Mold is not only unsightly, but also unhealthy.
Although mold can be found almost anywhere, you don’t want to find it in your home. Mold is a red flag for buyers and may cause them to reconsider purchasing your home. Even if you don’t plan to sell your home in the near future, the presence of mold can be harmful to you and your family.
Here’s what you need to know about mold.
Dangers of mold
Mold is unsightly, but it’s the least of your problems if you discover it in your home. According to Cheryl Hoerr, researcher at American Association for Respiratory Care, it is usually found in dark, damp areas of your home that may be difficult to access. “Mold can grow and spread quickly and become a problem before homeowners even realize there might be a problem,” she warns. And the more it grows, the more spores are released into the air. “Longer exposure duration and higher spore levels can exacerbate existing respiratory problems and can even cause healthy people to develop chronic respiratory problems or other allergic sensitivities.”
According to the EPA, exposure to mold can lead to sneezing, red eyes, runny nose and skin rashes. And even if you don’t usually have allergies, it can still irritate these areas, as well as your throat and lungs.
Mark Snell, owner and founder of Plumbing, heating and air conditioning Polestar in Kansas City, Kansas, agrees, adding that mold thrives in warm, humid conditions. And if this source of moisture is not identified and eliminated, mold will quickly spread throughout your living space.
“The appearance of larger and larger pockets of mold can be very destructive to you and your family,” he says.
However, mold can do much more than cause health problems. “Mold can weaken and deteriorate building materials over time, damaging the structure of your home,” says Snell.
Sometimes you may see mold on windows or pipes. However, it can grow from various sources. “Mold will damage your home because it feeds on organic materials such as wood and drywall paper, and it can also grow on carpet, ceiling tiles and upholstery, says Allen Rathey, manager of Interior Health Council.
How to Identify Mold
If you have a large infestation, you will likely see or smell mold. But if it is not large, you may not be able to identify it easily. “When it comes to mold, we usually think of those green, brown and black masses that are fuzzy, fluffy or powdery,” explains Michael Rubino, mold and air quality expert, and founder of HomeCleanse. However, he says mold exposure doesn’t just extend to this visibly growing organism.
“Before these living colonies begin, they start as a non-living particle called a spore, which can vary in size from 1 micron to 40 microns – in comparison, the size of a single strand of human hair is around 70 microns of diameter. “
Sometimes mold may be hidden and you won’t be able to see it, but you may have a musty smell in that area. You can also look for areas with leaks, stains, and peeling or bubbling paint.
Home buyers and sellers
If you are purchasing a home, you will definitely need a home inspection because the inspector will test for mold. “If mold is detected in the home, the buyer should evaluate the situation to better understand the pros and cons of moving forward,” advises Brett Ringelheim, a licensed real estate salesperson with Compass in New York, NY. “I highly recommend to my clients that they make sure the inspector checks for mold because I think it’s one of the most important things to check for.”
If you’re selling your home, he recommends doing an inspection before you even list your property for sale because you don’t want this problem to arise later.
How to avoid, eliminate or at least control mold
When you’re dealing with mold, moisture is not your friend. “To avoid mold on surfaces, you must control humidity and avoid humid conditions,” explains Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, professor and executive director of the Syracuse Center of Excellence (SyracuseCoE) in environmental and energy systems at Syracuse University. “This can be achieved by adequate ventilation, movement/mixing of air within the space, and dehumidification if necessary (for example, for a basement in hot and humid summer conditions).” Zhang says controlling humidity is the most effective way to minimize the risk of mold growth. “Good insulation and airtightness of the building enclosure can prevent condensation in materials and also help control humidity.”
Other ways to achieve these goals include quickly drying condensation on windows and walls, ensuring your gutters are not clogged, and ensuring your dryer is vented to the outside.
“Also make sure your home’s insulation properly covers wall and ceiling cavities,” advises Tony Abate, certified mold inspector and vice president and chief technology officer at AtmosAir Solutions in Fairfield, Connecticut. In fact, Abate points to bathrooms with showers as a common problem. “Also, in any situation where water enters your home, be sure to remediate it quickly and completely, as this can be a breeding ground for mold.”
Rathey agrees that adding insulation can reduce the potential for condensation on walls, pipes, etc. “Air conditioning, dehumidifiers, exhaust fans and ventilation can help reduce relative humidity; but outdoor air must be drier than indoor air for ventilation to reduce indoor relative humidity,” he says. Rathey recommends stopping mold at the source by lowering indoor humidity to between 30% and 60%. “Also repair leaky pipes and water leaks, and dry damp areas within 24 to 48 hours – these are the best ways to keep airborne levels as low as possible.”
Abate also considers the 24-hour deadline to be crucial. “Since mold can appear and grow in as little as 24 hours, you need to determine why the mold appeared – which is usually due to water intrusion or overly humid conditions.” And if this problem isn’t addressed, Abate warns that mold growth will continue — and the longer it continues, the more intense and evasive mold remediation will have to be.
In summary, Rubino says the key to eliminating mold is proper protocol, and he says successful remediation will achieve the following results:
- Correct sources correctly
- Identify and resolve the issues that led to these sources in the first place
- Eradicate any contamination created by these sources, including toxins and bacteria
However, if you fail to hit all the points, Rubino says this will result in remediation failure. “If the issues that led to the contamination are not resolved, the growing conditions are still there, allowing growth to return immediately,” he explains. “Allowing the source(s) of mold to continue to exist in the home means that it will continue to release microscopic particles into the environment, reducing indoor air quality and leading to continued exposure. »
