How Do I Prevent Mold in my House? There are several ways you can prevent Florida black mold from growing in walls and crevices in places that you cannot see it. Typically once you see black mold in your Tampa Bay area home or office, there is more than likely much more of it that you cannot see. Water is the food source for mold to “activate”. Without water, mold cannot start growing and forming colonies. Colonies are the spots or “rot” that you see when black mold starts to show itself in Florida homes. Water can be introduced to a home in several different ways. Water damage caused by a leaking plumbing pipe, house flooding or high humidity in the home can all lead to a mold infestation. Be sure to keep your AC set at 78 degrees or lower, especially if you are leaving the property for an extended period of time. The biggest cause we find of black mold is by water damage.
How do I know if I have water damage? That is a common question we receive all of the time. We use infrared equipment to “see” the moisture content in walls, ceilings, cabinetry and other Tampa Bay building materials. You may not know that you have water damage or saturated drywall after a house flood unless you hire a company with the proper technology. As you can see in the pictures below, you cannot tell how much water damage has occurred to the wall behind the toilet without an infrared inspection. If you have had water damage in your home caused by a leaking pipe, overflowed drain or washing machine, be sure to hire a professional to dry the areas effectively. If the proper drying procedures aren’t taken by a top rated company, you could end up with a costly black mold situation.
