Berlin.
Due to high heating costs, many apartments remain comparatively cool. This often brings mold and thus a serious health risk.
Dark spots in the corners of rooms, on window sills and on door frames are likely to appear more frequently than usual in many households in Germany this winter. Because due to the high energy costs, less heating and ventilation takes place. The result: mold stains in the apartment. Unheated rooms with high humidity provide the perfect breeding ground for molds.
This is what many underestimate health risk, which is hidden behind it. A few black spots on the joints won’t be dangerous, is the attitude of many. Mold can eat into walls, thrive behind wallpaper and proliferate in cavities. But how can you get rid of the fungal infestation?
Also read: Heat properly – This is how you can save money and avoid mold
What to do with the first mold stains?
clean surfaces. On smooth surfaces such as glass, metal, paintwork, ceramics and plastics, a cloth with something on it is usually sufficient household cleaners, according to the consumer advice center of North Rhine-Westphalia. After that, the cloth is contaminated and must be disposed of.
You can fight mold even better with a tip from Stefan Betz, who heads the Federal Association for Mold Remediation: “You can also use one disinfectant Alcohol-based, i.e. rub the surface with high-proof alcohol of 70 or 80 percent.” Joints and wallpaper that were infested should be renewed. The consumer advice center recommends wiping the wall with high-proof alcohol after removal.
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Measures that protect against harmful spores are essential when cleaning. respirators, as from everyday Corona, and disposable gloves are the means of choice. For stains higher up, protective goggles are also useful to prevent harmful particles from getting into your eyes.
In order to minimize the health risk, Stefan Betz recommends: “If you wallpaper removed, you should always moisten them beforehand or just dab them with an alcohol solution. Then not much mold is released when you remove it.” In order not to give the mold a chance to spread, you should ventilate well afterwards.
When is professional mold treatment the only solution?
It is generally advised to attack mold on your own only where it is less than half a square meter. It doesn’t have to be a contiguous spot, says Stefan Betz. Even if there are several small spots of mold in a total area of 50 square centimetres, you should professionals consult.
The same should be done with an infestation that is visually very conspicuous, for example if fluff has formed on the spots. As the expert on indoor mold explains, the cause of mold in the home is not always obvious: “An infestation does not necessarily have to be due to a ventilation fault or a room temperature that is too low. It can also arise because there is a hidden somewhere water damage are.”
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Where can mold be expected due to incorrect heating and ventilation?
“As a rule, the cold external components are then affected: the outer walls and the corners where two outer walls meet, or the area around the windows if they are poorly insulated or there leaks exist,” explains Stefan Betz.
“If, on the other hand, the mold appears on an interior wall, then it is more likely that there are other causes,” says the mold expert. About leaking pipes in the walls. If mold growth on interior walls on the airing and heating decreases, this is due to thermal bridges or the fact that the room is not heated at all.
Also read: Mold on the window seal: These remedies help
What are the risks of mold?
Mold can trigger allergic reactions and diseases, primarily in the area of respiratory tract, strengthen. As the NRW consumer advice center reports, people with poor health and immunocompromised people are particularly at risk from rooms contaminated with mould.
Mold also weakens the structure of a building. In the worst case, this can lead to wooden beams bearing fungus or the roof truss of a house – and the building becomes uninhabitable.
Why do stains reappear in the same place after removing them?
It is often not enough to remove the stains superficially. Recurring mold stains are an indication that the infestation has already penetrated deeper layers and continues to thrive there. “If I don’t adjust my behavior, then the mold behaves like weed in the garden,” says Stefan Betz. “If I only remove the surface of the dandelion, its roots can sprout again.”
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This can also be the case, for example, if the wallpaper only shows a few black dots on the surface. But if it has become detached from the substrate, according to Stefan Betz, this is a sign that moisture has already dissolved the remains of paste, and thus for more need for action.
If you find an even worse infestation behind a wallpaper than on the front, “then there is more in it depth available,” says the expert. “Then you don’t just have to remove the wallpaper, maybe even part of the plaster.”
Does the beginning of spring mean the end of mold growth?
yes for now “As soon as the humidity If it is no longer effective, the mold cannot grow any further,” explains expert Stefan Betz. This also applies to an infestation in deeper layers. “So the problem will of course decrease or disappear completely as the temperature increases over the course of the year. But what has been created up until then is not gone, it is dormant and waiting for moisture to take effect again at some point. Similar to a seed.”
More tips: Cold nights – why you should also heat at night
So that means: If you don’t act consistently, the problem will come next winter not just again. A mold infestation that is still present will then become even larger. (dpa/sec)
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