Reducing Mold And Mildew In Your Bathroom

It is no secret that mold and mildew love to live in your bathroom. The warm, moist air is a perfect environment for spores to thrive, making it difficult to keep in check. Even with regularly cleaning, mildew and mold can live under caulking and between bathroom tiles, lurking in every little crevice. Beyond cleaning, there are ways to reduce these aggravating and potentially harmful growths by reducing moisture in the room.

Reduce Moisture In Your Bathroom

While you cannot rid your bathroom completely of moisture, there are ways to minimize the amount that accumulates throughout the day. Hot baths, showers and the continuous presence of water make the bathroom a very humid place which attract mold and mildew. Some ways to cut down on this moisture include:

–        Exhaust fan. If you don’t already have a bathroom exhaust fan to remove moist air, you need to invest in having one installed in all of your bathrooms. This circulates the air, adding much needed ventilation to these small, moist rooms.

–        Open a window. Even if you don’t have an exhaust fan, you can still open a window and use a small, portable fan to blow moist air out. This can be very effective in removing excess moisture.

–        Fix leaks. Is there constant condensation on your toilet, or does your bathtub faucet have a slow drip? This constant moisture is making your mold and mildew problem worse. Call your local plumber to get your fixtures repaired.

If you are able to reduce the amount of moisture that stays in the air in your bathroom, you can have a fighting chance of keeping mold and mildew at bay. Keeping moisture low also protects drywall and other porous surfaces from becoming infested with dangerous mold which can be harmful and very expensive to remove.

Posted on behalf of Seagraves Plumbing Septic and Sewer

Save Energy by Reducing Hot Water Use

You can save money and energy every month by reducing hot water usage in your home.  Less energy use means reduced greenhouse gasses so by following a few energy saving tips, you’ll keep more money in your wallet at the same time you help conserve the environment.

Fixing leaks in plumbing fixtures wastes less hot water and results in savings on energy bills and water bills.  If you have leaky faucets or showerheads, have them fixed or replaced by a qualified faucet repair plumber.  If you are replacing faucets or showerheads, ask your plumber to install low-flow fixtures.

Modern faucets and showerheads use far less water than older fixtures while still providing excellent water flow.  By federal law, all showerheads and faucets have flow rates no higher than 2.5 gallons per minute which is less than half of some fixtures sold before 1992.

Low flow showerheads come in two types:  laminar flow and aerating.  Aerating showerheads have an aerator that mixes air with the water much like a faucet.  Laminar flow showerheads use individual streams of water.  Both save money and energy by conserving hot water, but aerating showerhead create a little more steam and moisture in your bathroom and may be better suited for climates where humidity is not a concern.

Some homeowners have been dissatisfied with the performance of their low flow fixtures, but if you purchase fixtures with the Watersense label, you can be assured that the fixture has been tested by and independent laboratory and found to use less water without sacrificing performance.