Mold On Your Property

Mold growing in our homes can cause a lot of damage to both the home’s structure and to our health and it typically grows in areas of our homes that are dark, damp, and/or warm. Any combination of these three can cause mold to grow, but the areas most often affected are kitchens, bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms. Food, carpet, wallpaper, and closets are also affected, but generally to a lesser degree unless they are located in or near the aforementioned rooms.

Mold causes damage to the air quality of your home and even though we are exposed to mold on a daily basis without much harm to us, high quantities of mold spores in the air that we breathe can be very hazardous to our health. It tends to aggravate pre-existing conditions such as asthma, sinusitis, and allergies. Common symptoms of mold exposure in homes usually include sore throats, very dry coughing, blurry vision, sinus congestion, sneezing, and other respiratory problems. If you think that there is mold in your home, you should conduct some mold testing either on your own or by using a professional and contact a physician as soon as possible.

Molded wallpaper can also become a problem. When located in a warm environment, vinyl wallpaper has the ability to trap moist air behind it and this will create a breeding ground for mold. Mold eats at the drywall behind the wallpaper, the adhesive on the wallpaper, and also the wallpaper itself. Removing the wallpaper and the drywall completely is usually the only way to solve this problem, especially if the mold has been growing there for a long time and the infestation is extensive. Drywall is porous and cannot usually be completely cleansed once mold infects the whole depth of the board.

Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms should have steam vents installed so that steam has a place to go. These vents direct steam and hot air outside and away from your home so that moisture does not become absorbed by your walls and ceilings.

Carpet mold is a big problem in flooded areas and as soon as you can, damp or wet carpet must be taken up completely. Carpet cleaning will generally not kill mold infestations, so it and the padding underneath it must be removed and thrown away.

Wearing mold contaminated clothing can cause skin rashes and other irritations, so cleaning these items or throwing them away is recommended. Borax and hydrogen peroxide in the washing machine should do the trick, but the clothes need to be soaked in this mixture for a while before washing. Then, they should be washed a second time after having also soaked a second time.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Orlando water damage restoration companies and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.