Opening Your Summer House
May is a great month. It is a month filled with anticipation of the warm summer to come. Many of us dream of going somewhere where we can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just relax. Some people are even lucky enough to have a summer home to go to in order to unwind. If you are one of those fortunate people it is important that you open your vacation home the right way in the beginning of the season in order to enjoy it to its fullest throughout the summer.
The first thing most people want to do when they enter their vacation home is to sit down and relax. But if you take these few steps prior to settling in you may have a much more relaxing time in the long run. First, when you enter the house, take a walk around the whole home to inspect it. It may sound a bit new-age and silly but you need to inspect it with all of your senses (well maybe not taste). Do you smell anything that seems musty or off-putting? Do you hear any strange noises that are not normally present? Lastly, do you see anything that wasn’t there when you closed up the house at the end of last season?
Houses that are closed up for a long period of time may have a certain musty odor, but that musty smell could also be a sign that while you were away mold has taken hold someplace in your home. As you walk around, try to determine if there is a particular location where the smell is more intense. If you can locate an area that has a stronger smell, you might find mold there.
Next, pay attention to the noises of your home. Do you hear any dripping sounds? The freeze and thaw cycles in our area are notorious for creating cracks and leaks in homes. If you have water coming into your home it can create the perfect undisturbed environment for mold to not only grow but flourish. Leaks can also lead to structural damage to your home if they go on for too long.
Lastly, when you are inspecting your home, really look around. Most of us will take a cursory look around making sure that no one was in the home while we were gone, and to make sure there was no major damage done by weather issues while we were away. There is however also subtle evidence for problems in your home that you should be looking out for. Do you see any discoloration on your walls? Have you opened the cabinet under the sink and discovered fuzzy black spots? If so, you could be dealing with a mold issue.
If you smell, hear, or see anything that would make you believe that there could be a mold problem in your home, don’t disregard it. Left untreated mold will get worse. If you take the time at the beginning of the season to have your house inspected by Mold Solutions by Cowleys, you will be able to truly have a relaxing summer season.
