How to Properly Store and Protect Your Warm-Weather Wardrobe

If stored incorrectly, your warm-weather wardrobe could fall prey to moths, mice, mold, and mildew! To ensure that your clothes make it to next spring intact, stick to these tips during and after packing away your apparel this fall.

1. Wash all of your clothes before storing them.

Moths and mice find dirty clothing much more appealing than fresh, clean clothing. Before storing your clothes for the winter, wash them in water that’s as hot as the fabric can handle. Washing clothes at 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will destroy the larvae that female moths lay into the fabric.

2. Store your clothes in airtight, plastic containers.

Airtight, plastic containers are the best way to keep your clothing safe until the weather gets warm. Rodents can easily chew through cardboard boxes. Plastic garment bags, while effective at keeping out moths, can trap moisture, which can lead to mold and mildew growth.

3. Store clothes with cedar balls or sachets of lavender.

Steer clear of mothballs and moth crystals, as these products contain pesticides that can harm people and pets--and even unborn babies. Instead, opt for all-natural cedar or lavender products. The oils in these plants help repel moths without the use of toxic gas.

4. Vacuum often.

Vacuuming helps to suck out the moth larvae from places where female moths lay them. While vacuuming rugs and carpets is a given, make sure to also vacuum underneath beds and behind radiators, as moths are attracted to the warmth there.

5. Monitor the humidity levels in your home.

Both moths and mold thrive in homes with high humidity. To make sure your clothes stay free of larvae and mold growth, you may need to lower your home’s moisture levels with a dehumidifier. You can also reduce your home’s humidity through other means, such as covering your crawlspace’s dirt floor.

Having trouble with crawlspace mold and moisture? Contact the professionals at GreenPro Cleaning & Restoration for an effective, bio-friendly solution.

3 Ways Weather Can Affect Your Crawlspace

Because many crawlspaces are not nearly as well protected, waterproofed, and insulated as the homes they sit underneath, weather can greatly affect their condition. Unfortunately, if a crawlspace is negatively affected by weather, it can then transfer those negative effects to the rest of your home.

Here are three of the ways that weather can negatively impact the condition of a crawlspace.

High Humidity

It’s easy for humidity to get trapped in your crawlspace if it lacks a proper source of ventilation. The warm air that’s holding all of that moisture rises toward your home, where it can start to permeate up through your floors and walls. This excess moisture can rot wood and drywall and cause black mold growth that can threaten your home’s structural integrity.

Rain

If rain ends up entering your crawlspace and pooling there, it can create some of the problems mentioned above, similar to high humidity. However, persistent puddles of water can lead to an additional problem that no homeowner or landlord wants: pests. Rodents and insects are drawn to damp places, and a wet crawlspace can provide these pests with the perfect hiding place.

Cold

Did you know that the cold air that enters your unfinished crawlspace will inevitably enter your home and make your home colder? This phenomenon, known as the “stack effect,” occurs whether you’ve insulated the floor above your crawlspace or not.

Here is how the stack effect works in a home:

• Warm air rises. In a home, warm air rises through the home’s attic (or whatever constitutes the top level of the home). That air can be pushed out through a number of sources: open or unsealed windows, small gaps, vents, etc.
• As the warm air rises out of your home, air from below (cooler air) moves in to take its place from your home’s lower levels, including the crawlspace.

Cold air and humidity aren’t the only things that can enter your home from the crawlspace. The air that rises up can also bring bad smells, dust mite feces, and mold spores with it. For this reason, it’s important to keep your crawlspace clean and free of excess moisture.

5 Ways to Reduce the Humidity in Your Home

While a certain level of humidity can help your skin, throat, and sinuses feel more comfortable, excess humidity in your home can lead to a number of problems, particularly mold and mildew growth. Not only can mold and mildew negatively affect the quality of the air you breath, but certain types of mold can even threaten your home’s structural integrity.

If you start to notice wet spots or stains on your walls or condensation on your windows, it's important to take steps to reduce your home’s moisture levels. Here are some ways to get excess humidity under control.

1. Use the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom.

Your kitchen and bathroom tend to be areas where a lot of humidity can accumulate, so it’s important to keep these areas well-ventilated. Run your bathroom’s exhaust fan while you bathe or shower and for at least 30 minutes after you bathe or shower. Run your kitchen’s exhaust fan while you cook and for at least 30 minutes after you cook.

Running your kitchen fan for this additional time will also help it eliminate toxins from your air (such as carbon monoxide) that are produced by your oven or stove while cooking.

2. Cover your crawl space’s floor.

If your crawl space has a dirt floor, make sure the dirt is completely dry (you may need to use fans to dry it out completely), and then install a polyethylene cover over the floor. This will prevent moisture from entering your home through your crawl space.

3. Choose houseplants carefully.

Some houseplants transpire quite a bit and release a lot of moisture into the air as part of that process. You’ll want to avoid these types of plants or isolate them to areas of your home that are easier to control or ventilate. Other plants can be helpful when it comes to excess humidity, such as the Boston fern. This type of plant thrives in high-humidity environments and can help remove excess moisture from the air.

4. Run your air conditioner.

Your air conditioner removes moisture from the air it cools. When you run your air conditioner, you’re not only getting cooler air but air that contains less humidity. When you leave your home, set your air conditioner on a schedule so that it will still come on every so often to help keep humidity levels under control.

5. Invest in a dehumidifier.

A whole-home dehumidifier can monitor and control the humidity levels across your entire house, making it the best option to combat excess humidity. However, portable dehumidifiers tend to be a more affordable choice for most households.

What starts out as a small issue with humidity can turn into a much larger problem if left unchecked. If you suspect that your home has suffered water damage due to excess moisture, it’s vital to get the area in question inspected as soon as possible.