Where To Check For Mold In Your Bathroom
You may love a long, hot shower but, unfortunately, so does mold. The warm, wet environment of a bathroom is practically an invitation for mold growth. Bathrooms that lack proper ventilation are especially prone to attracting mold. While it may be clear to check for mold on shower tiles, there are plenty of less obvious places for mold to grow in the bathroom.
Try To Determine Liability
Its possible that the seller didnt disclose a mold problem because he or she wasnt aware of it. Before you bought the house, the original home inspection report should have noted signs of leaks or mold. Hire a second home inspector to confirm and document mold growth and damages that were originally overlooked.
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, you’ve got a big mold problem because what you’re 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 won’t 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.
Don’t Miss: Skin Rash From Mold
What Other Things Should I Do To Prevent Mold
Mold prevention is part of regular homeowner maintenance. The EPA recommends you think of mold prevention in four parts:
Educating yourself about the signs and symptoms of mold is one of the best preventative actions you can take. There is plenty of information available online. Another excellent source is your local plumbing professional, who is an expert on the causes of mold and how to prevent it.
Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Greater Syracuse is your best choice for all plumbing leaks and problems that cause mold infestations. To prevent mold from growing in your home, contact us for a plumbing checkup.
How Does Mold Get Into Our Homes
The more people who live in a home, the more likely it is that molds will grow inside it. This is because we release a lot of moisture in the air when we breathe. When we take long hot showers, cook with uncovered pots, dry clothes on an indoor clothesline, or use humidifiers, we also make more moisture for molds to grow. Storing wet firewood, watering many plants, and storing many vegetables like potatoes and squash can make a mold problem more likely, too.
Read Also: Killing Mold On Bathroom Ceiling
Thank You So Much For This Article After Reading This And Looking At The Pictures Of Others Commenting Im 100% Sure That The Back Of My Bedroom Wall Has White Mold We Have Tried To Get Rid Of It Previously Using Bleach Wipes And A Mold And Mildew Spray But It Keeps Coming Back We Use Dehumidifiers And Try To Keep The Window Open But The Back Wall Where All The Mold Is Keeps Getting Really Wet To The Point The Double Socket In The Wall Keeps Short Circuiting The House Is There Any Suggestions On How To Permimantly Get Rid Of The Mold And Prevent It From Coming Back
This level of mold growth is likely due to a water intrusion . The best way to definitively verify a leak is with a moisture meter. Wait until you experience a significant rain event to ensure you identify any leaks. Scan the area with a pinless moisture meter. These can often be obtained from a local contractor rental business.
If all else fails, cut a small hole in the sheet rock. If theres mold on the backside of the sheet rock, you have a liquid water intrusion. If its only the room side of the wall, its a condensation issue. This will also give you the opportunity to evaluate the insulation level within the wall.
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 .
Read Also: How To Clean Mold From Ceiling
Other Places In The Kitchen
Wooden cutting boards, trash cans, behind the stove and windows and window sills in the kitchen are like heaven for mold spores. They feed off of these places, so keeping them clean and dry is critical for keeping mold at bay.
To keep your kitchen mold free, be sure to:
- Ventilate when cooking and doing dishes by opening a window, using a fan, or both
- Wash the dishes every day, so they dont pile up in the sink
- Clean and dry the stove top, microwave, counters, cabinets, and window sills regularly
- Clean out the inside of your fridge and your fridge drip tray often
- Take the trash out every day
Moisture In Your Attic
Its common to find mold in attics, especially where there are poor ventilation and high humidity conditions. Few people spend time in their attics, particularly in todays homes that use roof trusses instead of rafters and storage space is impractical.
Most people never enter their attic unless theres an emergency. Thats usually due to a water leak, and by then, a mold infestation may be well advanced. Running water is easy to identify in an attic as its going to pour through hatch openings or from light fixtures. High humidity and moisture levels are more difficult to find. Consider these attic moisture sources:
Leaky or missing roof shingles
Leaking drain, waste and ventilation pipes
Condensation on plumbing pipes
Improperly installed flashings and ridge capping
Improperly installed exhaust vents for dryers, bath and kitchen vents
Condensation during cold months
Heat causing high humidity in warm months
Faulty or missing insulation
Snow and ice damming problems
Heaters or furnaces in attic
Air conditioning units in the attic
Stored materials that are wet or damp
Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Mildew On Bathroom Ceiling
Is Mold Dangerous On Your Soil
The short answer is a no and yes, depending on the mold type and how much it has grown. Mold fungi are not harmful to your plant soil at the early stage as they also aid the growth of your plants. But as they develop, they can infect your plants and cause serious health issues if you dont act fast to get rid of them.
What Is Mold On Soil
Mold on soil means mold fungus growing on your houseplant soil. It usually has a white woolly or snowdrifts appearance. Mold grows in a confined area at its early stage but, when left unnoticed, its spores spread over the soil. Only a few mold types are visible when others are unsightly.
Typically, your soil needs fungi to break down its components into nutrients needed for plants to grow. Fungi are essential for the growth of plants, but not all fungi are good. Pathogenic is one of the species of fungi that can cause disease in houseplants and humans.
Mold is one of the fungi essential for the growth of your houseplants. But there is nothing to worry about if its not surfacing on your soil. However, it raises concerns when it is becoming noticeable.
Recommended Reading: Fungus On Leather
Hi The Attached Image Is Of A Growth On An Interior Hallway Wall Next To A Doorway It Has Been There For A While And The Last Time I Redecorated About 6 Months Ago I Chipped Out This Corner Refilled It And Decorated However It Is Back It Doesn’t Smell And This Is The Only Place In The House That It Exists The House Has Suffered From Condensation In The Past But Since I Installed A Piv Unit We Get No Condensation Any More Any Idea What This May Be Thank You
This is a bit strange. It certainly looks like distortion caused by a water intrusion. Condensation would not occur on an interior wall. Therefore the water must be coming from a liquid source I recommend renting or borrowing a moisture meter to verify the presence of water and trace the pathway to the source. If there is a bathroom above this area, check around the toilet and shower with a moisture meter. If its the top floor, check the attic for a roof leak.
Washing The Mold Off Of Your Clothes Is Crucial
When you finish, he says to take off your work clothes, place them in a plastic bag and transport them to the washing machine. Add ¾ cup white vinegar to your wash water to kill the mold on your clothes.
Keep in mind, you need to ensure that youre addressing the problem and not just a symptom of the problem. When you come across mold in a home, it should be understood that you have a moisture issue first and a mold issue second, says Evan Roberts, a real estate agent with Dependable Homebuyers in Baltimore, MD. He tells us that scrubbing surface mold with mold killer will not be effective if you do not address the moisture issue.
Don’t Miss: How To Kill Mold In My Basement
How To Get Rid Of Mold
If you discover mold in your house, it is important to contact a licensed expert for help. A professional will be able to not only remove the mold safely, but address the route cause of the problem. After the cause is fixed and the mold is treated, the area will need to dry out completely, which usually takes at least 48 hours.
The cost of mold removal will of course depend on the situation, but averages at around one to two thousand dollars. While that may sound like a lot, ensuring that you and your family are living in a safe home is priceless. If the mold occurred after a recent remodel, you can contact a construction defects attorney to take legal action against the builder.
What Mold Looks Like
Molds are a type of fungus and can look like their fungal cousins, mushrooms and yeasts. Outdoors, molds can be seen gobbling up the dead organic matter on decomposing surfaces like fallen leaves and rotting logs indoors, house mold thrives in wet, humid environments like bathrooms and basements or anywhere that has recently flooded. There are thousands of types of mold, and their appearance can vary depending on the type of mold and where its growing.
The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum , is also sometimes found in homes and other buildings. This greenish-black growth can grow on fiberboard, paper, dust, and lint, particularly in areas that may have recently flooded or suffered other types of water damage. While black mold can certainly look scary, the CDC says that Stachybotrys chartarum isnt any more harmful than other types of mold.
RELATED: 11 Unexpected Places Mold May Be Hiding in Your Home
Read Also: How To Clean Black Mold In Basement
What To Do When There Is Mold In Your Home
Mold is a scary word. Whenever its around, it means something has gone bad. Its a shame, really, because it sounds like and is spelled similar to mole, which carries an entirely different connotation. Moles, as in the animal, are cute.
But no one thinks mold is cute. And the side effects it causes arent either.
Stop Denying It
You may think, So whats a little mold? Well, you wont think that after you develop allergic reactions like asthma and other breathing problems. Its time to stop blaming the pets and start considering that maybe, just maybe, your home has mold in it.
How Can I Tell If There Is Mold In My Home?
One telltale sign that may point to a mold infestation in your home is the smell. Mold smells like, well, mold. Its musty and gross. When youve cleaned out the entire house and made sure all the trash is taken out and the plumbing is clear, and you still detect an odor coming from an area with moisture in it like a bathroom or kitchen, you might have mold.
Another obvious indicator is, of course, little black or green or white fuzzy things growing on any of your surfaces. Youll typically find these in areas where moisture collects, like the walls in bathrooms. But if you dont see it, dont think its not there. It could still be in the ceiling, in the walls or under the floorboards.
Okay, I Admit There Might Be Mold In My Home. Now What?
Better Call BNF
______________________________________________________________
How To Prevent Mold Growth On Soil
If you observe mold on your soil or houseplants, take immediate action to prevent damages and health risks. Use the following tips to ward off mold growth on your soil and plants.
- Use healthy and disinfected soil when changing your soil and for all new plants. You can also use commercial potting soil because it contains enough nutrients for your plants.
- Moist conditions are favorable for mold growth, so avoid overwatering your plants.
- Remove dead leaves and other debris from the soil and clean dirt or dust from the leaves frequently. Besides, always remember to trim the lifeless parts of your houseplants.
- Ensure your plants are getting enough light and ventilation. Sunlight is not only essential for your plants growth but also good at repelling mold. Also, use a source of ventilation to ensure airflow around the plants.
Recommended Reading: Remove Mold From Leather With Vinegar
How To Make Your House Worth More
Nearly every home has some form of mold. Whether you simply want to increase the value of your home or you want to put it on the market, you might wonder whether moisture remediation will help.
Theres been growing concern about mold in the real estate industry. More serious mold can significantly diminish the value of your home.
More serious molds include Stachybotrys chartarum or black mold. If you sell a home with this kind of mold present, you can expose yourself to liability.
Whether you stay in or sell your home, you cannot allow mold growth to continue. However, nothing will cause a deal to fall through faster than mold.
Just about everybody is familiar with household mold. This kind of mold shows up in various kinds of moist areas.
However, mold also grows in attics, bathrooms and basements. In fact, mold can grow on nearly any surface in your home.
If you see black spots developing on a wall and a room with poor circulation, you most likely have the early stages of a serious mold problem.
Your New Nasty Neighbor
Having mold in your home doesnt immediately assign you to a life of health problems. Usually, those with asthma, allergies, weak immune systems, the very young, and the elderly are most at risk. If you have a reason to suspect a nearby exposure source and are experiencing unexplained symptoms, mold testing makes sense.
Also consider mold testing if you reside in or own a multifamily property, a home that shares walls, or a property that is within close vicinity to other buildings that are experiencing exposure symptoms. We can help you in your efforts to eliminate or confirm this source as a cause of your health problems.
Also Check: Does Vinegar Kill Mold On Basement Walls
Use A Home Air Purifier
While looking for ways to reduce allergens in the house, I found that some of the advice was a bit out there. For example, putting crystals on all the windows might be pretty, but Im not sure it would actually help reduce allergens from the home.
One of the most common suggestions that I did want to try was a home air purifier. The reviews sounded promising, it is worth the investment.
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.
You May Like: How To Clean Mold Off Walls In Basement
