If you've lived in Lufkin or Nacogdoches through a full August, you already know: the air here doesn't just feel hot, it feels wet. That humidity is the single biggest driver of mold growth in East Texas homes, and it doesn't take a pipe burst or a hurricane to start a problem.
It's the dew point, not the temperature
Mold needs a surface to stay above roughly 60% relative humidity for 24 to 48 hours to colonize. In our climate, an under-sized or poorly maintained air conditioner can let indoor humidity creep above that threshold even when the thermostat reads 72 degrees. The unit cools the air but never runs long enough to pull the moisture out of it.
- Set the thermostat and leave it — short cycling starves the dehumidification step
- Change filters monthly during summer; a dirty coil freezes dehumidification
- A standalone dehumidifier in a crawlspace or garage apartment pays for itself
- Watch for condensation on windows and supply registers — that's a humidity warning sign
Cooling the air and drying the air are two different jobs. A lot of East Texas homes are doing the first and skipping the second.
Where mold hides in older East Texas homes
Pier-and-beam foundations, vented crawlspaces, and older ductwork are the usual suspects. The good news: once you know where to look, the fixes are straightforward. The bad news: by the time you smell it, the colony is usually larger than it looks.
Hear more
Listen to related episodes