Is Your Home Making You Sick?

Mold is something we usually don't think about. Maybe it ruins your plans for an epic grilled cheese sandwich by popping up on the bread you were about to use. Or maybe you've seen it in a damp, dark corner of your basement, but you hate it down there so you rarely go downstairs. So you just leave it be, 'out of sight out of mind.' 

Usually, you only respond to a mold problem once you've seen it, but by that time, you're staring at millions of mold spores - entire colonies. Just a single mold spore is invisible to the naked eye but it doesn't take long at all for them to multiply and take over. All mold needs to survive and thrive is moisture and an organic food source, like wood, dust, fabric, or paper.

While mold might be 'out of sight out of mind,' it's still affecting your life in more ways than you know. Aside from creating an unpleasant smelly environment, it can also break down wooden beams, once you have a mold problem it's everywhere. Especially in the air you breathe.

Mold can affect people differently but it can cause asthma and allergies and create respiratory issues in people exposed to it over time. For example, we had a customer a few years ago who called us to take a look at their crawl space. For years she had a constant low-grade cough and cold but she just blamed it on a bad immune system. She went on vacation for two weeks in Florida and realized that she didn't cough once and could feel a difference in her breathing. When she got home and the cough's started back, she knew she had a problem in her home. She told us it was worrisome to know that what she thought was just a bad immune system could have actually been caused by mold in her home. Now multiply a few years' exposure by how long you have lived in your home and just ignored that musty smell. 

So what can you do?

It's almost impossible to remove mold, especially doing it by yourself. The DIY bleach and scrubbing methods listed all over the internet can actually do more harm than good. Bleach actually feeds the mold you thought you were cleaning. Tiny little traces of nitrates are left behind when Sodium Hypochlorite (Bleach) is applied to a surface. The water in the hypochlorite penetrates below the surface of porous materials like wood framing, while the bleach is left on the surface and eventually gases off into the atmosphere. The root of the mold fungus is left below the surface and regenerates again over time. And scrubbing it sends the spores airborne so they can travel through your home.

Expunging mold depends on containing it and then starving it. After containing the mold with our mold solution, we tackle the problem by removing what mold needs most - moisture. Waterproofing systems can be installed to redirect standing water in a crawl space or basement, but one of the most important aspects of that is a dehumidifier. Our SaniDry systems are top of the line and come in different sizes with different capacities, to fit your home's needs.

It's not just import for your home but also you and your family's health, to handle mold issues an soon as you think you may have mold. Call us today at 1-812-602-4025 or schedule your free assessment and breathe easy.

We offer free estimates on all our work in Evansville, Owensboro, Radcliff, Newburgh, Henderson, Vincennes, Madisonville, Jasper, Haubstadt, Washington and the surrounding areas.