If you want to avoid mold it’s essential to keep on the lookout for watermarks or musty smells that may be the first signs of mold growth. Treatment with bleach may successfully remove mold if you catch it early, but you must be sure to destroy materials such as cleaning rags, rugs and wallpaper that have moldy residue. To prevent re-growth of the mold it’s also important to find and eliminate the source of moisture that gave rise to the mold.

Mold grows indoors in conditions of high humidity and moisture. You can take some steps to discourage the growth of mold in your home, including:
• reducing humidity;
• keeping your home dry;
• using mold-reducing cleaning products; and
• cleaning up and drying out thoroughly after water damage or flooding.

Unless you have recently had a burst water pipe or storm damage at home it’s unlikely that your Tampa homeowners insurance will cover the cost of eliminating mold. Cleaning mold is a fairly simple task that you could carry out yourself, but if you have allergy problems or a breathing disorder you should consider outsourcing this work to a local contractor who specializes in mold remediation.