're early and easy to solve.

For more information, contact a company like Clean Care Inc.