A key ingredient for mold growth is moisture. Anywhere there is water or humidity, there is a chance that mold can take hold.
Pipes and drains are ideal because they are always full of moisture, and they are also hard to inspect. Mold could be thriving in your kitchen or bathroom drain, just inches away from your face, and it’s likely that you would have no idea without a proper mold inspection or plumbing repair.
Luckily, there are step you can take to prevent mold growth in drains and pipes within your home. Prevention is the best line of defense against mold, so keep reading for our best tips for preventing mold in these hard to reach areas.
And if you notice that tell-tale musty odor coming from drains in your home, it’s probably best to call a professional mold removal team to clean the drains and pipes to ensure that your home is mold-free.
Why Does Mold Grow Inside Pipes & Drains?
We already touched on this topic. Drains and are the perfect place for mold to hide because they are constantly moist. But there are other factors that make them a great hiding place.
For example, mold prefers dark, warm environments. These conditions are both found in drains all around the home.
Additionally, there is a food source in the drain. Whether it’s food particles in your kitchen drain or dirty bath water, little particles stick to the inside of the pipes which furnishes mold with all the food it needs.
A final condition that promotes mold growth in drains and pipes is that it is largely undisturbed. Most surfaces in your home are touched and cleaned regularly. Mold is less likely to settle on those surfaces because constant contact impedes mold growth. But a surface that it cannot be touched or wiped clean on a regular basis is the perfect place for mold to grow.
How to Prevent Mold in Pipes and Drains
Even a trained mold removal team with the best equipment is going to have a hard time removing mold from your pipes and drains. Therefore, as we said before, prevention is the best course of action against mold in these areas.
Here are a few ways you can stop mold before it starts:
Clean drains and pipes the best you can.
Pouring boiling water down the drain is a great way to clean pipes made of steel, copper or iron. However, if you have a newer home or one with recently refurbished plumbing, you probably have PVC or Pex pipes which are not rated for the temperature of boiling water (around 212°F). If you have PVC or Pex pipes, you can use very hot water for this purpose, but don’t heat it to boiling.
Increase Air Flow
Better air flow in your home reduces the chance of mold everywhere, even in unseen areas like pipes and drains. When the weather is nice, open windows to increase air circulation in your home. If it is raining or humid, leave them closed and turn on ceiling fans instead.
Purchase a Dehumidifier
A high quality dehumidifier can be a moneysaving investment in the long run, as it can reduce the frequency of sickness in your home and minimize the ideal growing environment for mold. Depending on the size of your home, one dehumidifier may be enough, or you might need several to handle the space that you have.
Use a Trusted DIY Method
Baking soda and vinegar are a known DIY cleaning combo used for all kinds of household tasks. To keep your drains free from mold, pour baking soda down the drain first, then follow it with vinegar. This home remedy is one that many homeowners swear by. It also neutralizes odors that are common in kitchen and bathroom drains.
Mold Remediation from A+ Restoration & Cleaning
There are several ways to tell if you have mold in your drains or pipes. The first and most obvious sign is that the mold colony spreads until it is growing out of your drain and into your sink or shower basin.
Another sign that mold is present somewhere in your home is a musty odor. If you have checked everywhere that you can see, it’s time to call a pro and let them inspect the areas you can’t see.
Finally, if you or a family member starts experiencing mold allergy symptoms, don’t waste any time having your home inspected for mold. These symptoms can include sneezing, congestion, coughing, headaches and skin rashes.
A+ Restoration & Cleaning will have all the answers to you most urgent questions. In addition to educating you about mold and its natural preferences, our mold removal company can provide all of the following services:
Inspection
We can check every nook and cranny of your home to find mold even in its best hiding places. These teams have equipment that is specially designed to check pipes for mold up to several feet deep. This will give you peace of mind about mold in hard to reach areas of your home.
Remediation
Mold remediation is a lesser known service, but it can be very beneficial for a home that has chronic mold issues. Demo-free mold remediation from A+ Restoration & Cleaning is a service in which the mold levels in your home are restored to normal via our dry fogging system.
Our mold remediation service is affordable, and considering that a mold free home keeps your family healthier and protects your home itself from weakened materials, this service is worth every penny. Call our mold specialists at the first sign of mold within your home, and we will be able to handle your home’s mold removal needs from inspection and removal to future prevention!