Mold is lurking – especially in the summer

It’s summertime once again.  Time for vacations, time to shut the house up for a couple of weeks or more, time to turn the HVAC way up or off to save money while you’re gone – right?  If you think that, it may also be time to return to a nice crop of mold growing in your house!

Control humidity with your HVAC

Although it seems like a good idea to turn your air conditioning way up or even off when you’re gone for several weeks this summer, what you are really doing is providing a perfect environment for mold to thrive.

Summertime is mold time – don’t ‘catch’ it!

In most areas, mold is omni-present, though invisible, throughout the air around us – not just outside but inside as well.  Lacking the vital help of your HVAC to control the humidity in your house combined with elevated temperatures can cause mold to quickly spread in your house.  Last year, an unusually wet year, we saw a number of cases of clients coming home to find mold growing on walls and furniture.

The thermostat should be set at a level that will cause the HVAC system to run for a long enough time to dehumidify the house.  With most systems, in most instances, setting the thermostat to the high 70s should work the system sufficiently.  Check with your HVAC contractor for more specifics about your unit.  Some are over- or under-sized for the cubic feet to be treated and may require adjustment accordingly.  The money saved in energy costs is a poor trade for a multi-thousand-dollar mold remediation.  Even worse, failing to hire a professional mold remediator could leave you with a worse problem: possible health issues.

Source: By: Bruce Vance for Town and Country Cleaning

Aspen Environmental highly recommends that if you are buying your home in the summer time then you should have it professionally tested for mold. We are trained and licensed experts in testing and removing mold from you home.

To set up an appointment call us at 978-681-5023.

Or email:  [email protected]