Did you know there are over 12 different types of mold you can find inside your home? Some can cause infections in people with open wounds and even impair brain function. Others are more common and cause allergic reactions.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to completely assess whether there’s mold or not by looks alone. It could be hiding beneath your floorboards or in your walls. It’s also possible for mold to get into your furnishings if they’re exposed to enough moisture.
Here’s why mold testing is necessary if you want to keep your home completely clean.
Dangers of Mold in Your Home
Mold is a perfectly natural organism to encounter in the wild. However, it has no place in your home.
First of all, there are various kinds of mold that can prove harmful to the human body. Black mold is one of the most common and can cause your immune system to act up. This may show as sneezing, coughing, and eye irritation.
Living with black mold in your room for an extended period of time can have serious effects on your health. In the long term, you may develop chronic respiratory issues. While it’s unlikely that it’ll lead to death, it can worsen your quality of life.
Another problem with mold in your house is that it can grow on nearly anything. Too much mold exposure can ruin your furnishings and clothing.
Mold can also eat away at your wooden floors and structures. It’s not uncommon for unchecked mold growth to cause severe structural damage to a building.
Causes of Mold
Mold grows in areas with a lot of moisture and not a lot of sunlight. The darker and damper the area, the better. What that means is that homes with mold problems often have problems with things like humidity, air circulation, and water damage.
One reason you may develop mold in a bedroom is if there isn’t enough air circulating. Even if you do have central AC, a bed pressed up against the wall could easily create the ideal environment for new growth. The same goes for any pockets underneath your tile or floorboards.
Bathrooms also commonly develop mold due to the high amount of moisture. That’s why it’s so essential to clean it as often as possible.
If you find mold in your walls or ceiling, then that’s a sign of ongoing water damage. You may have a leak somewhere that’s letting water into your home.
Mold can appear almost anywhere in your home. It’s most likely to appear in areas that you don’t clean as often, such as the attic, the basement, and your garage.
Why Professional Mold Testing Is Necessary
Some mold is easy enough to find on your own, such as behind old boxes or underneath your carpet. However, you’ll often need to go out of your way to find some of the harder-to-find areas. This includes your attic, your walls, and the inside of your furniture.
Instead, you should look for some of the different signs of mold.
Does your home smell like mold? Is it overly humid during the summer months? Are you suffering from an allergic reaction, despite all the measures you take to deal with it?
Chances are good that you’re in need of a mold testing service. Mold testing services use professional equipment to check for mold and anything that could lead to it.
The reason you get mold inspections is that you will almost certainly miss something on your own. There are too many places where mold can grow unnoticed and unrestrained.
How Mold Testing Works
Mold testing services use different equipment that can detect hidden moisture in your house and evaluate conditions below the surface.
Radio-wave moisture meters can identify hidden pockets of moisture, which usually means there’s mold there as well. Pin-type moisture meters can further confirm moisture content in certain building materials.
A horoscope camera helps to see inside of HVAC ductwork that would otherwise be difficult to navigate. A hygrometer can determine temperature, humidity, and the dew point of your home.
Finally, thermal imaging equipment is used to look for mold inside of your walls and other difficult areas.
A model testing service cannot legally provide remediation on top of its inspection services. However, they should be able to recommend you to a cleanup company that they’ve worked with in the past. They can also tell you what to expect and how to prepare for the cleanup crew.
How to Prevent Mold
If you want to stop mold growth in your home, you’ll need to keep the humidity at a minimum. If you live in a humid environment, you can use air conditioning as well as a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air. You can also find humidity meters at home improvement stores that let you monitor these levels yourself.
Another way to prevent mold growth is with circulating air. Closing the bathroom door constantly only keeps the moisture in one place. The same goes for any enclosed areas like your basement and attic.
You may also encounter excess moisture due to something like a leak or water damage. Your best option is to fix any leaks, which is good for stopping mold as well as any potential structural damage.
After a flood, make sure to remove any carpets or fabrics that have been soaked. It also helps to avoid using carpets in places without a lot of circulating air.
Get Your Mold Inspection Today
If you’re concerned at all about the existence of mold in your home, you should invest in professional mold testing. These service providers have all the necessary tools to evaluate your home and keep it clean of any pests. Once tested, you can then move on to cleaning out any existing mold and preventing more in the future.
Elite Mold Services is here to care for your property as if it were our own. We provide mold inspection throughout the Orlando area and post-remediation verification. Contact us with any questions and to schedule your inspection.