Being a responsible homeowner means keeping your house clean and free from harmful organisms. It’s crucial to prevent severe health issues and make it look more appealing. Besides unwanted pests, you should also watch out for mold.
Mold is an airborne fungus that thrives when the humidity exceeds 70 percent and the temperature surpasses 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, most homeowners can’t detect these organisms until they notice a musty smell, see it on their walls, or when their allergies and asthma worsen. While it may be understandable to panic in this situation, you should also understand how it spreads.
If you want to ensure a successful mold remediation appointment and protect your home, this article will help you understand how mold spreads in your house.
What Does Mold Need to Grow?
Before determining how mold spreads, you must know what they need to grow. These fungi need mold spores, heat, oxygen, and darkness to thrive on your property.
When you add moisture to the mix, your house can suffer from mold problems like respiratory illnesses and structural damage. While they may be hard to spot, they usually appear as dark spots or streaks that look like dirt and soot.
You can prevent and eliminate mold growth by calling a professional mold remediation company. These experts will help you detect hotspots for mold growth and provide preventative measures. That way, you can enjoy a healthy and happy environment.
How Do They Spread throughout Your Property?
The stack or chimney effect occurs when warm air rises in the house and escapes through the upper levels, creating a vacuum in the lower part. This vacuum draws in the basement and crawls space air, including mold spores, dust mites, odors, and other particles in the indoor atmosphere.
The air from the crawl space and basement quickly spreads into the house’s main areas, where people breathe, and a mold infestation can happen almost immediately.
Understanding the Dangers of House Mold
No matter how often you clean your house, you’ll always spot mold in damp and dark places on your property, like in the basement or crawl space. You can find them in organic materials like dust, wood, fabric, wallpaper, and paint because they provide the nourishment it needs to thrive and survive. These spores can also cause allergic reactions.
They’re also usually tiny, measuring roughly 0.0002 inches (ten microns). Moreover, mold spores can consume synthetic materials such as pastes, adhesives, and paints. While it can’t feed on inorganic substances like concrete, metal, and glass, it can still grow on the dirt on these surfaces.
Besides being unsightly and causing property damage, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that mold exposure can harm our health under certain conditions. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea. Mold allergies can manifest in irritated eyes, nose, or throat.
How to Address Suspected Mold Growth at Home
When you spot mold at home, you should locate and stop the source of moisture, dry out the area, and clean or dispose of any moldy materials while wearing protective clothing. You should also remove your clothes and place them in a plastic bag to discard or launder them before exiting the contaminated areas.
If you spot mold, you should dispose of porous items like plasterboard, insulation, ceiling tiles, paper products, and some wood materials. On the other hand, you should clean hard plastics, metals, glass, and solid wood with a HEPA Vacuum. However, if DIY treatment doesn’t work, it’s time to call a professional for a non-invasive and efficient mold remediation process.
Conclusion
Mold growth can cause severe health issues, structural damage, and unpleasant eyesores. Fortunately, you can save your home from these damages by working with a professional mold remediation company.
If you need professional mold remediation in Fresno, work with Trademark! Our company ensures to follow proper protocols and use the correct procedures to efficiently and safely remove mold from your property. Contact us now to get your free estimate!
