Humid summer leads to mold issues on Delmarva
LEWES, Del. – Sussex Environmental Consultants owner, Susan White, says her phone’s been ringing off the hook with customers across Delmarva needing her help to fight one frustrating issue: mold.
“Normally we do 30 to 40 jobs a week, we’ve been doing anywhere from 60 to 80 jobs a week,” said White.
White says she believes the boom in business is thanks to the extremely humid summer the Eastern Shore saw, which in turn has caused a major mold issue for residents, schools, businesses and more.
“The humidity this year is the highest it’s been in 45 years. Schools, hospitals, we’ve been working, you name, it we’ve had it,” said White.
White adds there’s many common mistakes people make that causes mold to grow such as keeping their homes too cold during the summer, and improper maintenance of their ventilation systems.
“People will close off their vents, it’s like ‘oh I don’t use that room I’m going to close off the vents’, you go back and look and it’s almost wet in the duct because that condensation has built up so much in there it’s been trapped and the you’ll grow thick mold,” said White.
White says most mold is visible, but she also cautions sometimes it can go unnoticed. That’s why she suggests taking a flashlight and shining it in dimly lit areas to help you better detect the issue. She also suggests getting a hydrometer to keep tabs on the humidity levels in your home.
“Make sure you’re staying below 60%, keep your place clean of dust,” said White.
She adds the more knowledgeable you are about how to prevent mold, the better off you’ll be when the humid temperatures come back.
“We try to educate them on what to do so that next year if it starts coming up, they’re right on it,” said White.
White also says mold can contribute to health problems and can cause many people to suffer from hay fever, cough, runny nose and eye irritation. Which is why its so important that if you do in fact find mold inside you’re home you call a local consultant as soon as possible.
