Tips to Minimize your Risk of Mold After a Lockdown

Posted in Mold, on October 15, 2021

After the lockdowns caused by covid-19, many office buildings and commercial spaces remained closed and empty for months. Even though there was little human life in many of these spaces, fungal life was still around, and the result is that mold inspection in Toronto is on the mind of many managers, health and safety committees, and employees. SafeAir recommends adding mold testing in Toronto to your clean-up regimen to ensure you’re ready to welcome clients and workers to a safe and mold-free environment. 

Why Mold Growth Matters

Picturing mold growth, many of us think of the remains of a forgotten lunch or a dark patch in the basement and not the busy, active spaces of our working life. But mold can and does happen in even the most dynamic workplaces, and it’s more than just an unsightly or gross issue. 

Mold growth can affect many parts of a building. It can grow unseen in attics or behind walls, underneath carpets, or affect the HVAC system. It negatively affects human health after only a short period — have you ever experienced a swift and sudden headache after spending time in a specific building or room? For many people, this has less to do with their biology than an allergic reaction to mold spores. 

Mold spores can make you feel like you have the flu, causing coughing, sneezing, and watery, burning eyes. Mold generally grows in environments that are uncomfortable for human habitation, such as where there is poor ventilation and high humidity. This makes a mouldy workplace inefficient and uncomfortable — not the sort of place where good work gets done! 

Get a Mold Inspection in Toronto

Unless you can see mold growth, it’s often difficult to know if your building is affected, making mold inspection in Toronto an invaluable service. At SafeAir, our comprehensive indoor air quality testing packages can look for mold growth and other common indoor air quality pollutants and allergens that may be affecting your health and safety. Issues like temperature, humidity, and air flow play a role in mold growth and can exacerbate mild indoor air quality problems. While mold testing is generally unobtrusive, performing these tests before your employees return full-time offers an ideal opportunity to make positive changes without the hustle and bustle of a busy workplace. 

Check Your Plumbing

Mold requires moisture to grow, making areas with plumbing or piping particularly vulnerable to mold growth. Inspecting your piping and eliminating leaks or condensation is one of SafeAir’s most commonly recommended improvements. After a prolonged shutdown, many bathrooms, kitchens, and fountains haven’t had regular traffic that help prevent leaks and drips. Before employees return, a thorough inspection of these spaces can identify areas where long-term water exposure creates mold risk. 

Assess Your HVAC System

HVAC systems that don’t have regular maintenance or cleaning are at a greater risk for mold growth. Once we’ve done a thorough visual, and physical inspection of your building, one of the first places the SafeAir team heads to is the HVAC system since it can spread and perpetuate a mold infestation better than any other means. 

The HVAC system is essential to a building’s overall health and safety because it controls temperature, humidity, and ventilation — out of balance, this trifecta is the leading-most cause of mold growth. Buildings need good ventilation to keep them dry and provide fresh, clean air. Temperature is vital for comfort and to prevent too-warm conditions that increase humidity and promote mold growth. Humidity needs to be balanced to avoid excess moisture and for comfort. 

SafeAir Can Help You Get Restarted

There's never been a better time to make changes to better your employees' and colleagues' health and wellness at the office. If you're heading back to work full or part-time, adding mold testing in Toronto to your office clean-up schedule will make a difference in comfort, productivity, and office safety. To learn more about how SafeAir can help you test your indoor air quality for mold, carbon monoxide, radon gas, asbestos, or other indoor air quality issues, reach out to learn more.