Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to your home, but like many materials in our home, hardwood is susceptible to mold. Did you know that mold is a threat even in the winter? Here are some ways winter weather can cause mold in your hardwood floors.

Mold in the winter can have different causes than mold in the summer, but it all comes back to the same root cause: water in your home! Here are some ways mold can take hold on your hardwood floors this winter.

• Christmas tree water leaks. Christmas tree water can spill or leak on your hardwood floor, and worse, it might not be noticed. Mold can grow in as little as 24-48 hours if wet areas of the floor aren't dried.
• Tracking in snow from outside. This is a common form of water on your floors in the winter months. Snow melts on your hardwood floors in your heating, and if it's not quickly dried, mold can grow.
• Humidity in your home. You might be keeping the windows closed and the warm air in this winter, but this can also lead to condensation and humidity in your home. If condensation builds up on your floors, mold can grow. This is particularly common around floor heating vents. You can open the windows to dry things out or buy a dehumidifier.

When Should I Hire a Professional?

Luckily, it's easy to keep an eye out for common mold warning signs. Here are some signs you have mold in your home:

• You are experiencing allergy symptoms with no obvious allergen present.
• You see visible mold.
• Your home smells musty or moldy, especially if the smell is new.

If you suspect mold, you should call a professional for a mold inspection right away. The sooner a professional mold inspector determines there is mold present, you can start a process called mold remediation. Mold remediation completely contains and removes mold, so it cannot grow further and destroy more of your beautiful floors.

BioClean Can Help

At BioClean, we can help with a free mold inspection. If we find mold, we can help you with the mold remediation process to get rid of your hardwood floor mold for good. Contact us today for a free inspection.