Mold in the Garage

People, especially homebodies, love spending time in the house.  This relaxing period, however, is usually spent in the bedroom, living room, kitchen, and even the garden.    This leaves one particular part of the house a little dark and unoccupied -- by people, anyway.  We’re talking about the garage, and if you’re not a car junkie who spends hours with his tools, then it’s possible to miss out on a whole number of things.  The roof or gutter could be leaking, the walls could be wet, and the garage floor could be full of puddles; if a garage like this is left unchecked, you’ll only notice something wrong when a horrible stink invades your home.  This is a sign of one of your home’s biggest enemies - mold.  So before your garage turns into a cesspool beyond your cleaning abilities, you better learn how to prevent this from happening. That, or you bite the bullet and call a really expensive mold removal service.

So before you have to spend a ton on contractors and repairs, here’s what you do.  First off, if you already have a mold contamination problem, check what could be the source and deal with it. No matter what kind of proofing you do, if the source of mold is undetermined and left alone, the problem will never be fully resolved.  After using your preferred mold cleaner, you have to deal with the source of moisture.  If it’s a leak, find it and seal it.  If its humidity, then you could use a product like DampRid to remove moisture in the air, or you can use a dehumidifier.  After dealing with the mold problem, the prevention can begin.

An organized garage is a clean garage.  If things aren’t messy, it’s easy to spot what needs to be cleaned or what’s growing on the walls.  Next, try to use mold proof paint on your walls, as the paint you use could be ideal ground for spore attachment.  Ventilation is also very important as this causes moisture to seep out of the room.  Install vents if there aren’t any, and open windows and the garage door during good weather days.  This also ushers in a lot of sunlight, a big nemesis of mold.  Now, the car itself is also a source of moisture.  Water and oil leaks can seep into the floor, again causing mold.  Car mats for the garage floor can be purchased as a remedy to this problem.  They can absorb a whole lot and prevent mold and whatever else from growing.  You can also treat the whole floor with a sealant, but that takes a lot more time and money.   If your car has been exposed to a lot of snow and rain, leave it outside to dry so the whole garage floor won’t get wet.  Installing a drain isn’t a bad idea either.

Mold has a nasty way of cropping up unexpectedly, so regular supervision is still necessary.  Keep checking for signs of mold and possible sources.  If you’ve applied the suggestions however, these fungal pests shouldn’t be much of a problem.

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