Preventing Mold Growth in Your Office Building

Keeping your office building clean is vital to keeping tenants and employees happy, healthy, and productive. Unfortunately, sometimes even a clean looking facility can harbor harmful organisms.  Mold can grow virtually anywhere within an office building, without sunlight, and on any surface. Mold exposure can also lead to respiratory problems, especially in people with allergies and asthma, with black mold often leading to more severe conditions. So, knowing how to spot mold, deal with it, and prevent mold problems from developing in the first place is essential. Here are some crucial points to keep in mind to keep your commercial building mold-free.

How to Spot Mold

One of the most important ways to stop mold outbreaks in your office building is knowing the signs of mold. Have you or your employees noticed any dark spots on the walls of your buildings? Mold often grows inside the walls of a building and can cause structural damage to your facility. Employees reporting musty odors in specific areas of the office can also be a telltale sign of mold growing beneath the surface. It’s important to note that mold can grow virtually anywhere, from inside walls to countertops and carpeting.One of the most critical places in the building to track indoor mold growth is any area with moisture problems. Bathrooms, kitchens, or break rooms can be breeding grounds for mold, as mold thrives in moist, damp places. If an area of your office building has been recently remodeled or changed, mold can also be a problem with mold spores circulated through the air by the renovations. If you know an area of your office building prone to leaky roofs or faucets, you should regularly monitor those areas for mold growth.

Prevention is Protection

One of the best ways to deal with a potential mold problem is to prevent mold growth before it begins. One of the keys is to minimize moisture. Keeping your office well-maintained, like repairing leaky pipes and cracks in the walls, can help to prevent moisture buildup in damp areas of the building. You or your employees should also try to clean damp spots in the office quickly, preventing moisture from harboring mold growth. If break rooms and other areas in the office have experienced flooding, avoid moisture issues by removing and replacing carpeting.

Consistency is vital in preventing mold growth in your office building. Exhaust fans can provide critical ventilation in your building to prevent mold growth throughout your office. Moist areas should be well-ventilated, keeping fresh air flowing and mitigating mold spores hanging in the air. Monitor humidity levels in your building and try to keep humidity levels below 60% to prevent mold growth, with an ideal range at 30-50%. 

You may also want to consider having your air ducts inspected for mold growth. Mold can hide in your HVAC system, where condensation can provide a moist environment. Mold growth in your air ducts can then distribute the mold throughout the entire HVAC system and building. Professional air duct cleaning removes dust, debris, mold spores, and other pollutants to improve indoor air quality and keep these contaminants from circulating throughout the building.

Dealing with Mold in your Office Building

Sometimes, the growth of mold in your building happens despite your best efforts at prevention, so it’s crucial to know how to deal with a mold outbreak. Mold can impact the health of your facility’s occupants, and it will also continue to grow, so it’s vital to address the issue right away. It’s critical to work with experienced mold remediation professionals who are equipped to find and eliminate the cause of the mold and perform the mold removal. 

The AdvantaClean Difference

If you are experiencing mold growth issues, AdvantaClean is here to help. Our services include mold remediation and removal, water damage restoration, air duct cleaning, and more. Contact us or call us at 877.800.2382 to find out how AdvantaClean can help keep your building clean and healthy.