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DAP experts say keeping basements
and bathrooms dry can protect your family from mold.
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Protecting Your Home From
Mold
(NAPSA)-You can help protect your home and cut home
maintenance costs by watching for mold in your house.
In monetary terms, damage caused by mold can quickly
add up. While mold on a floor can cost less than $500 to remedy, a more
complicated problem that involves structural damage can run a tab from
$5,000 up to tens of thousands of dollars.
The best way to control mold growth is to control
moisture. Try these tips:
- Start Low-According to the American Society
of Home Inspectors (ASHI), 60 percent of homes have wet basements and
38 percent run the risk of basement mold. Check your basement for any
leaks and avoid drying laundry in the cellar.
- Take It Outside-A house with a 1,500 square-foot
roof sheds 1,000 gallons of water for every inch of rain that falls,
according to the ASHI. Keep that water out of your house. Clean gutters
so they won't overflow and arrange the soil around your home's foundation
so it slopes away from the house.
- Watch Wet Walls-Look for cracked or bulging
areas in your outdoor and indoor walls. They can be signs of a leak.
Also, check for loose siding and metal trim. If parts are loose or missing
a leak can develop.
- Keep It Covered-Paint walls and ceilings
with mold-resistant paint. For example, DAP® Kwik Seal Plus™
Basement Paint with Microban® antimicrobial product protection safeguards
concrete and masonry walls with a guaranteed waterproof seal. The paint
continuously fights the growth of stain- and odor-causing bacteria and
mold on the dried paint surface.
- Clear The Air-Consider using a dehumidifier
in the basement, kitchen, bathroom or any other room that tends to get
damp.
- Seal The Deal-Control mold growth in kitchens
and bathrooms with mold-resistant caulking. DAP makes a Kwik Seal Plus®
kitchen and bath adhesive caulk with Microban® protection to fight
the growth of stain- and odor-causing mold and mildew.
- Ditch Drips-Insulate cold-water pipes with
foam insulation. That can stop condensation from building up and dripping
on floors or surrounding surfaces. In addition, turn up the heat in
your basement during the cold months. That can keep pipes from freezing
and bursting.
- Wave Goodbye To Water-Install a sump pump
with perimeter drains and provide floor drains by the washing machine.
That can keep water from collecting in your basement.
For more information, call 1-888-DAP-TIPS or visit
www.dap.com.
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