6 Essential Things to Know About Mold

As a homeowner, you’ll likely have to deal with mold at one point or another. Here, we’ll walk you through what you’ll need to know and how you can best protect your home from resurgences after your initial removal.

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1. Mold’s Impact On Your Home

You want to keep mold out of your home for a myriad of reasons. Not only can it have a detrimental impact on your home’s structural supports, but if it goes unchecked, it can begin to impact your health.

Determining whether or not a cough or early-onset asthma is caused by mold isn’t always easy. However, if you find mold in your home, it’s often contributed to any respiratory problems residents may be having. Exposure to mold can compromise your health, leading to problems such as:

• Coughing
• Congestion
• Difficulty breathing
• Wheezing
• Itching eyes and/or skin

A moldy home also serves as an incubator for early asthma in children. Unfortunately, it will take time for the appropriate professionals to identify mold as a potential source of health problems. In 1999, Ohio played host to one of the most medically significant outbreaks of black mold in history, revealing that its presence in homes could result in infant pulmonary hemosiderosis as well as other respiratory conditions. Since then, the CDC and other government institutions have acted to ensure the necessary coding is in place to prevent another outbreak. Even so, the jail in Columbus, OH, still sees mold outbreaks on a regular basis that compromise both the health of present parties and the buildings therein.

With that in mind, you’ll want to schedule an annual home inspection to make sure that mold can’t take root in your home.

Not only will the presence of mold in your home compromise your health, but it can severely damage the market value of your home. Mold loves porous materials. Once it takes root in your home, it will make its way into soft furniture, woods and drywall. While it is possible to sell a home with mold in it, you should expect to lose up to 30 percent of your home’s market value when you do. Cities like Cincinnati, OH, also have requirements in place stating what conditions may stop a home from being sold – so make sure yours is up to snuff.

2. Identifying Mold In Your Home

Mold comes in many forms and colors. Unfortunately, there is no one type of mold you’ll need to be on the lookout for if you’re dealing with moisture in your home. That said, you can look for the symptoms of damage throughout your home. Some of the clearest signs of damage to pay attention to include:

• Obvious growths or clusters
• Unpleasant, musty or moist smells
• Difficulty breathing

Mold spreads through your home via airborne spores. These spores take root in the moister parts of your basement, crawl space, or foundation, as that’s where they’ll best thrive. Listen to your nose and try to identify the parts of your home that smell off. While you may not be able to identify a mold cluster that’s taken root in your walls, you will still be able to help professionals identify your home’s most likely mold sites.

3. Finding Mold In Your Home

When exploring your home for mold, you can start looking in your:

• Basement
• Crawl space
• Attic
• Bathroom
• HVAC system
• Air ducts

Note that mold can also grow inside of your walls. If you or a professional find signs of an infestation in your home, you may have to dig into your plaster to find and remove the mold that’s putting your health at risk.

4. Mold and Moisture

As mentioned, mold loves moisture. It can take root in your home quickly once the humidity in your basement or crawl space starts to rise. Most often, you’ll have between 24 and 48 hours after your home starts to leak before you’ll need to worry about mold.

Seepage and leaks alike will allow your home to become mold’s perfect breeding ground. It’s also possible that a leak in your pipes or HVAC system may cause your home to start gathering water. Luckily, a home inspection conducted by a professional will let you know whether you have any weak spots to worry about. You can also invest in waterproofing solutions before these problems arise to keep the bulk of groundwater’s unwanted moisture out of your home.

5. Handling A Mold Problem

You do not want to try and handle mold growths on your own time. If you suspect you have mold in your home, or if you’ve spotted clusters sprouting up, reach out to the professionals working throughout Ohio who specialize in mold cleaning and removal. They’ll be able to make their way out to your home and help you with the removal process, as well as with any other services you may need.

6. Taking Preventative Steps

Unfortunately, mold is stubborn. You’ll need to take steps to clear moisture out of your home before you can be certain it’s gone for good. As mentioned, waterproofing your home with the help of a vapor barrier, crawl space encapsulation, or other basement waterproofing measures can help you deal with seepage and minor leaks. However, you may need to invest in more comprehensive foundation repair solutions, like piering, if your foundation or basement have suffered damage.

Don’t think that you have to fight off mold on your own. Let the basement waterproofing professionals in your area give you the tools you need. Contact Ohio Basement Authority today for a free inspection and estimate on trusted basement waterproofing, crawl space repair, and foundation repair solutions.