Moisture is mold’s favorite place to live. If the humidity in your attic is higher than 60%, expect mold growth in it. Keeping spaces dry, controlling moisture levels, and hiring an attic mold remediation company is crucial to prevent mold spores development.

Mold grows everywhere in nature and plays an essential ecological part in separating dead organic matter into smaller portions. The recycling process that mold does returns nutrients to the environment. Your attic space becomes an excellent breeding ground for mold because it contains all the things it needs, such as the following:

• food sources (leather goods, cardboard boxes, drywall, etc.)
• oxygen
• right temperature
• moisture 

Mold flourishes inside its food sources as they deeply infiltrate into them. You can consider anything that contains carbohydrates a food source for molds.

If You Don’t Do Attic Mold Remediation Immediately, What Can Happen?

Attic mold growth will doubtlessly end a real estate transaction and frighten off potential clients if you don’t proactively mend it. You may have ignored the mold issue in your attic, but do not expect your client to overlook the same problem once they discover it. 

It would be best to fix the attic mold issue before selling your property to avoid further concerns from happening.

Indications of Mold Growth in Your Attic

Here are the common indications of attic mold:

• Dark spots or blemishes on plywood

If black discoloration appears on your attic plywood, it means there’s mold growth, and you should act quickly to remove it. Consult a professional right away. 

• Musty smell

A musty smell in your attic means a moisture problem is present somewhere. Mold colonies must have already been spreading. You should inspect it thoroughly. 

• Hot and muggy air

Adequately ventilated attics should make them airy and fresh. A muggy attic indicates that you have improper ventilation, which usually causes mold issues.

• Frost accumulation of roof sheathing

An attic with poor ventilation can cause water vapor to freeze underneath your roof in wintertime. 

• Water dripping from ceiling fans, light fixtures, and smoke alarms

This is an obvious sign that the moisture level in the attic is too much. You must act swiftly to address the issue. 

Main Causes

1. Your home’s inadequate ventilation

Generally, attics contain a passive ventilation system wherein the outdoor air enters through the eave or soffit vents at the bottom, becomes warm, and gets out through the ridge or can vents at the top. This cycle forms a pleasant, breezy, and well-ventilated attic. 

The common ventilation issues in the attic are: blocked eaves or soffit vents causing warm and humid air to stagnate, that leads to higher moisture levels in the room, and not having enough vents installed. Generally, for each 100 square feet of attic area, 1 square foot of venting is required.

2. Improper installation of exhaust vents and fans

Manufacturers design exhaust vents and fans to drive moisture from your dryer, kitchen, and bathroom out of your home and NOT directly to your attic. 

In addition, plumbing vents in the attic can be a moisture source that can cause mold issues. These vent stacks emit dangerous gasses, so ensure that these fumes are not directly driven inside the attic. 

3. Roof leaks that cause mold in the attic

You can often see some localized mold growth near or around the roof leak. To inspect for probable roof leaks, search for stainings or discolorations on insulation and wood, like sheathing, rafters, joists, fascia boards, etc. Ensure leaks are not present around the vents, plumbing stacks, chimneys, and windows. 

The roof valleys are also highly prone to roof leaks, so include these sites in your inspection routine. 

Attic Mold Removal Tips

Consider the following factors before performing the mold remediation process on your own:

• how immense the attic mold problem is
• which items, equipment, and building materials are affected
• location of mold in the home

If you notice small mold patches in your attic, you can use any homemade mold-removal solutions, like white vinegar, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide mixture. You can also remove mold with tea tree oil.

Simply pour your chosen solution into the spray bottle and directly spray on the affected area. Leave it for 15 minutes up to 1 hour before scrubbing it with a brush. 

However, if you see a large area of mold (over 10 square feet) in the attic, it’s best to call in the experts from your choice mold remediation company. They do the mold-removal task according to industry guidelines. 

Professional Remediation Process

The following are the steps that experts do when removing mold:

1. They inspect the affected room in your home, identify the moisture and mold issues, and explain the extent of the needed work to correct water and mold damage problems. 

2. Their top priority is the protection of the household members and the company staff, so they only use safe cleaning tools and equipment when addressing the issues. 

3. They solve any moisture problems using modern techniques and equipment. 

4. They start removing the mold by separating salvageable items and cleaning them with effective mold-removal solutions. Then, they discard the non-salvageable stuff. 

5. The final step is restoring the items removed by replacing and installing new materials. 

Superior Restoration is Here to Help

Indeed, it’s a headache to recognize mold issues caused by excess moisture or water damage in your attic. If the mold-removal task is too complicated for you to handle, let Superior Restoration Irvine help you. Our company has a team of specialists who can deal with any water or mold damage problems. We only use effective cleaning solutions and high-tech equipment when performing any restoration services needed in your home. Call us today! We are ready to give you a hand 24/7.