September: Mold Awareness Month

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Specializing in mold prevention helps ensure our customer’s homes are healthy along with their families. Having healthy indoor air quality is important for not only your home but the health of your family as well. Below is information regarding the importance understanding mold in your home.

Mold is sign and symptom of moisture and there are two types of mold that can grow in your home:

• Visible Mold: Typically fuzzy moss like growth you can find on drywall, wood trim, wood framings, floor systems, or in storage closets. It is pretty easy to recognize but may be difficult to understand how the mold became present in the first place. Sometimes musty odors may be present, but regardless of color or smell, mold can be dangerous. Homeowners should take caution and contact a professional who can find the source of your mold problem. Once the mold has grown large enough to be recognized visibly, a much more serious moisture issue exists in your home.
• Invisible Mold: Mold can be present in your home even when no visible growth signs are found. Typical dark wet areas (basements and crawl spaces). In fact, the mold is present long before it “grows” big enough to be visible. The invisible parts of the mold fungi are carried through the air like tiny dandelion seeds landing on the surface of many different food sources. The truth about mold’s presence is a little surprising. Mold is a naturally occurring bio-organism, present throughout every environment we occupy. The problems arise when mold begins growing in damp indoor environments.

Mold is a living organism that breathes air and requires moisture to survive. Fortunately, when you remove one of the components away, it dies. Mold eats organic matter and thrives in environments where we like to live. Your home’s structure is made of organic materials: wood, drywall, fabrics, etc. Mold can typically be found in places that are damp and humid for extended stretches of time—basements and crawl spaces.

You can’t find a doctor who says mold in a home is good. It’s bad. Besides irritating people with asthma and mold allergies, studies have shown that prolonged exposure to mold can actually cause asthma.

For more information regarding healthy indoor air quality and mold in your home, please visit the EPA website. If you are noticing signs of mold growth in your home: musty odors, visible mold or have a damp basement or crawl space, let our specialist perform a free inspection. Your home is one of your biggest investments, but your family’s health comes first.