Dangers of Mold

What are the dangers of mold?

Before we get to that an even better question is "What is mold?"

Mold is everywhere. It is outside and inside our homes. We see mold in our basements and bathrooms. We see it on our food.

Remember finding leftovers in the fridge? The ones covered in thick green FUR. That green fur is mold.

How Does Mold Grow

Mold grows quickly outdoors and indoors in damp and dark places. Your basement is a create growing ground for mold. Refrigerators filled with leftovers are also a great place for mold to grow.

Black Mold Imagine this on YOUR wall. YIKES!

Individual molds are microscopic. You can't see them with your eyes. What you see on the wall or the old pizza is a colony of millions of molds.

Mold reproduces and spreads by releasing spores into the air. These spores travel to new areas and start growing. Soon a whole room can be covered in mold.

In cooler areas, mold begins growing and spreading in late winter. It peaks in the late summer and fall. In warmer areas, it grows year round. It also peaks between July and October.

Indoor mold can grow all year round in damp places. It will also peak at the same time as outdoor mold.

Everyday people eat mold and breathe mold spores. Most people have no problems.

Symptoms of Mold Allergies

One of the dangers of mold is developing an allergy to it. Some people have mold allergies. These are the symptoms:

wheezing
stuffy or runny nose
Itchy, watery, or red eyes
Rash or hives

A mold allergy can be misdiagnosed as a cold, asthma, or another allergy. The only surefire way to know if you have a mold allergy is to get an allergy test by your doctor.

How to Prevent Mold

The first step in preventing mold is getting rid of mold already in your house. Any mold you find should be cleaned up quickly. You can use a commercial mold cleaner. You can also use a Chlorine bleach solution. For this, mix chlorine and water. Mix 1 part chlorine and 7 parts water. Scrub the area clean and let it dry.

If the mold is on wallpaper, cloth, or something similar, you should throw it away.

Now we can focus on preventing mold. Follow these simple steps.

Close all windows and doors. Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter. (read our reviews)
Use a dehumidifier to keep humidity at or under 50%.
Fix any water leaks immediately.
Keep good ventilation in problem areas. Use an exhaust fan in the bathroom.
Use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner.
Keep your bathroom clean and dry.
Clean bathroom rugs, curtains, etc regularly.

Following these steps will keep mold from coming back.

Mold can be present even if you can't see it. We recommend using as air purifier always. A good air purifier can remove the mold spores. This way you don't breathe them and they can't spread to other parts of your house.

An air purifier will not remove mold already in your house, so be sure to clean any mold you find.