You have probably heard a great deal about mold damage. A lot of it most likely focuses on the musty smell it causes and how gross it looks but the trickier questions are hardly answered. Some of those questions might include: What is mold? Is it dangerous? How does it begin to grow in our homes? Where does it come from?
These questions are important to understand because it may help you in preventing mold from growing in your house.
Is Mold A Fungus?
Mold belongs to the fungi family. It travels through the air in small particles called mold spores. Mold spores can be found indoors and outdoors and travel through the air until they find good growing ground to land and begin the growth of mold. Though it does look gross, has a purpose in nature. Mold is able to speed decomposition of dead materials such as fallen leaves and other dead organic materials. This helps clean up nature in the best way.
Conditions for mold to grow And Mold Damage
Mold requires very specific conditions to grow which involve moisture and darkness. Though mold requires these specific conditions, the requirements are not hard to find, particularly in a place like Monmouth County, New Jersey where it can be very humid. It is common for mold to grow in your home in places such as the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, or in the refrigerator.
In order to prevent the growth of mold in your home, make sure to keep areas that may be exposed to moisture often dry and keep a lot of air flow moving through your house. For example, turn on your fan in the bathroom before taking a hot shower so the condensation on the walls isn’t extensive.
What Kind Of Damage Does Mold Do To Homes and Businesses?
Mold does a lot more than just look gross and cause a musty smell. For one, mold can be dangerous to your home. Mold will start to decompose the materials it is growing on, leading to irreversible damage to structures in your home.
Mold is one of the most common and destructive problems that Monmouth County homeowners deal with. Once mold has taken root in your home, it will likely require time and money to repair the mold problem. To help you prevent the need for this from ever occurring, here are three important facts about mold from our mold remediation experts at MasterTech.
The Distinction Between Viable And Non-Viable Mold
Viable mold is mold that is alive, spreading, and has a food and moisture source. This is typically regarded as the most urgent type of mold because it can quickly spread throughout a home.
Non-viable mold is the opposite. It is not alive, not spreading, and it does not have a food or moisture source. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pose a threat to you. Non-viable mold releases mold spores into the air when it dries out which can still cause mold to spread through your home and expose you to harmful mold spores.
Merely Wiping Away Visible Mold Rarely Fixes Of The Problem
Cleaning or removing surface mold doesn’t always get rid of the mold problem. 95% of the time if you have visible mold on the surface of something, you also have mold that has rooted inside of that thing. This means that you need to discard the moldy item (like a moldy end table) or replace the moldy building materials (like a moldy under-sink cabinet).
Surface mold is the tip of a very dangerous iceberg. In addition to that, if you have visible mold you most likely have airborne mold spores floating around. So you need to “scrub the air” in your entire home using HEPA air purifiers. Your air ducts will need to be cleaned. A good rule of thumb is that you must remove mold and the source AND eliminate the water source that is feeding it.
Most Indoor Mold Is Caused by Poor Ventilation
Mold can be caused by a large number of different sources. However, the most common culprit of mold in the home is poor ventilation. When a home doesn’t ventilate air properly, moisture and other contaminants tend to build up in the air. This leads to prime conditions for mold to grow and spread. One example of this is in your bathroom. If you fail to use the exhaust fan in your bathroom to keep moisture at bay you will likely have mold in your bathroom sooner rather than later. This same concept applies to your entire Monmouth County or Ocean County, New Jersey home.
Is mold dangerous?
People who are exposed to mold over time can begin to feel negative effects. Mold can irritate the respiratory tract and cause sickness. This is particularly felt by young children, the elderly, and those who suffer from underlying health conditions such as asthma.
How do you get rid of mold?
Mold can grow in many places and sometimes without you even realizing it is a problem. It is important to take care of it immediately once you see mold in your home. Mold damage will become worse the longer it is left untreated. The best course of action to take care of the mold damage done is to call a professional mold remediation team to help get it taken care of. They have the proper equipment and expertise to get the job done safely and correctly to ensure it doesn’t become a problem again.
All in all, it can be hard to prevent mold from ever growing. Sometimes it just does. There is no reason to panic about it. Mold remediation is possible.
There’s a lot to know about mold! While the facts above don’t even come close to addressing all there is to know about mold, they do provide some helpful information to prevent mold damage. Nonetheless, if you do ever deal with mold damage in your home don’t hesitate to give us a call at MasterTeach for help.
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