Mold in Home - Identify the Warning Signs

Author: Markus Skupeika

Molds and mildews enter your home or building silently without making a bit of noise or giving out the slightest of clue. They enter, develop, reproduce and form colonies. And they get enough time to gain energy and to affect human beings around.

Along with your health, they begin to damage your properties. They appear as black spots on walls, furniture surface, carpets, wood products, leather jackets and other stuffs. Moreover, they spread a musty odor that makes your home stink.

More time do they get to develop and grow, bigger the problem becomes. It is important to remove molds as soon as possible, if not stopped at door. Here is a list of warning signs that ask you to be alert - molds might attack your home, if haven't already.

Warning Signs for Mold Growth

Humidity

Humidity is the prime factor for mold growth. It is recommended to keep humidity within 30% to 50% range. Humidity above 60% creates the right condition for molds to settle down and grow.

If indoor environment has been measuring high humidity for quite a few days, chances are high you would be noticing small spots on the walls and the musty odor soon. Use dehumidifier to control relative humidity and keep your home dry.

Leak

Leaks on roofs, pipes, rainwater pipes, plumbing system, or small cracks on walls and window or door sidings that let water penetrate in are dangerous. If such leaks exist in your home, probably molds and mildews have already entered in. Therefore, as soon as you detect any leak, repair it.

Wet Carpet

If your carpets, small or wall to wall, get wet somehow, do whatever you can to dry it off. Spills, leaks, or pets can make your carpet wet. Take the right step to clean it. If you generally leave wet carpets to dry off naturally, chances are molds have grown on the other side of the carpet.

Pet stain removers and mold cleaning products can be used to clean carpets and prevent mold contamination.

Water Damage

Mold infestation is very common after flood. If the ground floor and basement of any building remains under water for a long period of time, it takes long to dry off the place entirely even when water drains out off the area. You need to be careful after such incidents and start cleaning the damaged area with kill mold spray even when there is no visible sign of mold infestation.

Stains on walls

Are you noticing ugly spots around kitchen sink, bathroom walls, bathtub and other places of late? Chances are high that you have molds.

Molds are microscopic, but when molds form colony, they appear as ugly spots on the surface. Prominent specks on the walls mean molds are very much in. You need to start mold inspection to find out other places of contamination.

Musty Odor

Musty odor is the most concrete proof of mold contamination. Molds produce VOC, Volatile Organic Compounds which are responsible for the smell. When molds infect foods, the objectionable smell alerts you about mold infestation. Musty odor is often the first indication of mold growth that you can observe.

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