But even if you pragmatically just put on another warm sweater, you shouldn't let your house and apartment cool down too much. After all, the risk of mold increases in cold rooms.
Mold Growth- The colder you keep your home, the colder the walls, ceiling, floors, windows and more will be. Water vapor that gets into these porous materials is the ideal place for mold to grow.
Cold indoor temperatures are often a consequence of outdoor temperature, structural deficiencies, including a lack of insulation and airtightness, and lack of heating. As outlined in this chapter, cold indoor temperatures have been associated with increased blood pressure, asthma symptoms and poor mental health.
Heat actually does help a lot, cold walls will cause moisture in the air to condense on the walls and the mould needs that moisture to grow and spread. The best thing for combatting mould long term is keeping the house warm and humidity down, a dehumidifier will work wonders in the long term.
General Cold Room information
Refrigerators and walk-in cold rooms are ideal environments for mold to grow due to high moisture/humidity levels, and abundant food sources such as paper, cardboard, cell culture media, etc. Most cold rooms operate as a “closed” ventilation system.
Mold in Cold Temperatures
Contrary to popular belief, cold weather does not kill mold, which can and does grow in the winter months. While extreme temperatures can temporarily deactivate mold, it does not die–it just waits for ideal conditions to grow.
Boiling water can kill mold outright (more on this in the next section), but you can't exactly boil your walls or carpet. However, you may be able to kill mold by heating it enough to dry it out. Most molds can be killed at temperatures of 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but the effect isn't immediate.
While away on long periods of time, such as vacation, we don't recommend setting the temperature any lower than 50 degrees (F). One of the last things you want is to come back home and find busted pipes and water damage throughout your home. This can be the outcome if the pipes freeze and burst.
What Temperature is Considered Too Cold for Your House? Experts typically recommend maintaining an indoor temperature of at least 60°F to ensure both comfort and safety. Temperatures below this threshold can create risks for your health and home.
Health risks: Low temperatures can cause condensation in the air ducts and moisture buildup on the air filter, providing a breeding ground for mold and mildew.
Hypothermia can happen indoors in as little as 10 or 15 minutes if the temperature settings are cold enough. Not having any heat in your home in the winter can be very dangerous. So is keeping your heat turned down too low. Both can lead to hypothermia.
But don't take it from us, take it from the World Health Organization: They recommend a temperature of at least 64°… and raising that to at least 70° if there are babies, elderly people, or otherwise immunocompromised people in the home.
Mold season generally spans from early spring to mid-fall in the United States, coinciding with periods of higher moisture and warmer temperatures. Mold thrives in these conditions, making it essential to be vigilant during these months to prevent mold growth in your home.
Mold hates light. Other than moisture there's nothing mold loves more than dark places. An easy prevention against mold growth is opening your blinds and shades. If it's warm enough out, open the windows.
You don't want to spend your time indoors battling mold when you can be outside enjoying the sunshine or hanging out with friends. You aren't wrong. Mold does grow more easily in the spring, late summer, and late fall months. Here's your guide to mold in the summer months.
Keeping the air conditioner set at 78 degrees or lower prevents mold buildup in the summer. Even when leaving for a few days or vacation, don't set it above 80. A higher setting won't provide enough dehumidification from the cooling process to prevent spores from growing.
Mould will easily grow and spread if the right conditions are present. So, dehumidifiers don't kill mould, but they can help to prevent it from growing inside your home by reducing humidity. However, the best way to deal with it is to get rid of its source.
Professional mold remediation typically costs $1,500–$9,000 with an average cost of $3,500. While you can clean small, visible mold problems yourself, it's safer to call in professionals for large or complex infestations.
Mold growth can occur in cold rooms when ambient humidity is high, where there is poor ventilation, insulation failure, or when wood, cardboard, and other porous materials that can grow mold are stored in the room.
Mold is often described as smelling musty. Others have described mold as having an earthy or meaty odor, resembling the smell of wet socks or rotten wood. For many homeowners, the smell is unpleasant and pungent. As mold grows, it can emit gasses known as microbial volatile organic compounds, or MVOC's.
Use fans, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners to dry a wet area. If using a dehumidifier, empty the water collec- tion pan frequently or drain it through a hose to a floor drain. Mold can grow in the water standing in the collec- tion pan. Air conditioners remove moisture from the air and help promote drying.