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winter mold growth

Why Does My House Have Winter Mold Growth & How to Avoid It

Why does your house have mold in the winter months? Because mold never takes a season off. It doesn’t matter what the temperatures outside are, or the climate the house is located in, mold is always around. Lurking. Waiting to spread and infest your home, a home you’ve created for yourself and your family. What’s causing the winter mold growth and how can you avoid it and the damage it causes? Let’s find out.

Winter Mold Growth in Homes

Even though  temperatures dip into the freezing zone, mold only lays dormant until the perfect moment to multiply and grow again. Humidity levels are the enemy, and are the only way to prevent moisture buildup. Moisture is why winter mold grows in homes! Two specific areas it grows are attics and windows!

Window Moisture

Like most people, we like to keep our homes tightly sealed during winter months. We keep doors and windows closed, have weather stripping everywhere, and rarely consider how water forms condensation on and around windows. We can’t blame ourselves, we all  want to  lower our energy bills! Keep cold air out, warm air in, less need to hike up the thermostat!  Precipitation in the winter invites moisture to collect on window panes, and the surrounding areas, thanks to condensation. Cold temperatures mean cold window surfaces meet with warm air from inside your house producing water vapor that builds up moisture. When this moisture isn’t controlled, mold has the perfect place to grow. 

Attic Moisture

Warm air from heating systems rises. Where does the heat go? To the attic. If an attic isn’t properly insulated, the warm air will meet the cold roof and condensation accumulates creating the perfect environment for winter mold growth. Most homes are made out of wood, so mold has not just the perfect level of moisture, the temperature it most desires, but it has a way to feed itself – and when it can eat, it can grow fast and furious.  All of this mold growth, even if the mold is dormant during colder temperatures and just hanging out until spring, can move into your walls. Once spring hits, causing the great spring thaw, it’s GAME ON for mold.

Avoid Winter Mold Growth in Your Home

What are the solutions to avoid winter mold growth? The first way to help avoid mold growth is making sure your roof is solid. Make sure there aren’t any missing shingles, or replace any that are damaged. It’s also a great idea to have a professional roofer check for leaks, especially around attic vents and chimneys.  Another helpful solution: proper ventilation! Install and USE ventilation vents when cooking in your kitchen and bathing in your bathroom. You might also want to dial back the hot showers. We’re not saying take cold showers in the winter, but perhaps stick with warm showers instead of the “hell water” many of us enjoy on a cold winter day.

Mold Remediation after Winter Mold Growth

If your home has been hit with mold growth for whatever reasons, you’ll want to bring in a mold remediation specialist to do a mold inspection. When mold is found, regardless of it being toxic black mold or not, it’s important to have it professionally remediated. The chance of a homeowner finding and removing every last mold spore is unlikely. One spore can quickly start growing and spreading, creating the same health and structural problems over-and-over. You can find a professional who will locate and clean the home properly, repair damage, and provide a guarantee to give you peace of mind if mold happens to grow again in the same location of your home.