Preventing Mold in the Garage

While mold is most commonly found in the attic or basement of your home, mold growth can happen anywhere - and your garage is often affected. The cold winters in Toronto coupled with high amounts of precipitation make mold removal in garages a service that more and more homeowners are taking advantage of. Garages, whether free standing or a part of your home, are often not sealed correctly, making them vulnerable to water incursion or high levels of moisture. Removing garage mold and preventing it can reduce damage to your home and prevent mold from spreading to your living areas. 

2 Most Common Causes of Mold Growth in the Garage

There are 2 common causes of mold growth in the garage. 

There’s lots to eat and grow on.

The garage is often a place to store infrequently used items, or as a place to put cars, bikes, and other outdoor equipment; it can even double as a small woodshop or hobby space. All of these activities bring in plenty of organic material in the form of dust, dirt, wood, plant matter, and more, which are materials that mold like to grow on.

There’s lots of moisture.

Imagine that the front door of your home was the size of your garage door - every time you opened it, the interior of your home would be exposed to the elements and experience a huge rush of whatever weather was happening. This would be disastrous for your living room but is a frequent occurrence for your garage. Garage doors don’t seal like front doors either, which means that they’re constantly letting in water and dirt from outside. Some folks like to wash their car in the garage, while snow and ice can get tracked in on cars and bikes.  This all results in a LOT of moisture buildup in the average garage, and whether it’s in its solid state (water) or airborne (humidity), this moisture can easily cause a great deal of damage. 

In addition to these two problems, garages often have little or no drainage, have no or incomplete insulation, poor air flow, and few windows or sources of natural light. 

How to Prevent Mold Growth in the Garage

If you’re concerned about mold growth in your garage, there are a few ways that you can help prevent it from occurring. 

The first and best way to stop mold growth is to seal your garage door. If you’ve ever peeked in the garage after a rain or snow storm, you may have noticed water entering underneath or around your garage door opening. Installing new or improved weather stripping that rests flush against the garage frame can eliminate this problem. 

The next thing you can do is properly store things in the garage. If you have water problems, storing things on shelving, hooks, and off the floor, can keep them from getting soaked and ensure there is air flow around them. 

Other good tips for preventing garage mold include:

• Keeping the humidity under control by increasing ventilation
• Install drainage to remove water
• Use mold-proof materials during construction and replace moldy materials as soon as you notice them
• Trim back plants and hedges around the garage
• Install gutters and direct the downspouts 6-10 feet away from the foundation

Seek Professional Help When There’s a Problem

If you find mold growing in your garage, professional help to remove and remediate the structure is recommended. Whether or not your garage is connected to your home, mold is easily disturbed and can quickly spread to your home on clothes, boots, or tools. Some types of mold are hazardous to human health, and can cause short and long term problems for your eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory systems. The professional approach to mold removal ensures that you and your family remain safe throughout the entire process and that 100% of the mold is removed. 

Work with MoldTech for a Mold-Free Garage

Professional mold removal in the garage results in better home safety, cleanliness, and better indoor air quality. Mold can grow at any time of year - even the winter! - so there’s never a better time to perform a mold assessment or remediation. For more information on how your garage could be compromised and how we can help you, get in touch with our technicians at 1-866-684-7684 to schedule your free visible mold inspection. Our full range of services is also available online at www.moldtech.ca, as well as more information on mold growth in Toronto.