While most people think of renovations as being done just to update older homes or to fix damage from sudden causes like storms, these aren’t the only reasons for such big projects. Asbestos abatement and lead paint removal are two of the most common other instigators of the decision to redo a house. One other reason often goes under the radar in many areas – until it arises in your own home. That is mold removal.
Why Mold Isn’t Just a Nuisance
If you see mold growing on your walls or smell it inside of them, you’ll instantly realize that it’s ugly and stinky. However, the aesthetic effects can be the least of the problems it causes. Some varieties of mold are also very hazardous to health.
Asthmatics and those with other respiratory problems often notice mold first. Mold spores irritate the airways and the lungs, and this exacerbates any pre-existing pulmonary conditions. Those who don’t have any such conditions aren’t safe, either: The allergic reaction and other irritation can make you feel like you have a cold all the time or worse.
Some people are exceptionally sensitive to certain types of mold. For them, the fungi can cause extreme illness that gets worse over time. Constant exhaustion, pain without any obvious cause, chronic fatigue, frequent debilitating headaches, and more can arise. These extreme reactions are behind the stories that brought “black mold” into the public consciousness.
Mold is also more than a nuisance for a reason unrelated to health: It can rot the house. Left unabated, this can cause the house to become structurally unsound.
What Causes Household Mold?
Surprisingly, cleanliness often has nothing to do with the presence of mold. That’s because mold doesn’t depend on dirt to live – it simply requires moisture and anything that it can use as a food source.
Unfortunately, the “food source” can easily be insulation, joists, flooring, and other structural elements. It can also be parts of your A/C system, such as the coil liner, or anything else that is routinely moist.
Preventing and Eliminating Mold
The best solution to preventing household mold is to keep everything dry. This deprives mold of one of the components it needs to grow: water.
Preventing water isn’t that hard under day-to-day circumstances. Be sure to seal any leaks immediately, and don’t allow your air conditioning system parts to stay wet. A/C coil linings often harbor mold, so they should be cleaned or replaced regularly to combat it.
Many people develop mold problems after a catastrophe like a flood, storm damage to a roof, or other such sudden events. Then, the key is to get the house dried out again as fast as possible. Hiring a disaster cleanup company like UtahFloodCleanup.com is the fastest and easiest way to get household moisture back to safe levels. Such companies can also do mold abatement in homes where the fungi have already taken hold.
Are you unsure if your house has mold? If so, have it inspected by professionals right away. They will find any mold and recommend the needed corrective steps.
