How Is Mold Affecting You In Your Home?

Why does mold exist? Mold's purpose is to breakdown or eat dead organic matter. Organic means it is a material that was once living, such as wood. So when something is organic, dead and wet, mold grows on it and eats it. There are two types of mold that can grow in your home:

1. Visible Mold: Typically fuzzy moss like growth you can find on drywall, wood trim, wood framings, floor systems, or in storage closets. It is pretty easy to recognize, but may be difficult to understand how the mold became present in the first place. Sometimes musty odors may be present, but regardless of color or smell, mold can be dangerous. Homeowners should take caution and contact a professional who can find the source that is causing visible mold growth in your home. Once mold has grown large enough to be recognized visibly, a much more serious moisture issue exists in your home. The solutions necessary to properly correct this type of mold will ALWAYS involve identifying the source of the problem - a leak, condensation or high relative humidity at the surface the mold is growing on. 

2. Invisible Mold: Mold can be present in a home even when no visible growth signs are found, usually in dark wet areas (basements and crawl spaces.) In fact, mold is present long before it "grows" big enough to be seen by the naked eye. The invisible parts of the mold fungi are carried through the air like tiny dandelion seeds, landing on the surface of many potential food sources. The truth about mold's presence is a little surprising. Mold is a naturally occuring bio-organism, present throughout every environment we occupy. Invisible mold is actually the microscopic seed of the mold; unless the right conditions arise, we will never see it grow in our homes.

You can't find a doctor who says mold in a home is good. It's bad. Besides irritating people with asthma and mold allergies, studies have shown that prolonged exposure to mold can actually cause asthma. 

If you are noticing signs of mold growth in your home: musty odors, visible mold, or have a damp basement or crawl space, let one of our Design Specialists perform a free inspection. Your home is one of your biggest investments, but your family's health comes first.