Mold Facts: What You Need to Know About Mold
Mold is all around us. There is no escaping it. Whether we are indoors or outdoors, it’s growing on surfaces and floating in our air. So what exactly is mold, and why are we concerned when it grows inside a home or business? Today, we will provide you with all the mold facts you need to know!
Mold Facts – The Basics: What is Mold?
Mold is a microorganism belonging to the fungi kingdom, along with mildew and mushrooms. The trait that makes fungi so interesting is that it reproduces asexually and releases spores into the air.
There are hundreds if not thousands of mold spores floating in the air outdoors and indoors everywhere in the world. Once the floating spores land on a food source, they use their hair-like hyphae to release digestive enzymes and absorb their food through their bodies.
As time goes on, they literally dig down into the surface with roots. This is why it’s so hard to get rid of mold. Much like dandelions, as long as the roots remain, the mold will regrow in the same location.
Since they are too small to spot with the naked eye, you won’t know they are in your home until they have shared your living space for a while. Even when they have grown in clusters large enough to see, they could hide in your HVAC system, attic, around the plumbing, or inside your walls.
Is Mold a Health Concern?
Most mold is not bad for our health. In fact, we willingly consume mold when we eat bleu cheese and soy sauce or take prescribed penicillin as an antibiotic.
Health concerns arise when mold spores accumulate in our homes and businesses. Just one mold organism can send out millions of spores into the air! And a tiny, quarter-inch colony can contain millions of mold organisms.
If you do the math, that’s a lot of airborne microorganisms polluting your indoor air quality!
When breathed in, a high population of spores can trigger asthma and allergies. Symptoms may include:
- Sneezing
- Cough
- Runny Nose
- Congestion
- Watery eyes
- Wheezing
- Rashes
What Breeds Mold?
Mold needs three things to thrive:
- Moisture
- Organic material
- Oxygen
That means it can grow on practically any surface. Even inorganic substrate can be a reasonable place to settle down and make a family as long as there are organic materials present like dirt, pollen, and dust.
Especially, in the subtropical climate of the Tampa Bay area, there is plenty of humidity and rain to make spores happy. You might find it growing on the side of your building, your eaves, and sidewalks.
When the integrity of your home is compromised, mold will take advantage of new, moist food sources.
Detecting Mold
Any condition that allows water to leak inside will become a breeding ground for mold. These conditions include:
- Oversized HVAC system
- Improperly installed vents
- Poor roof ventilation
- Roof damage
- Poorly insulated windows
- Gaps in door frames
- Sweating pipes
- Leaking plumbing
Water damage will alert you to areas where fungi will thrive. Addressing this issue as soon as possible will help to mitigate mold growth. There are certain telltale signs an inspector looks for when walking through a home:
- Bubbling paint
- Ceiling stains
- Musty smells
- Puddle marks
- Drip stains
- Active leaks
- Humid indoor air
Rotting wood and decaying building materials should be replaced with new ones, and a dehumidifier can help to dry out general moisture from parts of your home that can be salvaged.
Divinity Mold Test and Mold Inspection Services
If you are buying a new home or commercial property or have mold concerns for your current residential house or business, you need a reliable inspection service to provide you with detailed findings. Well, you’re in luck because Divinity Inspection Service is one of the best inspection companies in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Brooksville, Florida! You can trust our certified inspectors to thoroughly investigate the property and offer you a meticulous report.
When you have a commercial property inspection or home inspection performed, Divinity Inspection service will check for common and not-so-common places where mold might grow. Your inspector will also determine present conditions that could foster future mold growth if left unresolved.
Under floorboards and inside your walls are just some of the many places mold can hide beyond our reach. If you suspect that the level of mold spores present indoors is extremely high, other inspection services can provide you with useful data. For instance, we can perform a mold test to determine what type of mold is present in the air and the spore count.
For more information about our mold inspection services or to schedule an inspection, you can get in touch with us by clicking here.
