When Was the Last Time You Looked In Your Attic?

Thinking of selling your home? Then you’d better take a look in your attic. Just because the attic is out of sight, it shouldn’t be out of mind. Checking your attic at least once a year is an important part of property maintenance and surprisingly, many property owners never inspect their attics and only become aware of problems when an outside vendor, such as an energy efficiency consultant or home inspector, comes in and alerts them to a once preventable situation that can be clearly seen with the naked eye: Black mold.

If you discover black mold in your attic, it’s important to remember that mold remediation in attics can only be performed when the temperatures inside the attic are no greater than 90°F in order to ensure our technicians’ safety. So, if you need to remove attic mold in your property before you sell it, now is the perfect time to do so.

Poor ventilation is the leading cause of mold growth in attics. Attics should be properly ventilated so there’s plenty of air movement.  Air inside the attic should be comparable to the exterior air.  Poorly insulated and/or ventilated attics can cause warmer or cooler air from the occupied space into the attic, causing condensation on the sheathing with extreme cold or warm temperatures outside.  This moisture often turns into microbial growth.

In addition, your attic needs to have enough open vents—soffit, gable or ridge—it doesn’t matter. And they MUST NOT be covered over with insulation. Adding extra insulation to your attic is great, but make sure you don’t cover the soffit vents and use Styrofoam baffles to direct air flow from the soffit to the top of the attic, so the vents can do their job.

Also, poorly vented bathroom and kitchen fans can contribute to humidity in the attic. It’s essential to have exhaust fans in these rooms, since they’re the source of the most moisture in the home. But the fans should be vented directly to the exterior to prevent warm, moist air discharging into the attic.

Single Source Disaster Recovery Specialists has been providing mold remediation services to residential and commercial property owners for over 25 years. Our technicians have been specially trained using IICRC Applied Microbial Remediation (AMRT) procedures and are expert in taking the utmost care in protecting the health and safety of property owners and occupants during the remediation process. If you suspect or discover mold inside your attic or any other area of your property, please give us a call at (855) 528-0304 to discuss your situation and/ or schedule a consultation. Click here to learn more about the mold remediation process. You can also contact us by clicking here.

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