Mold, no matter what type and size, can adversely affect your home’s infrastructure and your family’s safety. Once mold has grown and spread, your home’s value can decrease over time. Since mold needs moisture to survive, a home full of mold can also indicate that you’re having issues with your water system or there are leaks in your pipes or roof. Similarly, mold can also put your family’s health at risk. Mold can cause nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, and skin irritation. The side effects of mold can even become worse if you or your family member already has asthma. Merely inhaling or getting near mold can cause re-occurring asthma attacks. If you want to steer away from this and ensure that your home is free from any type of mold, know the signs to look for.
Mold is a part of a natural process and can be found both in and outdoors. When outdoors, mold can break down into tiny particles and are basically harmless. But when mold is indoors, it’s a different story. Once mold stay indoors, it can easily multiply because it only needs moisture for this process. Keep your home mold-free by paying attention to the signs listed below. The earlier you detect mold in your home, the easier and faster for solutions to work. Mold can damage the walls it is on and weaken them. When you do find mold it is best to purchase a mold removal products.
1. You’re experiencing allergic symptoms: Allergens can come from a variety of sources. When your immune system detects these allergens as a threat, it can respond by showing symptoms of sneezing, sore eyes or nasal congestion. Assess if you’re experiencing any of these allergic reactions at home and never when you’re outside. If you do, mold growing inside your home might be the culprit. Mold can float in the air which means that even if you don’t see it yet, it can still be present in your home.
2. You’re smelling a musty odor: When detecting signs of mold in your home, use your nose. Frequently smelling a musty odor is a red flag that mold is already growing in your home. If you want to come up with a better conclusion, have a family member help you sniff around in different areas of your home. If possible, tag along a family member who has experienced dealing with mold in the past because he or she already knows the specific odor a mold has.
3. You’re seeing signs of mold growth: Most homeowners will only accept the fact that mold is already affecting their home once they see the mold with their own eyes. After all, seeing is believing, right? However, there are still some homeowners who would need more proof. They’d think that what they’re seeing in their ceilings or walls are soot or dirt where in fact, it’s actually mold. Even if there’s already visible signs, homeowners would still choose to leave mold untreated.
- Once you see any mold growth, no matter how small, take action immediately. Small mold can spread by the minute, which can also put your home and family’s health to greater risks. Additionally, mold growth also signifies that your home isn’t as strong or durable anymore. Mold only needs moisture to grow and if they’re able to do that inside your home, moisture might already be seeping in, making the structure of your home weak.
- Visible mold growth can also indicate that there are larger mold colonies which are still hiding away from view. Sure, you might be seeing small patches of mold in one area of your ceiling but you’ll be surprised to know that a majority of your ceiling was already damaged.
- Mold can come in different sizes and colors which is why most homeowners have a hard time determining if what they’re seeing in their homes is mold. Generally, mold can be white and has a thread-like form. There are also molds which appear in groups of small black spots. It can even come in gray-brown, gray-green or white colors. If you’re using vinyl wallpapers, look out for mold which appears in orange, pink or purple colors.
4. You’re experiencing water problems at home: As mentioned, mold only needs moisture in order to thrive and grow. If you have any untreated water problems, mold might already be present in different areas of your home.
- Take the time to assess if your home has moisture problems. Go through all of the areas of your home and look out for any signs of water stains or discoloration on the ceilings, floors or walls. If you do, mold might already be growing behind or within the material.
- You can also determine if your home has any moisture problems based from the condition of your walls. Any surface abnormalities like bubbling, cracking or peeling of the paint or wallpaper, is a telltale signs that moisture has already gotten into them. Walls which are bowed, bulging or damp can also indicate the same thing.
5. You’ve been recently flooded: You’ll have higher chances of growing molds in your home if you’ve recently experienced flooding. Yes, your home might be dry by now but mold can still grow in places where flood water remained the longest like in your basement. Mold growth can start from your basement and can continue to grow behind your walls and under your floors – creating the impression that your home is free from any mold when in reality, it’s not.
Experiencing at least one of these signs should be reason enough for you to do something about the situation at hand. You shouldn’t wait for “another sign” because once it does show up, mold might have infested an entire room in your home. Once you’re convinced that mold is present in your home, find a company for mold removal services. Let the pros do the job for you because your DIY solutions might cause more harm than good. It’s important to find a local firm too. If you’re located in Kansas for example, then consider a firm who specialises in mold removal kansas city.
Eye for Details
Your responsibility as a homeowner doesn’t stop once you’re able to provide a home to yourself and your family. As a homeowner, you should also make sure that your home is safe and sanitary. It should make you and your family healthy at all times, not susceptible to any illnesses and diseases. Don’t let the presence of mold disrupt you from achieving this goal. Always pay attention to every corner of your home and seek appropriate solutions once you notice any signs of mold. Take every possible measure so you and your family can live in a mold-free home!
