Home mold can pose some serious health risk. Unfortunately, most people only figure out that mold is present inside their home when it is too late. This is mainly because they have no idea what they should be looking out for.
We need to make sure that we carefully inspect our home for the presence of mold. This is even true when you are interested in property purchasing since you do not want to move into a home that has mold present. With all this in mind, here is what you should know about this subject.
Understanding Mold
The appearance of indoor mold usually happens during winter and fall months. This is because molds are fungi. Different types exist and they can happen outdoors and indoors.
The big problem is that mold produces spores. These spores easily spread as they float all around in the air. Nobody can prevent the appearance of spores and they will persist even where mold cannot grow. Spores thrive in the environments that are warm and moist. Whenever they land on damp spot, they start to grow. This means mold is capable of growing on various surfaces, like plastic, glass, wood, paper, and fabrics. When growing the material that they live on is digested.
Mold Types
It is impossible to assess how many mold kinds exist, with the current estimation being over 300,000. Fortunately, some are always much more likely to develop indoors. These are:
- Alternaria – Usually appears in damp indoor locations like under leaky sinks or showers.
- Aspergillus – Often found indoors, on powdery food items, building materials, and dust.
- Cladosporium – This will grow in warm or cool areas, usually appearing on wood surfaces and fabrics.
- Penicillium – This will grow on the materials that have water damage present. Usually, the appearance of penicillium is green or blue.
Basically, molds can take various different textures and forms. These can be black, green, blue, yellow, or white. Oftentimes, they look just like a stain or some discoloration present on a surface. The appearance can be rough, fuzzy, or velvety, based on mold type and location.
How Is Mold Entering Your House?
Remember the fact that mold spores can be found practically everywhere, both outdoors and indoors. We do not see them with the naked eyes so it is very easy for mold to enter our home. This includes:
- Air – When you open your doorways or windows, mold spores can come in. They can even enter through the ventilation system.
- Attaching – Mold spores can attach to people or objects. They often enter homes via pets, shoes, and clothing.
The thing is, mold can just flourish when spores will land in an area where there are ideal growing conditions present, like suitable nutrients supplies and moisture. When the environment is not suitable, they cannot cause a problem.
Those places where mold will often appear are:
- Places where flooding and leakages happened.
- Windows if condensation builds up.
- Places where air does not properly circulate, like behind closets.
The most supportive materials for mold growth are wet cellulose ones, like ceiling tiles, paper products, and insulation materials.
Health And Mold
We are talking about mold because it can be a huge health problem. This is mainly for those that have an allergy, some respiratory problems, or an immune system that was weakened. Mold can lead to the appearance of the following conditions (to mention just a few).
- Breathing problems
- Allergies
- Aspergillosis
- Bronchitis
- Allergic fungal sinusitis
- Allergic alveolitis
Signs That Mold Is Present In Your Home
Whenever you notice the following signs, contact professionals to look for mold and/or remove it.
- Mold odor
- Mold growth visible signs
- Water damage signs
- Water leaks
- Flooding