How to prevent mould from spreading at home during the cold season

Berlin (dpa) – Allergic reactions, aggravated illnesses and problems in the respiratory tract: There are plenty of health reasons to do everything you can to avoid mould growing in your home. Your home's health also stands to suffer since mould also damages the fabric of a building. In the worst case, this can lead to fungi destroying load-bearing wooden beams or the roof truss of a house – and make the building uninhabitable. The essential thing to measure is indoor humidity. This should ideally be between 40% and 60%, and in older uninsulated houses it should be kept toward the lower end to reduce the risk of mould on cold wall surfaces. To get a handle on conditions, check the humidity in a room regularly with a hygrometer. "Mould infestation is not just an optical problem; it can also harm health," says home energy specialist Ingo Wagner. Make sure to check for less obvious sources of moisture, he says. Of course, after showering the air is often humid, but drying laundry indoors and even houseplants can also raise humidity. Cooking produces steam too, which a cooker hood or a lid on the pot can help reduce. The simplest, cheapest and most effective method is to let moist air escape and drier air flow in from outside. The best approach is to air rooms several times a day for about five to ten minutes. Opening several windows at once to create a cross breeze is a good idea. In exceptional cases a dehumidifier can be a solution to remove moisture from a room, but it uses electricity and is expensive. It's also important to adequately heat your home. To avoid unintentionally heating cooler rooms, keep doors closed after airing.Even in less-used rooms such as a hallway, guest bedroom or storage room, you should aim for a base temperature of about 16 to 18 degrees. Moisture condenses fastest on cold walls, so your home should not cool below 16 degrees overall. Another measure is to check whether larger pieces of furniture such as wardrobes and sofas are too close to a cold exterior wall in autumn and winter. If air cannot circulate, moisture builds up behind them and mould forms. If you have found mould, the onset of spring might temporarily resolve the problem, as mould cannot grow any further without enough moisture. This also applies to an infestation in deeper layers. As the temperature rises over the course of the year, mould will diminish or disappear altogether – but only to the eye. The mould lies dormant, waiting for moisture to act again at some point, just like a seed. If you don't act consistently, the problem will not only come back the next winter, but an existing mould infestation will get worse. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn mod yyzz n1 rid

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)