New Homeowners

2/24/2020 (Permalink)

attic mold from not having an exhaust fan

Congratulations on becoming a new homeowner!  Now it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the effects of mold.  Every home buyer hopes that mold will never be an issue for them,  the truth is most homeowners will deal with mold problems at one time or another.  Mold can cause structural damage to you and your home.  Exposure to moldy environments can cause congestion, coughing, asthma, and irritation of the throat, eyes, and skin by coming into contact with the mold spores.  With all of the potential harm that mold can do, it’s important to understand how to prevent it from entering your home.  SERVPRO can help in scheduling an air sample test that shows how many spores are in the air before they proceed to do the clean up, and schedule a second test to verify spore levels are at an acceptable safe level.

There are actually hundreds of different kinds of mold that grows both indoors and outdoors.  Not all mold is bad,  most of us are exposed to some form of mold every day.  Mold that grows in damp or poorly lit areas, however, is never a good sign.  Mold is a type of fungus that latches on to materials such as wood, fabrics, cardboard, or paper and thrives in areas that have a lot of moisture and not a lot of sunlight.  Mold will feed off of these organic materials and eat away at them if left untreated.  You can probably imagine how mold causes structural damage to homes. Mold can completely destroy things like furniture, carpets, shelving, and other movable materials.  When found in areas that can be moved, it’s important to replace such items as soon as possible. Since mold can grow and spread, always check to make sure you’ve completely removed the root of the problem. Mold causes structural damage to homes when it’s not properly addressed after spotting it for the first time.  It can also be found in heating and air conditioning systems. When mold grows in ventilation systems like these, it can be incredibly harmful to your health.  Mold found in these areas can affect your air quality and create many respiratory issues.  It’s important to remember to clean out air ducts and filters regularly. Mold can also seep into walls, ceilings, floorboards, or tiles and can completely destroy the foundations of a home.

SERVPRO can help!  Mold causes structural damage, severe health issues, and creates poor air quality.  Because of the extreme destruction and danger of mold, repairs need to happen sooner rather than later.  Removing mold can be easy or very difficult to do, it all depends on the structure and how far the mold has spread.  One of the reasons that make it difficult to repair mold yourself without professional help, is the fact that mold can spread during the removal process.  You may think that you’re getting to the root of the problem when the mold is actually being inadvertently expanded into other areas of your home.  For example, let’s say you’ve found mold growing on a wooden shelf in a poorly lit room. As you remove the shelving unit,  mold spores can be released and spread into carpets or other surfaces.  As soon as the spores fall into the carpet,  it will attach and grow again.  SERVPRO of DeWitt/Piatt Coutny has a staff that is trained in how to remove mold.  They seal off vents and entrance ways to prevent mold spores from spreading.  They also can clean the ducts and furnace to remove spores lurking unseen.

Cleaning and repairing the damage from mold is a serious job and shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Time is always of the essence when it comes to mold.  The longer you wait to fix a mold issue, the more damage it can do to your family’s health and to the structure of your home.  In addition, the repairs can become more expensive if the mold problem persists and becomes more severe.  It’s vital to contact SERVPRO of Piatt/DeWitt County at 217-935-2992 for mold remediation as soon as possible.  They can find a way to remove the mold without it spreading to other areas of your home.