Where does mold come from? Do you risk “taking it with you” when moving from a moldy apartment to a not moldy one?
In: Biology
Yes, the spores are naturally present in the air however, so though you might not bring that particular mould, another will be floating around pretty much anywhere you go.
The way to stop it is to make the conditions inhospitable – dry being the main point. Don’t allow steam, condensation or water built up in or around your home. Keep air moving through the house – you don’t need huge winds and draughts, though… just a small slot open on your double-glazing, which is why they put the slots in double-glazed windows, or a gentle movement of air. In my old house (1930’s brick) there was a big condensation problem, leaving mould on all the windowsills, and we cured it overnight with what is basically a fan designed to pull air from the attic and lightly waft it down into the main house. A 3-bedroom house was ventilated well enough by a fan you could barely hear pulling enough air through the house that you could barely feel it (we installed it on the loft hatch, so it didn’t even need any building work).
If you keep air moving, which helps dry, and keep the house itself dry – ventilate the bathroom, use a cooker hood, make sure there are no water leaks, etc. – then mould will settle as it always does but it won’t be able to take hold and grow.
Mould is present in the air. It actually spores into the air all the time and it’s present in every soil, the outside world and in your house. Those spores are therefore everywhere and you can’t get rid of them (no matter how much you clean, etc.). All you can do is ensure they can’t grow into a full mould, by keeping things clean, dry and ventilated.
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