Signs of Mold In Your Home and What To Do About It

You have an out-of-town friend that you rarely see. Your friend invited you to stay over at their home and catch up on life. As you arrive at the estate, your friend walks you down to the basement to show you where you will be staying. The basement had a musty smell and something seemed off. In the corner of the room, sat a piano covered in mold. Later that same day, you brought to conversation the moldy piano that you saw downstairs. You encouraged your friend to find a local contractor to come out for a mold inspection. 

Two months had gone by since your last visit with your friend and the moldy piano conversation. Your friend calls, thanking you for urging her to find a contractor to perform mold remediation in her basement. The mold would have kept spreading if it had not been treated. 

To know how to prevent mold, you have to understand what causes mold to form. Mold thrives in temperatures between 32 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and with relative humidity (moisture in the air) between 70% and 99%. Mold is a living organism that breathes air, consumes food, and requires water to survive. When you take one of these components away, mold will not be able to produce airborne seeds to grow more mold and will, therefore, die. If your basement/crawl space is constantly exposed to outdoor air, humidity, and moisture, it will escape into the space causing mold to thrive. After a big rain storm, many homeowners with an untreated basement/crawl space will notice a musty smell that can cause allergies and irritate those with asthma. In some cases, long exposure to mold can cause neurological damage, so it is best to treat mold before it worsens. 

*Active mold spores were spreading on the wooden beams in a crawl space*

The main causes for the formation of mold are humidity and moisture. Before closing all openings mold remediation is performed by scrubbing and spraying any surfaces that mold is growing on. Installing CleanSpace is the best solution for sealing the space away from the outdoor air. CleanSpace has an antimicrobial additive manufactured into the material, which prevents mold growth on the liner. A proper drainage system, such as the SmartSump (for a crawl space) or an Ultra or TripleSafe sump pump (for a basement) will continuously pump water out and away from the home. To keep humidity out, the SaniDry Sedona will create a constant dry airflow that mold is not able to survive in.  

Some homeowners will see mold in their homes and try to "get rid of it" by wiping the visible mold off the surface. Bleach and other household cleaners are never the answer to effective mold removal. Bleach is a harmful chemical that can produce toxic fumes if mixed with other household cleaners. It is encouraged to contact a local contractor for an inspection if you have mold concerns. Upon inspection, you can discuss with your local contractor the best solution to preventing mold from forming in the future. 

Got mold? Schedule a FREE inspection with Healthy Spaces!