Mold is one of the most common defects in homes and can be a health hazard. It not only poses a risk of damage to the building structure, but also poses a very serious health risk. Mold also has a visual impact on a home.
Discovered mold? – Take action!
If you find mold in your apartment, you must take countermeasures. This is the only way to prevent or at least minimize major risks to the structural integrity of your apartment and, above all, to your health. If you have rented an apartment, the landlord is primarily responsible for rectifying defects. However, you are of course obliged to report mold infestation in a timely manner, but also to do everything in advance to prevent mold from occurring in the first place. Proper ventilation and heating are important, among other things. However, there are also other reasons for mold infestation. Construction defects are one example. It is best for you or the landlord to have the mold assessed by experts in order to take the right measures.
Important questions about mold in the home
Below you will find a few questions that are often raised in connection with mold infestation in the home .
When is mold dangerous?
There are various types of mold. Not all of them are immediately dangerous. Mold infestation in the home should be taken seriously. A wet and humid lawyer database indoor climate – combined with mold infestation – can lead to health problems in the short term and cause serious and lasting illness in the long term. The symptoms of the disease can appear even years after the mold infestation. These include autoimmune diseases and respiratory diseases in particular.
What to do if there is mold in the house?
An expert should examine the type and degree of risk and exposure to mold. A specialist can, for example, measure the mold in the air and then recommend countermeasures. In principle, however, there is a lot you can do as a tenant to combat mold infestation.
If, as a tenant, you notice “damp, fogged-up windows” or “musty, cold corners of walls” (usually on the outside wall on the weather side) in the winter months, you should pay attention. There are various reasons for this. Incorrect ventilation and heating download a youtube video or defects in the building structure. Condensation always means that the moisture bound in the air has reached the dew point and is condensing. This can be due to excessive humidity or poor, damaged or incorrect insulation in the apartment, which leads to low temperatures in corners or on windows. Damage to the external masonry can also result in the wall and the insulation becoming wet (heavy driving rain and open joints). Wet insulation can lose its insulating properties under certain circumstances.
Proper ventilation (shock ventilation / cross ventilation) and increased heating can help here. If the “musty, wet corners” persist, this is more likely to indicate a construction defect. In this case, you should definitely seek expert advice.
In new apartments, you should also not push the furniture all the way up against the wall and you should not hang pictures on the walls. The decision to install wooden skirting boards should also only be made after measuring the “residual building moisture”. New buildings are generally “wet” and need a few weeks/months until the excess moisture has finally escaped from the building. Therefore, these “apartments” must be able to breathe. Ventilation and the measures described above must be strictly observed.
Modern apartments/houses are almost “airtight” and built very compactly. Air exchange through gaps, cracks, and the masonry is almost impossible or extremely difficult. This is why ventilation systems are usually used.
How to remove mold?
Even if the landlord should generally remove the mold, uabdirectory you can also remove the acute mold infestation in the apartment yourself with a few tools. To do this, you can of course optimize your ventilation and heating habits. You should also close the bathroom door after showering, for example, so that no moisture gets into the rest of the apartment. You can use the following substances as home remedies:
- 70% alcohol: simply dab and rub the moldy areas with a cloth soaked in the alcohol solution. Be sure to wear gloves and a respiratory mask.
- Hydrogen peroxide. You can also use this to rub off the mold. If necessary, you can also use methylated spirits. In any case, you must always ventilate sufficiently and protect your eyes.
When do walls get moldy?
The main reasons are damp walls, construction defects or damage and incorrect ventilation and heating behavior. In the latter case, you can make a difference yourself by changing your behavior. In the case of construction defects, the landlord is responsible. You can also claim a defect under tenancy law because the value of the property is reduced.