What do you do if you think you have mold?

When you think of mold you think of those black spots you see in the shower, or even that green stuff you see on old bread. This type of mold can be relatively harmless and is easily destroyed with some cleaning products, and in the case of the bread, throwing it out. To understand mold you should know where it comes from and how it grows. Mold like damp and dark places. And there are typically plenty of those types of places in your home. The basement is the first place I think of when I think of dark and damp. But there is the bathroom that is consistently damp from showers or the steam from baths. Without proper ventilation, that room can stay damp enough for mold to grow, and often does. Left to grow, mold can become a huge problem. The first thing you should learn about are the three mold types and then, depending on the type and severity of your mold, speak to a mold removal expert. Mold is classified as either allergenic mold, pathogenic mold and toxigenic mold. Allergenic mold is the mildest form of mold but can still cause problems such as asthma, runny nose, sneezing and skin rash. What makes this type of mold worse is the symptoms can often get confused with other allergies such as hay fever or even the common cold. If you get these types of allergies often, make not of where you seem to be experiencing the most discomfort. Is it when you are inside your home versus when you are out for a while. The next type of mold, Pathogenic mold, is more serious and can cause more significant health problems such as asthma, nausea, headache, stuffed nose, vomiting and fatigue. Again, these symptoms can be confused with a cold or the flu, but if you never seem to get better and symptoms persist you may have this type of mold in your home. Toxic mold is the most serious type of mold and you want this type of mold out of your home immediately. It can cause deadly diseases such as cancer, lupus, tuberculosis, fibromyalgia and more if exposed to this type of mold over a period of time. It is also the culprit of illnesses associated with the respiratory system, digestive system and reproductive system.

Mold generally starts as mildew in dark and damp places. We have all probably experienced this with a wet carpet. Left untreated, mold will grow. It can live in a vast range of temperature, typically from between forty degrees to 100 degrees fahrenheit. Mold is not picky and any place that wet, damp and dark makes a good home for mold spores. These spores get released into the area and find other areas to live, causing a mold infestation. If you are living in a place with airborne mold spores, then you are most likely inhaling these spores resulting in your allergies. Profession mold removal teams can come in and let you know the type of mold you have and where it is located. Sometimes what you see is not always all there is. Mold can hide and dig deep behind walls, under floors and in ceilings. While you can attempt to remove mold yourself, you may spread it further, becoming ill in the process as spores are released into the air, into your respiratory system and onto your skin. A mold removal team arrives dressed for action in protective gear that includes long gloves that rise to the middle of the forearm, full face HEPA-filter masks, goggles, and protective suits. They know that coming into contact with mold can be deadly.To successfully remove mold, it must be contained which entails closing off all vents with poylehtylene sheeting.

A mold remediation team may temporarily relocate you and your family, until the home is safe to return to. Tests, such as air sampling, tape swabs and tape slides, will reveal exactly the type of mold you have. Once determined, and all locations are discovered, the team goes to work to begin the process of removal. Breaking through walls, and floors can be part of the process because mold eats may have eaten through wood and weakened floors and walls making them unsafe. Affected areas are rebuilt and restored, where possible. Leaks are fixed, damp areas dehumidified and wet-vaccums as well as HEPA Vaccums are used. Typically, damaged items are removed in sealed in plastic bags

After mold remediation, a proactive approach is the best way to prevent mold from coming back. Be sure to check for leaks after a storm, check damp and dark areas regularly, clean up mildew and small appearances of mold, use fans and dehumidifiers to keep damp areas dry and invest in a wet-vac for those occasions when you basement or bathroom may flood. You want to always be sure to soak up all water whenever there is any type of abundance, to prevent it from seeping into wood, fabric, and carpeting. This is where mold can grow unseen until there is a problem. Mold can be as big or as little of a problem as you make it. By keeping it under control, you may never have to be in a position where you or your family members become ill from this dangerous substance.