'Number one cause of mould': How to protect your home from humidity

The Adeniyi family issued a plea for help on social media about the mould in their south Ottawa apartment.

With much of Manitoba in the throes of a heat wave, a remediation specialist dealing with a surge in calls is reminding homeowners to protect themselves and their properties from hazardous mould.

Mark McKean, asbestos and mould inspector with Breathe Easy Eco Solutions said elevated humidity can cause problems to your home and your health.

“That's the number one cause of mould that I've seen. You would think it's flooding,” McKean said.

Household mould can cause allergic reactions, with symptoms like itchy eyes and runny nose.

McKean said the humid weather has kept him busy tending to mould removal calls. Usually spring is his most hectic season. But the high humidity paired with the spring’s overland flooding has brought it to the next level this month.

Now, he’s reminding Manitobans to take precautions to protect their homes from the muggy conditions, not just in the warm months, but year-round.

USING A DEHUMIDIFIER YEAR-ROUND

McKean believes everyone in the province should have a dehumidifier to run throughout the year, in addition to your air conditioner.

“An air conditioner cools the house. Colder air holds less moisture,” he explained.

“So when you cool the house, you do remove moisture naturally from the coils of the humidifier. By the time the temperature drops, the air can hold less moisture, so your relative humidity doesn't change.”

McKean recommends keeping relative humidity at around 45 per cent in the warmer months, and about 30 to 35 per cent in the cooler months.

He adds heat recovery ventilators (HRV), which are common in newer homes, should be used as well to control humidity in the winter.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND MOULD

If you discover mould, McKean recommends not to disturb it and to call a professional to have it properly removed.

“We remove it under what's called negative air or exhaust air ventilation,” he explained.

“Because when you start to remove that moulding material, mould releases what's called mycotoxins, and mycotoxins is basically the natural weapon that mould uses against each other to kind of reign supreme in an area.”

He also advises never to try bleach to remove mould, calling it the single worst thing you could use.

According to McKean, mould will sense the chlorine gas from bleach in the air and immediately release spores.

Additionally, the ionic structure of bleach does not absorb into porous materials like drywall or wood. He said as the chlorine component enters the air, the bleach is then absorbed into the material, making it appear as if the mould is gone.

“You put chlorine gas into the air, you have watered the roots of the mould, and you've spread mould spores throughout the house. So in a week's time, it comes back with a vengeance,” he explained.

Conversely, if you find mould on a non-porous surface, like a window frame, you can spray undiluted vinegar on the area and let it sit for 10 minutes. The acid in the vinegar will theoretically kill half the mould, he says.

Afterward, he advises to take soap and water and a disposable cloth to remove the remaining mould on the window ledge, throwing out the cloth when you are done.

“Just like a dandelion that's gone to seed, if you get it wet and try to blow on it, it's not going to release its seeds. So now that you've wet it down with vinegar and killed half the mould, you've wet down the mould spores, they’re comfortable, happy and you can safely remove them,” he said.