What You Need To Know About Mold In Your Home

All of us have had to deal with mold in our homes at one point or another. Whether you’re in an apartment or house, sitting in a basement or attic, looking around at your bathroom or kitchen, at some point in your life you will have glanced over and seen that horrible patch of green, or worse, black mold on a wall or surface. Here are a few facts you should know about mold, and some steps you can take to prevent it taking hold in your home.

If You’ve Got Moisture, You May Already Have Mold

The fact is that mold is everywhere. It’s all around us, and most of the time those tiny little mold spores are not going to be a problem. However, when these light, floating particles find their way to parts of your house that are damp or moist, it flourishes. Moisture accelerates the growth of mold spores so once they take root in a poorly ventilated bathroom or kitchen, they’re going to be very hard to get rid of. You can find mold growing on the wall underneath a poorly sealed window, or behind the back of a leaking washing machine, anywhere where there’s moisture and humidity.

It Takes Root Quickly

Now that your mold has found a nice place in your home to grow, it’s going to get to work fast. If you’ve got a room that meets all its favorite conditions (moisture and warmth being the two biggest), then it can take root and start growing anywhere between 24 and 48 hours. If we think about how often we put off dealing with a problem in our bathroom or kitchen, that statistic is staggering. Try to keep these rooms well ventilated and as dry as possible.  

You Can’t Just Paint Over It

Given that mold is a collection of harmful, it can be tempting to take the most direct approach and get it out of your house as quickly as possible. However, as is often the way in life, a quick fix won’t give you long term solutions. Many DIY mold removal treatments are merely cosmetic, and while others may kill the spores, dead spores can be just as hazardous and dormant spores will reawaken once it gets nice and damp again. And, in case we need to remind you, if you paint over mold, the fungi will just eat right through it and keep on growing. For serious problems, it’s always best to call in a professional and DryMetrics have over 10 years of experience of mold removal and water damage restoration.

It Can Cause Serious Health Issues

There are several illnesses that can be caused or exacerbated by prolonged exposure to mold, and they vary from person to person and the type of mold in question. The reason why people get so anxious about hazardous black mold is because it can do long-term damage, attacking the circulatory and vascular system to affect your heartbeat and blood pressure. Other issues caused by exposure to mold include sinus infections, asthma, rashes and skin irritations and respiratory problems. It’s vitally important to take care of your mold problem as soon as you spot it.