How to protect your bathroom against mold and mildew

(NC)—Excess moisture can make your bathroom a haven for mold and mildew growth. Be it a leaky seal under a toilet, a loose connection under a sink or restricted air flow from a shower curtain or door, the collection of moisture in each instance will eventually encourage mold and mildew growth in your bathroom.

Molds are microscopic fungi that require moisture to grow. They thrive on organic materials, natural fibers such as cotton or wool, paper or wood. Mold and mildew can cause discoloration on bathroom tile or other fixtures, on walls, around windows, and between layers of flooring. Molds vary in color – from white to orange, green, black or brown – and usually produce a musty odor.

To reduce mold and mildew in your bathroom consider these following tips: • Keep your bath and shower areas clean and as dry as possible. • After showering or bathing, wipe down the bath or walls with a sponge or towel. • When the weather permits, open a window to allow extra moisture to escape. • Launder towels and your shower curtain frequently. • Most importantly, it is crucial to use a vented exhaust fan to reduce moisture in the air. Fans should be vented to the outside, not to an attic or crawlspace. "One of the biggest problems with today's homes is that homeowners don't adequately ventilate the bathroom area," said Mathew Cripps, Product Manager Bath Fans for Broan-NuTone. He added that people either forget to turn on the fan when required or find their conventional fan too loud to use properly.

To help with this problem Broan-NuTone has developed the new QT series Humidity Sensing Fans. "These fans using Sensaire technology will automatically turn on when a rapid rise in humidity is detected. Once the humidity levels return to normal, the unit will turn itself off therefore preventing cosmetic and structural problems associated with excess moisture," Cripps explained.

Conventional fans are noisier and less appealing esthetically than new products like the QT line. "It represents the ultimate in bath fan solutions for today's homes," he added. "Either in the fan or fan/light version, the QT line fans are more than 50% quieter than standard models and bring simple, quiet elegance to any bath or powder room."

But what sets this line apart from standard models is its energy efficiency. As Energy Star qualified ventilation products, the QT line of bathroom fans use 65% less energy on average than standard models, saving you $120 in electricity costs over the life of the fan. They feature high performance motors and improved blade design, providing better performance and longer life. More information on bath fans and moisture control can be found at www.broan.ca. - News Canada