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How To Prevent Mold In Your Bathroom

Most homeowners hate the household fungus known as mold because it produces unsightly black spots on bathroom walls and ceilings. But mold is much more than a cosmetic problem. As it grows, mold produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause health problems such as upper respiratory distress, chronic headaches, skin rashes, flulike symptoms, sinus congestion, and nausea. Exessive exposure to VOCs can damage the liver, kidneys, and centeral nervous system.

Mold thrives in warm, damp environments. The best way to combat it is to remove excess moisture from your house. When you are renovating the bathroom, install a plastic vapour barrier between the insulation and the drywall to prevent warm air from condensing inside the walls. Put in a ventilation fan to expel moisture from the room. And because paper is a source of mold, you may want to choose nonorganic drywall with paperless facings. However, mold-resistant drywall is effective only when combined with good design, effective ventilation, and good building practices.

If you suspect that your bathroom has mold problems, take precautions before you start having the walls ripped apart. Mold is a living organism, and a single mold spore can reproduce trillions of spores within a few days. To keep mold from spreading to other parts of the house during renovation, block off the construction area with plastic sheeting and keep the air from moving into other rooms. A fan blowing out of the bathroom window will help create the necessary negative pressure.