In the United States, around 70% of the homes have mold and are affected by mold home damage. Now, that is a very serious concern. Not only does it badly damage your health, in fact, it drastically affects your home as well.
Mold build-up in homes can affect various home structural components, air quality, and spread rapidly. That, in turn, inculcates a lot of cost for repairing and renovation if not treated on time and professionally. Whether for health concerns or to keep the home well maintained and upkeep, we need to eliminate the mold from our environment, otherwise, it can take a big toll on our overall well-being.
Here is a brief guide to dealing with mold home damage for you. This will enable you to gain a sound understanding of the mold damage that can occur in your home if not treated properly. We will round off all the important aspects of mold home damage because we don’t only care about taking on new clients – but also about your well-being as we treat each customer as we would to our family. Let us begin!
What is Mold?
We will start from the basics. ‘
In a word, mold is a living organism. It belongs to the kingdom of fungi.
Mold is quite common in homes and big buildings. That is why; mold home damage is a lot prevalent. According to a study, around 45 million buildings in the United States have a significantly higher level of mold. Now, that is a serious concern. Not just that! In Canada, experts have identified around 270 species of mold in buildings.
What you need to know is that mold is a larger part of indoor pollution. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), around seven million deaths are linked solely with indoor pollution annually. This shows the gravity of the situation.
So, where is all this mold coming from? Just know one thing. Moisture fosters mold. That means if you know how to control moisture and humidity, mold is in your control. If you keep the humidity levels under 50%, you can prevent mold growth.
Now, the whole problem calls for preventive measures. Let us learn about that.
How does mold damage a home?
Now that you know what mold is, the next steps involve learning where it grows, and you can successfully identify its presence before it is too late.
Household structure
Can you guess what mold’s favorite meal is? It is organic material such as wood, paper, certain types of glue, and fabrics. Unless you live in an igloo, these materials are readily available in your home. The mold will eat away such material, which will cause them to rot. It is quite a displeasing sight! Mold will destroy wallpaper, drywall, and wooden studs. Other materials that are likely to damage by mold eating are ceiling tiles, floorboard, and other structural materials.
When mold is not inspected or observed regularly, it can do significant damage to the entire structure of the house. Assuming you do not wish your house to fall apart, which you do not, regularly monitor mold growth. Organic materials are highly susceptible to mold, resulting in utter house destruction.
Ventilation ducts
Mold can be found in bathrooms, basements, and upper floor attics. However, there is a place you may forget to look for mold—it is air conditioning and ventilation. The mold can grow easily and speedily in HVAC systems. The humidity is the perfect location for mold to munch and grow. HAVC ventilation can damage the home significantly, and it is very challenging to remove mold from tight spaces too. If left unnoticed, mold can grow through the entire ventilation network quickly.
Mold builds up in HVAC is the last location you might think of! Therefore, we suggest taking immediate precautions if you assume the presence of mold. Do not turn on the ventilation system if you suspect mold presence. Immediately call a professional service for an inspection to clean the vents successfully.
Preventive Measures for Home Mold Damage
We will now round off the preventive tips to control mold home damage.
Before we get to the tips, just recall a thing we mentioned earlier. Again, moisture fosters mold. Here comes the tips.
- First, look for all the water leakages or spills in your home. You might even find mold already growing there. After spotting them, act proactively. Get them fixed and dry the place. If that place stays dry for the next 48 hours, mold will simply disappear.
- Next, hunt for humidity. Monitor your home’s humidity level and make sure it stays below 50%. For this, you might need an instrument, which is worth purchasing.
- Thirdly, your next target has to be roof gutters. These can break and leak over time. Regular maintenance can help keep that in check.
- Fourth, check around the house for any spots where water collects. Repair that instantly.
- Next, your air conditioning system can house mold for obvious reasons. Now, that can seriously harm your respiratory health because the system throws the air you breathe in. Again, regular maintenance can mitigate the disease and mold growth risk. This goes the same for the ventilation system as well.
- Afterward, make sure your bathroom is properly air exhausted. Because it remains damp and closed most of the time. That makes a perfect condition for mold to grow.
- Throughout your home, increase air ventilation. Keeping the doors mostly open is a good way out.
The best action to take will be to consult us at Best Remodeling Solution Inc. Our professional technicians can be at your home, assessing the damage and the needed steps for remediation with an immediate quote in your hands to get the remediation process started. If there is an indication of mole presence, call us today. We will send a well-equipped and knowledgeable team to assess and get started sanitizing your home!
