Waukesha County Home

MUSKEGO — Is mold in your home? Mold spores can be found anywhere from a small apartment to a luxury home because buildings make the perfect breed- ing ground for mold with two essential elements: moisture and nutrients. Mold gets its nutrients, or food, from anything that was once, or still is, alive: dirt, skin cells, cotton, cardboard, dust, hair, paper, wood. Once a mold spore has become embedded in a nutrient, all it needs is moisture to grow and that creates a perfect storm in your bathroom if you are not diligent about moisture control. While mold is not always a health haz- ard, it can aggravate asthma, cause aller- gic reactions, and irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, lungs, and skin. Callen Construction Inc. offers tips for keeping mold out of your bathroom: ■ Turning on the bathroom exhaust fan during and after taking a shower or bath will help to circulate the air and reduce steam while the water is on and help to dry the bathroom faster. Let the fan run between 20 and 30 minutes afterwards. If you don't have an exhaust fan, install one. Make sure your exhaust fan is vent- ing to the outdoors, not to the attic, where moisture will surely cause mold and wood rot in the roof framing and roof sheath- ing. Check that your vent fans are working properly by holding a piece of paper under the fan. If it's not being pulled towards the fan, the equipment may be faulty. ■ Fabric or plastic shower curtains attract mold and mildew, and are hard to keep clean. Consider installing easy-to- clean frameless bath doors. Bonus: glass makes your bath seem more spacious. If glass isn't an option, use a mildew-resist- ant shower curtain, and wash or replace it frequently. ■ Open windows when possible to let fresh air in to reduce moisture and leave the bathroom door open when you are not in it. ■ Use dehumidifiers to help remove moisture in the air of your home and keep the humidity level below 50 percent. By adjusting the heater or air conditioner (depending on the season), you can also reduce the amount of steam produced. ■ You can control moisture in the bath- room, but it will always be there, so make sure you are cleaning and dusting regu- larly using an all-purpose cleaner or white vinegar, which is known to prevent mold. Make sure your product is safe to use on painted walls or wallpaper. Don't forget to wipe down any bottles, jars and other bathroom accessories so any clean sur- faces are not recontaminated with mold and bacteria. ■ Slightly more labor intensive, but a good thing to do is to paint your bathroom using a semi-gloss paint. It's more resist- ant to stains, easier to clean and creates a harder surface that is more resistant to mold growth. ■ There may be less-visible signs of mold in the bathroom. Check behind the toilet and the back of the pipes in your vanity for leakage. If you do notice any leaks or issues, you will need to call a plumber to fix the situation. ■ Also, it's important to have your heat- ing and cooling system checked regularly to make sure it's operating properly. ■ Make sure outdoor rain gutters are moving water away from the home. For more information, call Callen at 414- 529-5509 or visit www.callcallen.com. For All of Your Home Needs For All of Your Home Needs 2 4 6 4 4 0 0 0 1 "Quality Conscious, Customer Focused ... Every Job, Every Day" 7945 Harwood Ave. Wauwatosa,WI 53213 office@milestoneplumbinginc.com www.milestoneplumbinginc.com Office: 414.988.4565 MP#998631 241 N Milwaukee St., Waterford WI Shop Our Showroom or the Comfort of Your Home Call for a FREE In Home Consultation 262-534-3344 • www.InHomeFloor.com 246516001 *Manufacturer's mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 9/15/15 – 12/7/15 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Offer excludes Nantucket™ Window Shadings, a collection of Silhouette Window Shadings. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 7 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. ©2015 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas. HOL15MB5 SILHOUETTE ® WINDOW SHADINGS Time to decorate your windows for the holidays! Save with mail-in rebates on a selection of stylish Hunter Douglas window fashions. Ask for details. Follow Us on Facebook or Twitter SAVE $ 100 * OR MORE WITH REBATES Ask about Measuring and Installation SEPTEMBER 15 – DECEMBER 7, 2015 on qualifying purchase of Hunter Douglas window fashions 15 BRIGHTER CONCEPTS BrighterConceptsLtd.com 414-332-8865 steve@brighterconceptsltd.com HOMES PLUS OCTOBER 2015 10 The key to preventing mold in the home is moisture control Bathroom exhausts, glass shower doors, dehumidifiers are some of the ways of beating mold

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