If you’re like me, you love a clean home – it’s relaxing and peaceful, a place where you can escape the chaos and hazards of life. So, when something potentially dangerous enters my home, like mold, it needs to be dealt with firmly and quickly. Here are some tips and insights on what to do to get rid of mold for good.
Why is mold dangerous?
Firstly, it’s important to take a look at why mold needs to be removed as quickly as possible.
Types of mold and what they mean
Some types of mold thrive in the environment of our homes. While some are more dangerous than others, they should all be treated seriously.
- Acremonium: This is a toxigenic mold (therefore dangerous) that is pink, grey, orange or white in appearance. It starts as a small, moist mold and turns powdery, and is often found in drain pans and home systems.
- Aspergillus: An allergy-trigger, this mold comes in many colors and grows long, flask-shaped spores to form thick layers on a wall.
- Stachybotrys: Known as the infamous black mold, this is a toxigenic mold that is dark green or black in color with a slimy texture. It thrives in damp or wet areas and is commonly found on wet cardboard, wood and wicker.
- Ulocladium: Another mold that is black in color, this one thrives in bathrooms, kitchens and basements, or where there has been severe water damage or dripping water.
- Trichoderma: A green and white mold that is wooly in appearance, this mold likes wet fabric, wallpaper, carpet and AC/HVAC ducts. While it’s not particularly dangerous, it can trigger allergies and sinusitis.
How to detect mold in your home
- Unpleasant smells in your home – Do you notice a musty, pungent odor in your basement, bathroom or kitchen that just won’t go away? This is a strong indicator of mold in your home. While it can be easy to spot mold with a quick look around, it often grows in narrow spaces, inside walls and behind wallpaper, so you can have an outbreak even if you cannot see it.
- Visible mold growth – Mold is often found in dark spaces where it’s warm and moisture is present. It often looks like a black, white or green powdery substance. Look for the presence of moisture and be sure to check in cupboards and behind appliances. It’s a good idea to wear a mask over your face while you do this, as mold spores can irritate your lungs. If you see any signs of black mold, stay far away from it, as this can be toxic to your health.
- Health problems – The health of you and your family can be a strong indicator of mold problems in your home. Allergy symptoms like watery eyes and difficulty breathing comfortably can be triggered by mold spores in the air. For vulnerable family members (the very young, elderly or those who have respiratory conditions like asthma), it can also trigger serious health issues, chronic lung conditions and respiratory attacks.
Why is there mold in my home?
The reality is that mold spores are everywhere, drifting through the air unseen by the naked eye – just like pollen. However, it needs two things in order to settle down and move in with you: water and warm, dark spaces.
Chances are that if you have a mold problem, you likely have a moisture problem that’s the underlying source of this infestation. This can be anything from a poorly ventilated but busy bathroom or badly sealed windows to a slowly leaking pipe behind your walls. It could also be a result of your landscaping or gutters – if the ground slopes towards your home or your gutters are blocked, water is far more likely to pool against your home and waterlog the ground, and this will seep into the structure over time.
When searching for mold, don’t just inspect cupboards and the walls of your home – have your HVAC and air conditioning system checked too. The ducts and filters of these systems can become home to mold, resulting in musty smells and respiratory risks in the rooms it supplies.
Once you’ve narrowed down the location of the mold in your home, either visually or by smell, the best thing to do is call in a local leak and mold remediation specialist. They can narrow down the source of the mold, remove it safely and completely, and repair any underlying leaks that were allowing the mold to grow.
How to prevent future mold growth
Our homes are full of dark spaces, from cupboards and wall spaces to basements and attics, and there’s nothing we can do about that. What we can do is prevent the spores’ access to moisture. Depending on the condition of your home and your local weather, you can implement some strategies to stop any future outbreaks:
- A water egress analysis: This is the most comprehensive strategy you can take and is the most likely to give you complete peace of mind. This is a free analysis of your property, usually done by your waterproofing company. They’ll do a leak analysis, check the condition of your structure and foundation, and make a recommendation for any repairs you might need.
- Dehumidifiers, extraction fans and fresh air: Always make sure that moisture-prone spaces in your home like the bathroom have great ventilation. If you can, keep a window open through the day to help showers and tubs try properly. Dehumidifiers are also a fantastic way to dry up the air (especially if you experience condensation on your windows, a sure sign of too much moisture in the air) and extraction fans can be installed in bathrooms where you can’t or don’t want to leave a window open.
- Choose mold resistant products: If you’re remodeling, this is a great addition that will help prevent mold in your new space. Mold resistant drywall and mold resistant sheetrock are a solid investment, and you can paint your walls with mold resistant products too, which are especially suited kitchens and bathrooms.
Again, it is important to emphasize that you shouldn’t try remove mold yourself. It can be severely toxic and only a professional solution will remove it properly and fix the underlying issue. The good news is that it can be permanently fixed and you could soon be enjoying a cleaner, healthier home – and that’s the best type of home there is!