Why Alpharetta bathrooms, closets and lower levels stay damp from May to September, what routine cleaning can keep in check, and when a musty smell needs a different kind of help.
North Georgia summers are not only hot. They are wet and they stay warm after dark, which is the combination that keeps a house from drying out. In an Alpharetta home with three or four bathrooms in daily use, that shows up as dark grout lines, pink film at the shower drain, towels that never quite dry and a faint musty smell in a closet or lower level.
This guide covers what the local climate numbers show, which parts of a house suffer most, the habits that help, and the line between cleaning and a moisture problem. TotalCare Cleaning will clean surface mildew from hard surfaces; problems inside walls, floors or ceilings belong to a moisture professional, and nothing here replaces that.
The 1991 to 2020 normals for the Atlanta airport put yearly precipitation at 50.43 inches, with about 76 days a year bringing a tenth of an inch or more. Rain is spread across the calendar: July is the wettest month at 4.75 inches, and even October, the driest, averages 3.28.
Heat adds to it. The normal July high is 90.1 degrees and the area averages 47 days a year at 90 or above. More important for a house, the nights stay warm, with normal lows of 71.8 in July and 71.3 in August. Air that never cools much overnight holds its moisture, and so do the bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms inside.
Homes in the area add their own factors. About 57 percent of Alpharetta homes date from 1980 to 1999, so many bathroom fans, caulk lines and grout joints are thirty or more years old. And with about 45 percent of homes at four or more bedrooms, a typical house has several bathrooms, each a separate source of steam.
Moisture does not spread evenly through a house. In a typical Alpharetta two-story, these are the places to watch from late spring through early fall:
Most of the work against mildew happens between cleanings. Run the bathroom exhaust fan during every shower and for a good while afterward; a fan that is switched off as soon as the water stops leaves the room wet. Squeegee shower glass and tile walls, and leave the shower door or curtain open so the stall can dry.
Hang towels spread out rather than folded, and wash bath mats every week in summer. Leave the washing machine door open after each load. Keep closet doors cracked on humid days, and avoid packing clothes tightly against an outside wall.
If you run a dehumidifier in a lower level, empty and wipe its bucket often. Keep the HVAC filter fresh through the summer, since the system does much of the drying in a closed-up house.
On a Recurring House Clean, bathrooms are scrubbed and sanitized each visit, including tile, grout surfaces, tubs, toilets and sinks, which keeps surface mildew from getting a foothold. In a humid summer, bi-weekly visits are the usual minimum for a home with several bathrooms in daily use.
A One-Time Deep Clean goes further: shower glass treated for water spots, faucets detailed, vents and fans wiped in place and baseboards hand washed, including the ones in bathrooms that collect moisture and dust together. The deep cleaning guide has the full list.
Cleaning removes mildew from surfaces. It cannot fix the source. Call a qualified moisture or mold professional if you see any of the following: stains that return within days of cleaning, soft or bubbling paint or drywall, a musty smell from a wall or floor rather than a surface, visible growth behind tile or under flooring, or water stains on a ceiling below a bathroom.
Lower levels deserve a special look after a long wet stretch. Rain falls in every month here, so a slow leak around a window well or slab edge can keep feeding moisture all year. Once the source is fixed, regular cleaning can keep the space fresh.
The questions Alpharetta homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Alpharetta and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
