How To Detect And Prevent Mold In Your Home

Mold can hide almost anywhere and can be harmful to your family’s health. It can also cause costly damage to your property and is usually not easy to remove, at least not on your own. With more than 100,000 different species of mold fungus, each one has it’s own unique features and toxicity level. The one thing they all have in common is the need for moisture and organic matter to grow and prosper. We will give you some helpful tips on where to look for mold and what you can do to fight it. 

If looking for mold is just not your idea of a fun way to spend your weekend, think about enlisting a professional mold inspector to help locate and identify any mold which may be lurking in your home, especially if you have experienced any water damage or plumbing leaks. If not, and you are not sure you have mold growing in your home, you may want to wait on calling the experts and instead, take a quick peek around your home to see if you find any evidence. Take precautions and make sure you protect your skin, nose, eyes from exposure. 

If you have not experienced any leaks or water damage, think about areas of your home where you or your family have experienced a musty odor, or have more allergy symptoms than other places in the house, this can be a great clue that mold is nearby. 10-20% of people across the world are sensitive to mold spores and may have symptoms such as asthma, congestion, wheezing, irritated or itchy eyes and skin rashes. 

Inspect under your cabinets where you have plumbing. Check sinks, pipes, water heaters, air ducts, register covers, etc. Your kitchen, bathrooms and even your laundry room are magnets for moisture accumulation and condensation from the humidity of the appliances. These are perfect for mold growth. Check for black spot on the walls or cabinets, often they will appear fuzzy too. A previously water-damaged area that has been left bulging or warped can develop mold. Notice some peeling paint, discoloration or stains, even the smallest dots of mold can be an indicator that there is more nearby. 

Don’t miss the basement! If you have had a leak or have improper drainage in your yard, it could lead to a musty odor and mold growth on your basement walls and ceiling joists. A finished basement can make it harder to locate since mold can attach to the carpeting, ceiling tile, wallboard, and furniture upholstery or draperies.

If you do uncover mold in your home, then there is excess moisture or a water leak somewhere in your home and it should be located and repaired by a licensed Baltimore, MD plumber before mold removal is conducted. If you do not fix the cause, mold will just continue to regrow. It is important that you do not ignore the signs and smells of mold because it can cause irreparable damage to your family’s health and to your home.

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