Mold is a sickness to your home — not least of all because it can actually make the inhabitants of your home sick. But while some sicknesses might simply go away in time, mold will only worsen until it’s rooted out. Still, the truth is that some homeowners simply don’t see mold as a serious enough issue to act immediately — especially if they have other issues on their mind at the time. In today’s blog, let’s discuss why it’s essential that you act on mold immediately:
One of the peskiest issues with mold is that it’s not immediately noticeable. Mold grows in damp, dark places — often inside walls or in the attic or basement, due to leaks or floods. Mold can get into your vents, as well, which could be catastrophic for your indoor air quality, but not always very obvious. Rarely can you catch mold and get rid of the issue at the beginning. By the time you can see the marks of mold on your walls or ceiling, it’s already an urgent concern.
The problem is that while mold might not be immediately apparent, it can spread rapidly. Within 72 hours of water reaching the walls of your home, mold can form and spread. Worse still, it can form and spread within your air vents, which means mold spores will be pushed out with your heated or conditioned air. Not only will you be breathing in mold, but that mold will be able to travel to other parts of your home where it can form. It can take very little time for mold to become a serious issue in your home, which is why you want to tackle it when you notice the causes, not the signs of mold itself.
Does anyone in your house have trouble breathing due to allergies or asthma? Mold can worsen these problems, making it difficult to breathe and causing symptoms like:
In a guide written by the National Center for Healthy Housing to help residents address flooding after Hurricane Katrina (quoted by WebMD), it was recommended that homeowners address the issue of mold within 24-36 hours after a flood to prevent mold from spreading further throughout the house and exacerbating your respiratory issues.
While respiratory issues are often the biggest concern, mold can cause other health issues. You may also experience skin irritation, itchy eyes, or heightened allergy symptoms. As mold gets into your bloodstream, it could potentially cause issues with blood pressure or heart problems. In addition, some people are allergic to mold — in some cases critically. For those, living in a house with mold can even lead to anaphylactic shock and hospitalization.
Mold can cause health issues for everyone, but it can be especially hazardous for children…particularly toxic black mold. Toxic black mold typically occurs as a result of water damage, like flooding or roof leaks. It can cause a number of respiratory issues for children and can worsen things like asthma and chronic lung disease. It has even been shown to cause neurological problems such as memory loss, anxiety, and depression, or shortened attention span. If children are exposed to toxic black mold for a long time, it can cause damage to their internal organs or even heart problems.
No one wants to move into a moldy home. It’s unsightly, smells musty, and as we’ve stated above, it can lead to a host of health issues. But even after you’ve treated the house to get rid of mold, the stain can still have an impact on your home value. The earlier you take care of the problem, the better. That’s why it’s essential to do a mold test as soon as you know that you’ve had issues with flooding or roof leaks, or that there have been particularly high humidity levels in certain rooms of your home, such as the kitchen or bathroom.
The idea of mold in your home can be a frightening one. Even more frightening, however, is that mold is simply a symptom of other problems. Mold forms when there’s too much moisture inside, caused by flooding, leaks, or high humidity levels. If you’re noticing mold in your ceiling, this probably means you’re dealing with a roof leak. If you notice mold in your basement, it’s due to flooding more likely than not. If mold is growing in the corners of your kitchen or your bathroom, there’s too much humidity without enough cleaning of the space.
Unfortunately, these root problems can cause other, more damaging issues to the structure of your home. The same conditions that create mold create fungi that can wear down the structural integrity of your home. Roof leaks can cause roof rot, which can spread to the beams that hold up your home. Ultimately, if you have issues like roof leaks or floods, your home’s structure could suffer, which could further decrease your home value…as well as make it less safe for you and your family.
Mold is a sickness for your house…and for those who live in it. It needs testing and treatment in order to make your home safe and healthy again, which is where Valor Mold comes in. We offer mold testing, remediation, air quality cleaning, and even humidity and moisture control. Need help getting mold out of your home? Contact Valor Mold today for more information or to get started with a free estimate.
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Valor Mold Removal is a certified and experienced mold testing and remediation company. We are fully insured and fully licensed. We also provide crawl space encapsulation, soda blasting, humidity control, and air quality cleaning.
