When a person mentions molds, the first thing that comes to mind are green bread or green cheese which has overstayed in the refrigerator, of which you will not give a second thought in throwing to the garbage.

However, we are not aware that molds play an important role in our environment. They help decompose dead organic materials including dead trees, leaves and other detritus. Molds are also the reason for the existence or discovery of some drugs are available today.

But molds inside building structures are ugly, smelly, and the reason for some health problems. Staff assigned to cleaning the building should also prevent the proliferation of molds. Therefore, they must know the nature of molds so that they will know how to avoid them.

Molds thrive in damp area together with the presence of untreated food and oxygen. In the United States alone, there are more or less 1,000 mold species and another 100,000 species in the world. Molds are not a problem unless spores grow and begin to rise. There are a variety of molds that thrive on paper, wood, carpet, and even dirt and dust.

It is impossible to totally remove all spores of molds present in the buildings. Anyway these are okay as long as spores have not grown. The spores grow and multiply on moist spots or areas. If these are not given attention, they would grow on carpets, furnishings, and other places. And the worst is that molds can even cause breakdown of structures of the buildings. It also increases the moisture level are caused by over watering of plants, roof’s seep out, gutters soaked with water, and machines that are not maintained.

Molds can be prevented from growing by controlling damp. Fix leaks and dry them totally. The following are instruction on how to avoid molds:

• Check for concentrated and wet areas in the buildings. Determine the source and fix it right away.

• Repair every leaking plumb as soon as possible they are discovered.

• Prevent moisture to condense on surfaces by mounting air temperature, controlling moisture level, and escalating the air circulation. Repair all leaks to minimize the level of dampness and if needed, use dehumidifier.

• Properly maintain the HVAC system. Regularly change filters and maintain the cleanliness of drip pans.

• All appliances which create moisture (like the dryers) must be placed outside.

• The bathroom and cooking areas have to be properly and correctly vented.

• Seriously locate the different areas where there are leaks and trace the cause then make prevention measures to avoid occurrence of leak again.

If it is hard to remove molds in the building, the following might be the obvious reasons:

• The fixtures, carpets or other materials in the building might have leaks.

• There is excessive moisture in the building or stagnant water in some areas.

For more: How to start a cleaning service