Dealing With Moisture Problems at Home

There will always be moisture in the air in your home, especially when you live in a place with a more humid climate. While moisture in the air in general is okay and, in fact, important for good health, too much of it inside your home can lead to several issues. Aside from causing health problems, too much moisture in the air inside your home could also be detrimental to the structure of your own home.

Common home moisture problems

One of the biggest and most common side effects of having too much moisture in the home is mould growth. Mould thrives in a moist and humid environment, and if you leave mould growth unchecked, you could be potentially facing a number of problems. Structurally, your home could be in danger mainly because mould eats away at organic material. If you don’t do something about it, mould can compromise the integrity of your home’s structure. Mould also causes aesthetic issues, as they can really be unsightly. Those black specks on the wall or your ceiling can prove be embarrassing, especially when you’re entertaining guests.

Of course, the worst that mould could do is cause health problems among the members of your household. While some types of mould are relatively not that dangerous, there are some forms that can cause respiratory problems, worsen asthma and allergies, prolong coughs and colds and pneumonia. There have even been cases where they led to death, especially among children and the elderly.

Another problem that excessive moisture at home can cause is rotting of the wooden parts of your home. This can really be dangerous, as rotten wood makes for an extremely unstable and therefore unsafe home. It is not unheard of for homes with rotten wood parts to suffer collapses and hurt anyone inside it.

Dealing with moisture problems at home

There are a number of ways that you can deal with excessive moisture. The most common and ultimately easier way is to buy a dehumidifier for the home. An appliance similar to an air conditioner, a dehumidifier is designed to lessen the dampness of the air around it.

A more labour-intensive way of dealing with excessive moisture at home is to seal it up. To pinpoint areas where inside air is leaking out and vice versa, you might want to hire a professional to conduct an energy audit of your home. The audit will also help you locate parts of your home that are not properly insulated, so you can perform the necessary upgrades.

As for dealing with mould, you need to trace the source of the dampness first. It could be a leaky roof, leaking pipe or fixtures in the kitchen or bathroom or problems with your heating and cooling system. Once you have addressed the source of the dampness, you will need to scrub the mould away with hot water and disinfectant. Just make sure that you wear gloves and a mask while scrubbing the mould off.

Whenever you need professional help for dealing with moisture in your home, remember that Tradebusters is just one phone call away. The tradies in our exclusive network have the skills, experience and tools to effectively deal with any moisture issues in your home. Give us a call, and see the Tradebusters difference.