6 Essential Things to Know About Mold
Schedule Free InspectionWhile you can’t always control the humidity level in your home, you can work to keep excess moisture out. When you do that, you prevent molds of various species from taking root.
Removing mold from your home, if it does have a chance to settle in, can be a lengthy and trying process. If you can’t get ahead of the problem, you can work with the professionals in your area to restore your home’s value and protect your family’s health.
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Dealing With Mold In Your Home
Mold is more than just a threat to your home’s overall appearance. If you don’t deal with a mold infestation quickly, it can rapidly evolve into the source of health risks and structural damage throughout your home.
The CDC outlines mold as the cause of many respiratory conditions in younger children and grown adults. The presence of mold in your home can also make a number of pre-existing conditions worse, including:
- Coughing
- Asthma in children
- Congestion
- Difficulty breathing
- Wheezing
- Itching eyes and/or skin
At the same time, mold can cause the supports throughout your home to suffer structurally. Not only can mold weaken these supports, but it can also indicate the presence of more significant damage just out of sight near your foundation. If you don’t work to have mold removed from your home and you want to sell your home at some point in the near future, you risk losing up to 30 percent of your home’s retail value.
Identifying Mold In Your Home
Identifying mold in your home doesn’t have to be a matter of determining what species you’re dealing with. Instead, it can mean understanding when damage to your home may result in mold and how that mold may manifest itself.
While mold can grow quickly after arriving in your home, it also tends to give itself away with notable symptoms. These include:
- Clusters and growths
- Moistness
- Unpleasant or otherwise musty smells
- Trouble breathing
If you suspect you have mold in your home, follow your nose. As mentioned, mold releases an unpleasant scent that is often moist and musty. If you trust your sense of smell, you can often follow it to the site of the most significant growth or damage in your home.
Finding Mold
As mentioned, mold needs a dark, moist, and under-traveled place to plant its roots. If you’re looking for mold clusters but aren’t sure where to start, you’ll have the best luck exploring your:
- Basement
- Crawl space
- Attic
- Bathroom
- HVAC system
- Air ducts
Mold and Moisture
While mold loves moisture, it does not make its way into your home via water. Instead, mold enters your home on air currents. These spores will then find a place to settle and can bloom within 48 hours if there’s enough moisture for them to thrive.
Mold Removal
You should not try to remove mold from your home on your own time. Instead, if you believe mold may have taken root in your home, or if you’ve found the clusters on your own, call a mold removal specialist. This type of professional contractor can help you safely take the mold from your home while also ensuring it’s been entirely removed from the premises. After all, mold loves a porous surface almost as much as it loves moisture. It can easily make itself at home in your drywall, carpet, or furniture if you try to remove it on your own.
Preventing Mold From Growing In Your Home
The best way to keep mold out of your home is to ensure that the moisture levels don’t make your home a haven for spores. While you never want to remove all of the moisture from your home – your skin will not thank you – you can work to prevent water from entering your home. When you waterproof your foundation, crawl space, or basement, you create a hydrophobic barrier between your structural supports and any rainwater that may make its way into the soil.
That said, you’ll also want to take steps to ensure your home has not suffered from any water-related damage over the years that it hasn’t been waterproofed. You can do this while also exploring your waterproofing options courtesy of a foundation and basement repair contractor working in your area. After a home inspection from Grand Junction, CO, experts at Foundation Repair of Western Colorado, they can provide you with a free quote on any repair services or installations you may need.
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