How To Tell If Mold Is In Your Home

Can I Just Get Into The Wall And Use Bleach To Clean It

It may be tempting to get into the wall and spray everything with bleach by yourself. However, if you have never done this before, it is better to call someone licensed to deal with mold. This is especially true if you have never gone into the wall and dont know how to detect how extensive the mold damage is. Leaving the eradication of mold to professionals will save not only your health but also your sanity. A professional team will have all the protective gear, detection tools and methods necessary to get rid of all the mold in your home.

Mold Poisoning Symptoms In Humans

Mold poisoning can cause a number of different symptoms, depending on the age of the affected individual, the strength of their immune system, and whether or not they have a pre-existing mold allergy. Here are a few of the most common signs and symptoms of mold poisoning in humans.

• A stuffy or runny nose
• Sinus issues or infections
• Worsening or development of asthma
• Wheezing or difficulty breathing
• Skin itchiness, redness, or discomfort
• Fever and shortness of breath

Growth Spots Of Varying Colors

Black mold, as the name implies, is often dark in color. When searching for black mold, look for circular-shaped spots that are black, dark green or dark brown. Some black mold can also take on shades of orange or have flecks of white within it.

Most of the time, black mold has a slightly furry appearance. Larger growths of mold may appear as a black stain that stretches along your wall, floor or ceiling.

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How Common Is Mold In Buildings

Mold is very common in homes and buildings.

One 2017 study found mold in every public building studied, with an average of about 14 instances of mold per building.

Another involving 31 European countries found mold in 1 in 6 homes. The author noted that the prevalence of mold may vary greatly depending on the regional climate.

When Should You Consider A Mold Inspection

If you notice a musty smell in your home but cant find any visual evidence and you or a member of your family has persistent symptoms, you need to hire someone to inspect your home for mold. Or if you need help locating the source of the water thats causing the mold. If you are buying or selling your home you need to have a mold inspection and if you need a formal plan to remove the mold and repair the damage.

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How To Tackle Mould

If you suspect you have mould growing in your home, it’s important to try and tackle the problem as best you can. According to Good Housekeeping, you should always wear protective gear such as rubber gloves while cleaning mould, as spores can travel through the air while you scrub at your walls or floor.

The best way to kill mould and stop it from coming back is to use a bleach solution, or a dedicated mould and mildew removal spray, although some people have also hailed products such as white vinegar and even washing up liquid as a mould remover.

While mould can be a scary concept, Allergy UK says you shouldn’t worry too much about it, as you likely come into contact with mould spores every day without ever knowing.

Their website states: “Exposure to mould is widespread, so its difficult to determine how much mould an individual is exposed to in everyday life. Like dust allergens, mould allergies are perennial and allergic people exhibit symptoms throughout the year, although levels rise in the autumn, during wet, mild weather and harvesting.”

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Signs That Tell You Of A Mold Problem In Your Home

You dont have to wait to see visible signs of mold before you get rid of it. As mentioned, they could already be in large quantities before you notice it. But knowing the other signs can help you detect it earlier and thus can take care of it immediately before even bigger problems can be encountered.

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To Test Or Not To Test

Stachybotrys is usually greenish-black and somewhat slimy or wet, but may also appear grayish with a sooty, powdery texture. Additionally, other molds may look similar. Thats why it is impossible to tell if any given mold is black mold by looks, smell or even location. The only way to determine a mold species is examination under a microscope. Testing is costly, advises the CDC, and isnt really necessary. Any mold can cause health problems, as they point out. Therefore, you should arrange to have any mold in your home removed, no matter what type it is.

References

How To Detect Mold In Walls

If there is an area of your home where you think mold may be present in the walls due to smell, a strange appearance of the wall, or any other factor there are a few ways you can test this.

The simplest way is to probe the area with a screwdriver. If the area is soft or the screwdriver easily pierces the drywall, mold likely has rotted the surface away, and youll be able to see it once a hole has been opened up in the surface. Be careful when doing this and do not do it near any wiring or electrical outlets.

You could also use a fiber optic camera to look around inside after opening a hole in the wall, but at this point, you may as well hire a professional inspector. A professional inspector has the tools required to examine the wall thoroughly, and ensure that its mold free or detect any potential issues.

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How Do You Tell If You Have Black Mold In Your House

Early Signs Of Black Mold In Your Home

Heres How To Tell If You Have Mold

Knowing how to tell if you have mold in your home is the first step to keeping your house mold-free. Once you know what to look out for, you can then catch it before the problem worsens. Keep these signs of mold in mind and keep you and your home safe!

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Preventing Mold In Your Home

The best way to keep your family safe from black mold is to prevent it from growing. Since mold grows in damp, dark places, you should aim to improve ventilation and reduce humidity in areas that are prone to mold.

In your bathrooms, for example, you can use a shower squeegee to remove excess water from shower walls and bathroom mirrors. You can also install a vent fan or open a window when showering to allow humidity to leave the room. These steps help reduce the moisture in your bathroom and make it more difficult for black mold to grow.

Make searching for black mold or potential growth areas a part of your spring cleaning routine. The sooner you catch a mold growth, the better chance you have to get rid of it before it causes health problems.

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If You Need Help Finding Hidden Mold

If youre not sure whether you have mold somewhere in your home, we suggest calling a professional mold tester. He or she will come to your home and conduct air tests, which will detect the presence of mold. Most mold testers are engineers, so they will also inspect your home to help find where the mold is, and determine what caused it to start growing. Follow this link to get a list of professional mold testers in your area.

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How To Tell If Mold Is Growing Inside Your Home

Mold often affects homes damaged by floodwaters but may also grow outdoors or indoors and mostly in humid, warm, and damp environments. Household mold is generally found in basements, drywall, bathrooms, carpet, ceiling tiles, under the sink, and around the plumbing of the house.

Mold deteriorates the air quality of your home, irritates the family members by spreading in the air, and poses a severe health risk in the long run. Here are some ways which help determine the presence of mold in your home so that you can take the help of mold removal, Long Island, NY, professionals to address the problem effectively.

How To Tell If Theres A Mold Problem In Your Home

You might not think of mold in your home as a serious concern. It may just be as common as simple dirt or dust for you. Well, think again. If mold goes undetected and unresolved for the longest time, it could get harmful. You must remember that mold is a fungus with species that number to thousands. Yes, it is a common part of house dust but if they are present in very large quantities, they can cause problems to your house and to your health.

Another thing that you also have to remember is that molds are not always easily seen or detected. You would only know, when the mold problem is on its way to becoming out of control. So, you have to know the signs that will tell you if theres a mold problem in your home.

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How To Test For Mold At Home

Wondering if your house has mold in it? Heres everything you need to know about testing your house for mold.

Ever catch a whiff of something musty or earthy while youre in the basement doing laundry? Wonder why your child is coughing and sneezing for no apparent reason? Questioning why the rash on your husbands arm keeps coming back?

It might be that four-letter word every homeowner hates to hear: mold.

While they might not be a huge issue, mold allergies are more common than you think. So if youre wondering if you might have a mold problem and how to know for sure, keep reading.

But first, as the famous Chinese general Sun Tzu said, its important to know the enemy. Lets take a look at exactly what mold is and why it might be living in your house.

FYI: Some species of mold have bad reputations. Take black mold, for instance. While it is toxic to humans, there is no proof it is any more dangerous than other, similar types of mold. Scientists say that the toxic mold syndrome hyped in the media is largely overblown.1

If You Use Bleach To Clean Up Mold

• Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia or other cleaning products will produce a poisonous gas.
• Always follow the manufacturers instructions when you use bleach or any other cleaning product.
• Open windows and doors to provide fresh air.
• Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles during cleanup of affected areas.
• If you need to clean more than 10 square feet, check the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guide titled Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings, which gives advice on all building types. You can get it by going to the EPA web site at .

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How To Tell If You Have Mold In Your House

It can be hard to tell if you have mold in your house. Obviously, if you see mold somewhere, youve got a mold problem in your house, but mold can hide in walls, ventilation ducts, crawl spaces, and in other hard-to-see areas.

A common way to check for mold is to smell for it. A musty smell in an area of your home is often an indicator that there is some kind of mold present. Symptoms like a persistent runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing and throat irritation could also be indicative of mold.

In addition, anywhere that has been exposed to a significant amount of moisture such as water damage from flooding is a potential area where mold may be growing. Look for water where it shouldnt be, and check areas which may have flooded in the past.

You Feel Like You Have A Cold That Just Wont Go Away

Symptoms of a mold reaction can be as subtle as a perpetually runny nose and sneezing fits. That cold that you just cant seem to shake could actually be a sneaky sign of a mold problem.

Try to notice if your symptoms seem to worsen after spending time in a particular room or immediately after you finish doing laundry in the basement, for example.

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Your House Smells Musty

Were not knocking your cleaning skills, but mold that grows undetected can pose a real health risk. This is especially true for the elderly, warns Dr. Parikh. Their symptoms are generally similar, but all chronic conditions are worse in the elderly as their bodies are not as resilient as younger patients and usually have other medical problems which may interfere with or complicate the treatment, says Dr. Parikh. Here are 9 ways to get rid of mildew.

Baking Soda And Vinegar

Since we are dealing with molds, we have to go for the most extreme yet easy method.

Lucky for us, baking soda and vinegar are just the perfect blends of both.

Baking soda, with its stain-removing abilities, and vinegar, with its odor annihilator, both work hand in hand.

Here are the steps involved in using this perfect blend.

Step #1: Make The Paste

To be able to do anything, you have to have all your equipment ready, especially your cleaning agents.

So you have to have a cleaning solution that happens to be more of a paste. It should contain an equal amount of baking soda and vinegar.

Step #2: Apply And Wait

After making the paste, apply it to the areas with spotting molds and wait for about an hour or so.

But before applying, it is important to do what we call a spot test which involves applying the paste to a small portion of the couch to see how it affects it.

If the paste doesnt affect the couch negatively, you can proceed to apply it properly.

Tip: In situations where the paste starts to discolor the couch, which, to be honest, would be very rare, then you can skip to the next method.

Step #3: Vacuum Or Wash Off

After you have left the paste for a while and it has dried on the couch, you have two options.

You can either vacuum the dry paste or wash it off with an old toothbrush.

I would recommend the former, i.e, vacuuming.

After vacuuming or washing, leave the couch outside to dry.

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Symptoms Of Mold In Your Home

Sometimes you can visibly see or smell mold growing, but other times it is more difficult to detect. Tight spaces such as in attics, behind cabinets, and in crawl spaces are not places people are likely to venture.

There are 3 ways to tell if you have mold: 1 you might see it, 2 you will probably smell it, but 3 a comprehensive mold inspection by Branch Environmental will definitely find it! The best way to know if you have mold is to get a comprehensive mold inspection performed. Keep reading to learn more about how you can identify the symptoms of mold in your home, and why a professional inspection is so important.

How To Get Rid Of Black Mold

Depending on the severity of your black mold infestation, you can either clean it yourself or hire a professional. Hiring a professional is more expensive, but it prevents you from being exposed to the mold while trying to remove it. Youll probably want to hire a professional cleaner if you have wide-spread growth in multiple rooms.

If you choose to remove the black mold yourself, be sure to take the proper safety precautions. You want to avoid letting mold spores touch your skin or breathing them in by wearing:

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How Does Mold Get Into Houses

Microscopic mold spores exist almost everywhere indoors and outdoors. While there isnt much you can do about mold outdoors, when it comes to mold in your home you have options. If you have a mold problem in your home, odds are you will smell it first. If you have an earthy or musty odor in your home, theres a good chance you have mold. Occasionally you may see discolored smudges and/or blotches that look like mold and sometimes youll even see mold.

Mold spores can remain dormant for 50 years or more. They become active when they come into contact with moisture and food. Where there is mold there is always water. Once mold becomes active it develops into mold colonies which in turn release more spores into the air.