Keeping a clean and dry environment within your home ensures a healthy life for your family. Unfortunately, many dangers can grow which make it difficult. Mold is one of the most dangerous types of organisms that can spread within your home, and if left unchecked it can make your home unlivable. There are many areas where mold can appear and grow such as walls, staircases and other surfaces like glass, wood, and plastic, so you should expect the existence of mold at any time and be prepared to address this issue. Because prevention is better than treatment, hiring a professional company for mold remediation once it begins to grow is recommended, otherwise you may be exposed to severe exposure of dangerous fumes the remediation process.
Dangers of Mold
When mold starts to grow, it continues to grow until it can’t accept be overlooked. There are many different places in your home where mold can exist. So, it will not only exist in a specific place but spread if left untreated. Ignoring mold growth and living with it at home is a bad idea because it will later have severe effects on both your family and your property.
Family Health
Leaking pipes or roofs, wet areas and damp towels on the floor are all conditions that provide moisture for mold to grow on surfaces. Once a location is occupied by mold, it will be easy for it to travel through the air into other spots which makes the situation worse. While it is growing and traveling through the air, mold can cause negative health effects on you and your family leading to health issues such as the following:
- Difficult Breathing and sleeping
- Throat irritation and feeling lethargic
- Rashes, sneezing, and itching
- Cough
- Nasal and sinus congestion
- Allergies and asthma
Materials Damage
When mold begins to appear at any area inside your home. It will not only be their living place, but it will cause damage to the surroundings. Mold can grow on just about anything inside your home if it exists in the area where mold is located. It causes damage in addition to leaving your home with a bad odor that is noticed easily by those who are sensitive to strong smells. Damage caused by mold can also be severe to the extent that it may affect the value of your home. Damage includes the following areas:
- Hardwood floors
- Walls discoloration
- Ceilings
- Crawlspaces
- Bathrooms
Most common types of Mold
These on the most common and dangerous types of mold:
Stachybotrys Chartarum: People who are breathing this type of mold could face breathing problems, fatigue, depression or sinus infections. That’s because of the toxic compounds created. These toxic compounds are known as mycotoxins. You can identify the existence of this type by its musty smell and its usual areas such as air conditioning pipes.
Alternaria: This type of mold is found in damp areas either indoors or outdoors. It could be found indoors in the shower or the sink and it could be found outdoors in dimly lit areas. Health issues that could be resulted from Alternaria include allergies and asthma.
Aureobasidium: This type could be recognized from its colors, it is a spotty substance that appears in both black and yellow colors. This type usually appears on wooden furniture, wallpapers, and around windows. It also causes allergic reactions but they may be more severe than allergies from other mold types.
Cladosporium: This type exists usually in warm areas such as carpets, wooden floorboards, and cabinets. It causes breathing and respiratory issues for people who stay close to its areas.
Penicillium: This type is spreading quickly and can develop in many different areas such as furniture and carpets. It has many side effects on homeowners such as allergies, lung inflammation, and sinus infections.
Ulocladium: You can find this type indoors or outdoors especially in places that are damaged because of water such as floors and walls that are usually exposed to floods. An allergic reaction is the most common symptom of this mold.
Aspergillus: This indoor mold is also dangerous for those who are breathing it. Inflamed lungs, respiratory infections, and allergies are expected if you are exposed to this mold regularly.
Why should you hire an expert for Mold removal?
After discovering the danger of mold, you should think about finding treatment for it. Hiring a professional company (such as Elite Moisture Solutions for those in the central North Carolina area) for mold remediation may be the only trusted solution you have because they are reliable and they provide credible results, not only because they will fix the problem but also they prevent it from appearing again. A professional mold remediation company follows three steps during the process:
- Mold Assessment
You may have tried to buy products that are used against mold but it was just a waste of money. The truth is that these products are working but you used them to deal with the results of the problem, not the problem itself. In contrast, a professional company will assess sources that led to the growth of mold, this helps to determine where to start cleaning your house.
- Mold Treatment
After assessing the moisture problem which is the source of mold growth, professionals start to treat affected areas, remove mold physically and clean up afterward.
- Prevent future problems
After remediation and cleaning, remediation professionals will let you know how to prevent the spreading of mold and what is the best time to call them for mold remediation. This will prevent probable future problems with your property that would cost you a lot of money for repairing and additional works.