As a homeowner you are right to worry about mold and other potential household hazards, because mold is more common than you may think. Every home is bound to have mold of some kind so it is no surprise that most home owners allow mold to go untreated for so long. Some mold cannot be seen so it doesn’t get any attention until it does severe damage to your home or causes serious health problems.
Mold can cause serious respiratory problems and has been known to cause asthma, sinusitis, and weaken your immune system in general. Mold can even affect perfectly healthy individuals as well as those vulnerable to fungus. An allergic reaction to mold can occur anywhere from immediately to six hours of inhalation or skin contact. Most mold releases toxic chemicals in small airborne mold fragments that are either inhaled, absorbed through the skin or ingested through food that has been infected by mold.
Mold only requires two simple ingredients to grow within a home, some form of moisture and a food source. The mold found in the bathroom and around other water sources in the home is generally not a problem and can easily be treated with bleach or commercial mold cleaner. The real threat is the mold that you cannot see. This mold usually forms in enclosed air conditioning units, water heaters and washing machines. Mold can affect any porous material so it is best to treat the contents of your home as well as the home itself. You can also get mold growth from roof and plumbing leaks within the walls. It does not take much moisture for mold to form just a small leak can start the process. The worst thing about this type of mold growth is that you cannot see it.
At some point you may be able to detect mold from a musty smell but by the time that happens it may have already spread farther than the affected area. Unlike most fungus, mold can thrive in extreme temperatures as warm as 122° degrees. The best defense against mold build up is to have your home inspected by a professional hygienist that specializes in mold detection. Be sure to check for references because people have been known to claim expertise in mold detection but lack the experience.
If mold is only treated at the affected area without first identifying the source of moisture that caused the problem in the first place, this will only result in more mold growth later on. To treat serious mold growth can be expensive and most homeowner’s insurance policies have a mold exclusion clause so it is best to try to prevent the problem before it spreads. One of the most affordable methods to treat mold is to apply over the counter mold removers like Safe Shield to the affected area. Safe Shield can be found at most major retail locations or at Amazon.com for around $20. For a solution to a slightly more serious mold problem it is recommended that you visit Property Perfections.com and get a complete organic mold removal kit. If your mold problem gets too big for you to treat it yourself it may be time to call a professional.