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Humidity and Your Virginia Home
Virginia summers are it’s reliably hot and sticky! Heat and humidity are really uncomfortable and make your A/C work twice as hard. But the mold it invites into your home can be a bigger problem. Many types of mold naturally play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter, such as fallen leaves and dead trees. Indoors, it can not only cause health issues for your family, but it can also result in costly damage to your home and belongings.
Even winter can bring mold problems. Keep cold surfaces, such as cold water pipes, prone to condensation, covered with insulation. If you ever see condensation build up on your window panes during winter, your home has high moisture levels. Act quickly to wipe the surface down and turn up the dehumidifier setting. While small problems can be handled, a larger mold issue requires professional help. If you're in doubt, contact an expert in mold assessment, remediation, or removal that holds a certification.
Does home insurance pay for mold removal?
If you have a mold problem, you have a water problem. You may wonder if your home insurance will pay for long-term water damage and mold removal. The short answer is no. Water leaks and mold can be prevented by addressing routine home maintenance and unaddressed exposure to humidity. Keeping up with regular maintenance to your home is key to avoiding costly damage and denied insurance claims.
An example of this would be your 20-year-old roof's broken and worn-out shingles allowing water into your attic. Water saturates and rots the wood and leads to mold in the attic. A professional can identify and repair leaks by having an annual roof inspection to prevent long-term water problems and mold development. If your roof is suddenly damaged by severe weather and rainwater gets in, your home insurance can cover those damages. However, mold growth following the damage can be averted by proactively addressing the damage, filing a claim, and getting your roof repaired promptly.
How To Prevent Mold in Your Home
While moisture problems in your home can be challenging, the good news is there are proactive things you can do to prevent mold. We suggest ONE simple, inexpensive solution to help keep those indoor moisture levels down. It can help protect your home and belongings and keep mold outside where it belongs!
Portable Dehumidifiers Are Helpful
No mold grows without water or moisture. Ideally, homeowners should keep aim to keep indoor humidity between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity, and a dehumidifier is the easiest way to do it. While whole house units require a professional and can be pricey, the large amount of moisture they remove lets you run your air conditioner less. But depending on your square footage, a suitable medium or large-capacity floor unit for just a few hundred dollars can do the trick. Choose a larger size to ensure efficiency if your indoor space is at the high end of a dehumidifier's capacity.
Floor dehumidifiers require minimal maintenance other than finding the ideal location, emptying the collected water as needed, and occasionally cleaning the filter. A basement is a great spot and may allow for a hose to automatically move collected water straight into a floor drain or sump pump.
Here are a few more tips to prevent mold growth in your home
- Keep your air conditioning drip pans clean and its drain lines clear and flowing.
- Ventilation is vital, and fans are your friends! Bathroom fans, exhaust fans in the kitchen, and proper venting for any appliance that produces moisture are essential.
- Increase ventilation or air movement by opening doors and windows when dryer weather arrives.
- Pull up any carpet from areas where water has leaked. Increase ventilation and air temperature to aid the drying process quickly.
- Buy water detectors for your basement and near major appliances like water heaters, washing machines, and dishwashers.
- Clean mold safely with white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle. Because mold is resilient, it's best not to dilute the vinegar. Spray it directly onto the mold, and let it sit for at least an hour without rinsing or scrubbing so that the vinegar gets completely absorbed by the mold.
Mold From Other Water Problems
Non-weather-related water damage is one of the most common home insurance claims and one of the most expensive. It also can become a much more costly problem for you if mold develops. Home water damage can come from flooding, a failed appliance, leaky pipes, seepage in basements, or expired weather stripping on your doors and windows. Maybe you need to clean and repair your gutters. Have you ever ensured your yard properly slopes away from your foundation? Do you ever have lasting water puddles in your yard after heavy rain? Sump pumps are fantastic for some homes predisposed to groundwater and drainage challenges. Call a professional to diagnose tough water problems.
Flooding emergencies and mold
Other common causes of home mold are repeated water leaks, seepage, and flood damage. Flood water damage is not covered by standard home insurance. Timely cleanup is critical. Mold will begin growing within 24-48 hours of water damage and can be expensive and difficult to remove if it’s not nipped in the bud quickly. This is where that dehumidifier can come in really handy. Keep it constantly running for quicker results during the cleanup period.
Do you have more questions about home insurance? We're happy to answer them. Give us a call!
THE NORTHERN NECK INSURANCE INTEGRITY PROMISE — We pledge to provide straight talk and good counsel from our NNINS Virginia insurance experts through our blog. While we hope you find this to be a helpful source of information, it does not replace the guidance of a licensed insurance professional, nor does it modify the terms of your Northern Neck Insurance policy in any way. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy.
