The appearance of mold in the home is not only unsightly, but it also poses a health hazard to occupants. Mold spores and fungal toxins can lead to allergies or other conditions. This form of fungus can be detected indoors by a musty smell and black speckles on the walls. Moisture contributes significantly to its growth. As such, mold can spread through living spaces due to a damp wall. Everyday household activities, such as cooking or showering play a role in its development. It can cover almost anywhere, including on wallpaper, wood or plastic.
It can spread if a home is not sufficiently insulated, especially during the winter periods. Warm air is circulating in a room stores moisture, which condenses in cold areas on walls, door frames or doors. These spots are characterized by ideal growth conditions for mold spores like window sills, door frames, and exterior-facing walls. Therefore, we recommend ventilating the living rooms several times a day to reduce moisture and counter mold growth.
In some cases, it is difficult to remove the harmful mold and renovations must be made to the affected areas. Thankfully, we can detect signs of mold in the home and help remove mold in bathrooms, attics, garages and under the sinks. This makes it easier to breathe better quality air. If large areas of the walls are affected, our team of professionals may recommend removing the wallpaper or other fixtures to ensure proper treatment of the room.
If the mold re-emerges even after re-wallpapering, the outer walls or broken pipes in the wall could be the cause of the spores.
Detecting Mold in the Home
It is easy to recognize mold by visually inspecting the wallpaper, door frames, drywall, and bathroom shower areas. It is possible to notice small brown or black spots on the surfaces. These discolorations can be greenish or bluish as a clear sign those specific areas are affected by the fungus. Over time, the mold grows, mainly when the most critical growth factors are present: moisture and nutrition (cellulose from wallpaper and dead skin cells).
When you visually recognize the mold, we recommend taking countermeasures as quickly as possible. The best option, when faced with a significant proliferation, is to reach out to our trained mold remediation experts in Tallahassee.
Unfortunately, mold is not always visible at first glance, particularly in water heater closets and attics. It can hide behind objects that prevent air circulation, including furniture and even on external walls. Therefore, we recommend checking walls behind cabinets or other bulky items.
If rooms are excessively humid, this can be an indication of possible mold growth. The high humidity can be caused by inadequate ventilation or incorrectly installed wall insulation. It can also occur due to previous water damage, condensation on fixtures like window sills or structural defects.
Mold Inspections
We have many years of experience when it comes to mold inspections and remediation since mold growth is a common problem in homes and apartments. When mold is present in the outside air, they also reach indoors where growth takes place. Conducting a thorough mold inspection is a surefire way to detect any infestation in garages and bathrooms. Key target areas include window frames, joints in the shower and on bathroom walls.
In some cases, a mold assessor will be called in to conduct a mold test which provides an overview of the different types of fungi and spores. It can also show how dangerous they are to health. The tests may involve dust collection and the test strip method.
The latter involves the use of swabs, which are taken from affected surfaces. The test strip indicates the result within a few minutes. However, this method only detects a few types of mold. Many different types of mold are not recognized.
The dust collection test entails the use of a container, which is mounted on the vacuum cleaner. The dust collected is then sent to a laboratory, and the result will determine whether there are signs of mold activity.
The tests are best conducted by a licensed expert because a trained professional not only looks at the laboratory values but also the whole building and can detect mold thanks to years of experience.
Additional Considerations and Steps to Prevent Mold
If the living room wall is already covered with black mold stains, you do not need to conduct a mold test. The determination of the mold type is secondary in this case. A strong mold presence indicates that there is damage to the building and it must be repaired immediately. As a consumer, you should always inspect all rooms thoroughly to recognize small dark spots or a musty odor associated with mold. Even new construction is susceptible to problems if there is a broken pipe or faulty appliance.
To prevent mold, proper ventilation is very important, air contains invisible water vapor and this leads to moisture in the rooms. The water vapor must be removed regularly from the rooms. Otherwise, it can lead to an infestation.
Studies have shown that a four-person household releases up to 10 liters of water into the indoor atmosphere. For this reason, proper ventilation is important. If you open a window, an opposite door creates proper ventilation after just one to five minutes. When the window is half-open, you have to ventilate the room for ten to fifteen minutes for maximum benefit. If the window is only tilted and the opposite door is open it takes fifteen to thirty minutes, with the door closed it takes thirty to sixty minutes.
For more expert advice on mold in the home, check out our homepage at https://tallahasseemoldpros.com
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