Most Common Places To Check For Mold In Your Home
If you have allergies or a chronic lung disease like asthma, youre probably very aware of the effect mold can have on your health. But even if you have a healthy immune system and no allergies, mold can cause a variety of health problems coughing, wheezing, and throat, skin, and eye irritation, to name a few. Mold is everywhere and, though you cant fully control your exposure to it outdoors or in public spaces, you can check for mold in common places around your home and take measures to prevent and remove it.
Who Is Most At Risk For Health Problems Associated With Exposure To Mold
People with allergies may be more sensitive to molds. People with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections. Individuals with chronic respiratory disease may experience difficulty breathing. Individuals with immune suppression are at increased risk for infection from molds. If you or your family members have these conditions, a qualified medical clinician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment.
What Is Mold Toxicity
Mold toxicity occurs when mycotoxins are produced by micro-fungi such as mold, that can affect your bodys system leading to chronic symptoms.
It is estimated that 24% of the population is genetically susceptible to this illness and will begin experiencing chronic inflammatory immune responses as a result of this exposure. Toxins produced by mold will start to accumulate inside the body and begin its takeover of symptoms to an individual.
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What To Do If Your House Has Mold Health Risks And Tips To Remove Mold
Mold builds up in damp and poorly ventilated areas. On average, a person spends about 12 to 16 hours a day at home, especially children and senior citizens.
Inhalation of mold fragments or spores can cause airway inflammation, which can result in nasal congestion, wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and throat irritation.
According to the World Health Organization , continuous exposure to high levels of indoor dampness and mold can lead to a decrease in lung functionality, and may result in chronic respiratory conditions. People who are asthmatic or allergic can face a higher risk of severe symptoms when exposed to mold.
Aside from visible mold, other indications of dampness problems include mold odor, water stains, cracked wallpaper, wet basements, and so on.
How Does Mold Spread In The House
- Date: 02-2019
Moldis a form of fungi that sprouts from microscopic spores that are everywhere inour environment. These spores are inactive, however, they will propagate oncethe humidity surpasses 70 percent. Temperature that is more than 65 degreesincreases the chance of mold growth. Once the cluster of mold spores spread onsurfaces, they begin to reproduce and become noticeable to the human eye. Youmay not be aware that there is mold in your home until you see it or smell adamp, musty, moldy odor. And when you notice your allergies and asthma tend toflare.
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Can Mold Exposure Cause Headaches
These compounds are produced through fungal metabolism and are released directly into the air, often giving off strong or unpleasant odors. Exposure to mVOCs from molds can irritate the eyes and respiratory system and has been linked to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nasal irritation and nausea.
Using A Mold Exposure Test
A mold exposure test is often the best way for you to check for mold on your own. You can pick one up at any home improvement or home supply store.
Simply follow the instructions on the box. Usually, youll just brush the surface where you think mold may be present, and send the test strip or brush in for a laboratory analysis. If mold is present, youll be notified.
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Plan Of Attack To Removing Mold From Your Home
What can you do when you find a mold source in your home, what plan of action is required next? First and foremost, when you locate mold growth in your home you will want to examine the underlying cause of the mold growth, whether there was a moisture leak or what type of conditions surround the mold in the environment.
Second, you will want to call a mold remediation specialist to assist you in the removal of this mold from your homes surfaces. Often times we will try to utilize different methods of mold removal that we find online, but in reality, the best solution is having a trained professional come to your aid to ensure that proper removal occurs of this mold.
Third, eliminating the mold spores that have traveled into your air. We often dont consider that mold can compromise the quality of your homes air by collecting mold spores released from mold.
How can you eliminate these mold spores from your air? The enhanced chemical reactivity found in the EnviroKlenz Cartridge makes it ideal for removing harmful mold-generated VOCs.
The EnviroKlenz Mobile UV Air System is a portable air filtration machine that contains this enhanced chemically reactive technology that can effectively work at taking in mold spores and capturing them from your air.
We Help You Feel At Home Again
It can take time to work things out with a seller after youve closed on the house. While most individuals are fair and honest, you may not reach an agreement that satisfies all parties. Still, you need to address unhealthy mold growth immediately. Quick action minimizes property damage and protects your health.
Our teams are ready to help with expert mold removal and remediation. As Chicagos leading restoration contractor, were uniquely positioned to handle all kinds of water damage problems including small plumbing repairs. Give us a call here at ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba. Let us help you finally feel at home in your new dream house.
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What About Black Mold Or Stachybotrys
Recently, there has been heightened concern regarding exposure to a specific type of mold commonly referred to as black or toxic mold. Currently there is no conclusive scientific evidence linking the inhalation of black mold spores or any type of mold in the indoor environment to any illness other than the previously described allergy symptoms. The term toxic is an inaccurate description of this mold. There are many common molds that are black in color.
If you see mold growing in your home, the most important thing to remember is not to panic. You do not have to leave your home or belongings behind or destroy everything in the house. Instead, seek the help of someone who is knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with mold. Contact your local public health agency or state health department for more information on mold.
Stale And Musty Odors
Mold, whether it is visible or not, emits an unusual and unpleasant odor. If an area in your home persistently smells musty, there is a good possibility there is mold in the room. You can follow the odor to where it is strongest, find the mold and remove it. However, if the mold is in an unreachable place, like inside walls, you need to call in a professional to help you remove the growth
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What Should I Do If I Find A Defect In My New Home
Ideally, home defect issues should be worked out before you get to the closing, whether its a cracked foundation noted during the inspection or water damage discovered during your final walk-through. At this point, your agent should work with the sellers agent to explore different options toward recourse.
What To Do If You Suspect Mold In Your Home
Ifyou find mold, three things need to be done. First, you have to determine thesource of moisture that is allowing the mold to grow and stop it. Second, youshould eliminate and clean up the mold. When you have stopped the source ofmoisture, make certain that you dry everything out before you start cleaning.Utilizing dehumidifiers and fans will usually help speed the process. Yet, donot use fans if mold is visible as it can cause the mold spores to spread. When things are dry, it is recommended to clean or dispose of any moldymaterials. Ensure that you are wearing protective material when doing any moldclean up. Wearing rubber gloves, a long sleeve shirt, eye goggles, long pants,and medium or high-efficiency filter dust mask is advised. Remove your clothesand put them in a plastic bag to be laundered or discarded before leaving thecontaminated areas. Else, you could spread mold spores through your home.
Theonly option for porous moldy items like plasterboard, plaster, insulation,ceiling tiles, paper products, and some woods is to dispose of them. You onlyhave to throw away the items if mold is visible. Bag all items before beingtransported through the house. For the materials that are non-porous orsemi-porous including hard plastic, metal, glass, and solid wood, you can cleanthem with a HEPA Vacuum to removecontamination.
Dontlet the mold invade your home, rather live in a greener and healthierhome. Call for mold remediation services today!
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You Bought A House With Mold Problems: 5 Things You Need To Do Now
No one ever images theyre buying a house with mold problems. You assume the home inspection process uncovers potential problems, but even newly constructed homes can harbor hidden mold. If you find mold in your house after you purchase the property, follow these five steps to resolution and recovery.
Water In The Foundation
Look out for a build-up of water around your homes base. This can lead to foundational problems for your home if there is a lot of water. At your homes foundation, gathering rainwater can be prevented by sloping your yard outwards from your foundation. In the same line of thought, damp basements are another culprit. Usually, there is no good ventilation in basements. This is an indication that basements could contain higher humidity or moisture amounts compared to other rooms in the home. Also, basements are often colder which means more condensation occurs which leads to humidity and basement.
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Spotting And Fur On Your Walls
There are so many varieties of mold that you can’t really identify the type based on specific shape, size or color. It can appear as a furry, dark growth, as a black stain, or as black, white, orange, green or brown specks. Rather than look for out-of-the-ordinary, multi-colored flakes in every inch of your home, identify areas that are moist and then look for possible signs of mold. The fungus thrives in cool, damp areas, and it will be much easier to find it by limiting your search to areas that are affected by excess moisture. Yes, paint and wallpaper gets stained and marked from every day living, but if you see a pattern to the stains, or they appear in the corners of a room, this is usually a good indicator that mold is present.
Do You Have To Disclose Toxic Mold To Buyers
A decade ago the California Civil Code was amended to require sellers to disclose to their buyers, on the statutory transfer disclosure form, the existence of toxic mold. However, like any other seller disclosure, the requirement is only to disclose the existence of toxic mold if the seller has actual knowledge of its existence.
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If You Treat Mold Yourself Always Wear Protection
In fact, preparation and protective wear are important parts of making sure that youre removing and not spreading mold.
Robert Weitz is a certified microbial investigator and founder of RTK Environmental, a leading environmental testing firm. If you find mold, he recommends having a professional mold test to see if you can clean it yourself. If you can, he has a list of items that youll need:
- A mask or respirator to filter out the mold spores youll be disturbing
- Eye protection
- White vinegar
What Are My Legal Rights After Finding Mold In A Newly Purchased Home
Dec 16, 2016 | Real Estate Law
Before buying an existing home, it is imperative to have a home inspection performed. That way, potential problems are identified and corrected. A check for mold or mold-related problems should be included in the inspection.
Once the inspection is complete, ask the inspector whether any mold or potential mold dangers were identified. If the answer is yes, that information should be detailed in the official report. This is important because some inspectors will not list issues pertaining to mold as a way of avoiding liability. Therefore, always hire a reputable and licensed inspector.
In addition to an inspection, request a sellers full disclosure covering any mold problems that are not visible. If the seller does not want to provide a full disclosure, you can always have a mold-related contingency added to your offer. If the offer is accepted, the seller would be fully or partially responsible for the cost of mold testing, as well as removal and/or remediation.
If no discloser was provided nor a contingency offer made, and you suspect a mold problem after settling into your home, you can hire a professional mold testing company on your own. Sometimes, mold is visible and its odor distinguishable, but often, it hides under floors, behind ceiling tiles, between walls, and so on.
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How Do I Get Rid Of Mold
It is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors some mold spores will be found floating through the air and in house dust. The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present. Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem. If you clean up the mold, but don’t fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.
Can A Mouldy Bedroom Make You Sick
Mold inside your house can make you certainly sick, breathing in mold fragments or spores can inflame the air passages, creating a nasal blockage, wheezing, breast tightness, coughing, and throat inflammation. Long term exposure to high degrees of indoor dampness can decrease lung function and also cause persistent health issue such as bronchial asthma.
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What Is Black Mold
Black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum, is one of the most common indoor molds. It grows in damp, humid, and dark areas in homes. Like other molds, it releases spores into the air surrounding it, which can be inhaled by humans or absorbed through your skin, and can also allow it to be transported to other areas of a home.
You Visibly See Mold Spores
Of course one of the most obvious ways to determine that you have mold in your house is if you can see it. The downside? If you see a ton of visible mold, it can be an indicator that you have a big problem on your hands.
Once you see it, youve got a big mold problem because what youre seeing is literally just the tip of the iceberg,Kelly Hayes-Raitt, a housesitter and the former director of the HomeSafe Campaign in California, told INSIDER.
Simply scrubbing the visible mold with soap and a sponge wont actually get rid of the mold. So if you see visible mold, you need to reach out to a mold remediation company or another expert to help you get things under control, including any leaks that may have caused the issue in the first place.
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What Happens If Contractors Find Black Mold In Your House
What happens if contractors find black mold in your house? If you find black mold on your property, theres no need to panic. But black mold presents more health risks to sensitive groups like those with respiratory conditions or immune conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control , black mold spores can generate cold- or flu-like symptoms such as: Stuffy nose.
Does black mold have to be removed professionally? Black mold is a serious health hazard. It can wreak havoc on your home and begin to take a toll on your health. While black mold removal sometimes requires professional help, skilled DIY homeowners can learn how to kill black mold and effectively tackle the issue with the right supplies.
Can a house with black mold be fixed? In fact, more often than not, mold problems can be solved. Not only that, the presence of mold can put you in a good negotiating position as a buyer, often resulting in getting a better deal on the house.
Can you sue if there is mold in your house? If you have developed health problems, suffered property damage, or incurred other types of losses because of a mold infestation, you may be able to file a legal claim to get compensation for your injuries or losses, including the cost of getting rid of the mold .
How To Know If You Have Black Mold In Your House
Mold isnt always visible. If you can see mold, its only a sign of the real potential health risk, which is the harmful types of unhealthy levels of mold in the air of your home or workplace.
Airborne mold is all around us in both the outdoors and indoors. The types and amount of mold is what determines the potential health risk. Most of us are typically accustomed to the varieties and amounts of mold present in our outdoor environments.
Healthy indoor environments will have mold conditions similar to or better than those in the surrounding outdoors. Over time, because of moisture , many indoor spaces develop unhealthy types and/or unhealthy levels of airborne mold that can be harmful to you or your pets.
These signs will help you know if you possibly have unhealthy mold conditions in your house:
- Allergic symptoms
- A damp or musty odor in one or more places
- Frequent headaches
- The air in the home feels different
- Your house has been flooded or currently has leaks
- You previously tried removing mold yourself
Take note of how you feel in and out of the house. If the symptoms disappear or decrease when youre out and about, then you might have a mold problem, yes, even if you cant see mold.
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