Feel Sick in Your Own Home? Check for Mold

9/17/2023 (Permalink)

Typically, mold will grow on walls, ceilings, floors, upholstery, furniture, leather, wooden surfaces, cardboard, and insulation.

Mold is one of the most common household problems in both new and old homes. Mold can emerge in any kind of climate, but it is more likely to happen in warmer areas. Mold requires water and a relatively warm temperature to grow, and even in cold climates, the internal environment of the home can be suitable for mold growth. Getting rid of mold as soon as possible is the best strategy, as it can not only ruin your belongings but can also be a serious health risk. 

Signs of Mold

If you can see mold, that is the easiest way to detect it. Generally, it will appear as dark dots or a powdery coating on a surface. Mold can grow in various places, so looking out for these signs in every part of the home is important. Typically, mold will grow on walls, ceilings, floors, upholstery, furniture, leather, wooden surfaces, cardboard, and insulation. Some of these places, such as insulation behind drywall, may not be visible. 

A bad odor also accompanies mold growth. It smells like bad eggs or like something is rotting. Mold can often get into AC and HVAC units, leading to a bad smell all around the house. 

The spores in the air will also lead to increased breathing problems and aggravate certain illnesses. People with especially sensitive sinuses and airways will feel aggravation in their system. It can also lead to eye irritation, coughing, nasal congestion, throat irritation, and even skin rashes if you come in contact with the mold. If these symptoms aren't improving, you may have a mold problem even though you can't smell it. 

Where to Look for Mold

The first thing you should look for is discoloration. This could be on walls, floors, ceilings, or on individual items such as sofas or carpets. Discoloration could look like a powdery coating over the area or be in the form of black dots. The color and the kind of discoloration will vary depending on the kind of mold. 

Also, have a look in places that are likely to develop moisture, such as near plumbing, pipe ducts, under the sink, or in the bathroom. If your home has recently experienced water damage, have a look at those places, as they may not have dried out fully and started to grow mold. 

Also, look in places that don't get used too often or stay closed a lot, such as crawl spaces, basements, attics, drawers and cabinets, parts of the garage, or even unused spaces within the house. 

Look at things that are sitting in storage, such as mattresses, cardboard boxes, extra clothing, shoes, and other items. If you have a pantry in the kitchen, go through all the belongings in that space to ensure mold isn't developing inside a container. Sometimes even airtight containers can be compromised. 

How to Remedy the Situation

The most important step in mold remediation is to prevent it from spreading. Once you have located the mold, get in touch with SERVPRO professionals who can help you contain the mold. The mold remediation team at SERVPRO will close off that area and quarantine anything that needs to be treated. Then they will remove the affected belongings and start addressing the area. This involves closing off the area and removing the mold while ensuring that the spores do not spread to other places. 

The affected space will need to be treated and then properly dried to remove moisture from the surface and the air in that space. SERVPRO has heaters and fans that are needed to properly dry out the space and specialized disinfectants and chemicals that are needed to deep clean the area where the mold was growing. SERVPRO of East Baton Rouge and Ascension is here to help! We offer comprehensive mold remediation services that will get your home back to normal, stop the mold in its tracks, and save your property and your health. Call us at (225) 753-3434 for a free consultation.