Your friends at Bright Home Construction are here with important facts that every homeowner should know about mold.
Before getting started, however, you have to understand what mold is.We all know that mold is an eyesore and a bad nightmare in terms of health for a homeowner. However, there is much more you should know about mold because once you understand what it is, you will be better able to prevent its growth.
To begin, here are some basic facts about mold. Molds are fungithatgrow on plants, wood, fabric, soil, food, drywall, floors, and ceilings.
All molds produce microscopic spores that germinate where moisture has accumulated.
Mold growth threatens the structural integrity of a building, and exposure to it can lead to serious health problems.
Simply put, mold is a natural recycler of dead organic matter.
Individual mold colonies are very small and impossible to see without a microscope.
However, once a mold colony emerges, it can form a visible spot, which tells you that the problem has already gotten out of control.
Mold usually comes in black, blue, or green. The color of mold is determined by various factors such as type, nutrient source, and colony age. Of all mold types, black mold is considered to be the most harmful to the health of living beings.
The type of mold will determine the way of remediation. With that being said, it is imperative to test it first. Knowing what mold type you have to deal with will be helpful even after removing it in regard to preventing it from returning. Unfortunately, not all mold types are the same, but we can roughly divide them into three major types.
The first is allergenic, which is the least harmful of all mold types. However, it can cause problems for people who are allergic to mold or have asthma and other respiratory problems. Allergenic mold is usually not life-threatening.
The second is pathogenic, which is often harmful, not only for people with asthma or mold allergies but for healthy people too.
Finally, you have toxigenic mold, which produces mycotoxins. Mycotoxinsare toxic chemicals present inside or on the surface of the mold spore, which can be inhaled, ingested, or touched.
Just like any other living being, mold needs water to grow. As a matter of fact, without water, mold cannot grow at all. Other factors crucial for mold growth are food sources, oxygen, and temperatures between forty and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Does that mean that we can eliminate mold once and for all? Unfortunately, the answer is no. It is almost impossible to keep a place free of mold. This is mainly because you cannot eliminate oxygen from a place and stay at that place, nor can you build a house without any organic materials such as wood, carpet, plants, and other materials that mold can grow on.
What you can focus on is moisture control, dust control, and proper ventilation of your home. If you want to ensure a healthy living environment, it is imperative to know the common causes of mold and deal with it as soon as possible.
Generally speaking, mold grows on bathroom grout, walls that have water damage, and wet or damp carpets and as well as around tubs, sinks, and windows. Sometimes, mold can hide behind walls, underneath floorboards and in air conditioners, so make sure to thoroughly check all of these areas. Professionals use infrared cameras, moisture meters, air sampling pumps, and other powerful inspection equipment to check your home from top to bottom to detect precisely what areas of your home are problematic in terms of mold growth.
The presence of mold spores in an indoor environment is a big concern, given that mold exposure has been linked to disease in plants, animals, and humans. No two reactions to mold will be the same. Both the extent of exposure and your level of sensitivity influence how you react. It is essential to know the health effects and symptoms of mold exposure so that they are neither ignored nor mistaken for another ailment.
Every immune system and each person’s medical history is different. With that being said, most government or medical guidelines abstain from providing safe exposure limits to mold. Due to these variables, it is impossible to tell if exposure to low concentrations of mold is safe since every individual will react differently. The fact is that people with suppressed or compromised immune systems are most likely to experience health issues when they spend time in a room filled with mold.
Although difficult to predict, exposure to mold growing indoors can be associated with nasal and sinus congestion, cough, sore throat, asthma, nosebleed, headaches, andskin and eye irritation. Long-term exposure to indoor mold can lead to health issues that develop faster for certain groups, including infants, children, and those with previous underlying conditions such as respiratory problems and older adults. It is vital to keep in mind that some types of mold can produce extremely potent toxins called mycotoxins, which can lead to severe health conditions such as cancer.
If the contaminated area is less than ten square feet, the project can be taken care of by the homeowner in most instances. As long as it only covers a small area, mold on walls is generally easy to eliminate yourself. You can use various household products to get the job done. Popular, effective options include borax, vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil, bleach, and hydrogen peroxide. However, if you have severe and widespread mold growth on your walls, it’s not quite as easy. It’s actually potentially hazardous to remove it yourself. We advise that you contact a mold removal professional to safely and effectively get rid of mold in your home.
The process of getting rid of mold on walls essentially requires two important steps. First, you will need to control moisture in your home, and then you will need to kill the mold.
When dealing with mold, remember that the size of the affected area and the type of material it is on will determine whether it is something you should tackle on your own. The type of mold will also play a significant factor in how you should address it. If you’re still unsure about any of the steps we mentioned or the type of mold infestation you have, contact Bright Home Construction today. It is not worth risking your home or the health of your family if you’re not absolutely certain what it is you are dealing with.
Bright Home Construction & Restoration
4675 E Cotton Center Blvd Ste 171, Phoenix, AZ 85040, (480) 674-8111
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100% recommend this company!!!! I'm a real costumer. My floor was flooded with water, it was late evening - I have no clue with to do except look number up online. I called this company and it was after hours, Andy scheduled me the next day. They are exceptionally professional, very honest folks, and overall great people to work with!! I would definitely always do business with this company again! Thank you so much, Andy and his team!!!
Andy was more than professional and great to work with. I had a small tile project and was eager to get it done. He was prompt with the appointment to review the job and provide a quote and then the crew was on time each day to get it done. Quality is top notch and my wife couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Definitely recommend Bright Home.
Ben was our tile guy, and he was so great! Not only did he show up every day until the job was done, but he also sealed some of our older tile to make it look better against the new tile. This was his idea and he really knew what he was doing. We are so pleased! Thanks for sending Ben, Bright Home!
We had what we thought was just a little leak from our water heater. I figured I better have everything checked out, just in case and boy am I glad I did. Mat sent Andy and Luke out. They inspected our water damage, helped us with our insurance co. Set up for us to dry out and have done a fantastic job. I would recommend Bright home to anyone!
Andy was amazing!! Showed up quickly when I called about a water leak behind a wall in my bathroom that had created a lot of damage. He arrived and started quickly to find the source of the leak and get it stopped. They did an amazing job drying it out and helping with all the steps to start repairs and even with the confusing insurance stuff. I would recommend this company to anyone!
Called Bright Homs Construction, LLC one night around 9PM after experiencing a flood in our master bath. They were very responsive and come right out and started to dry out the areas, They were very helpful in getting our insurance claim filed and to make sure we received the. amount we needed from the insurance company to complete our job. They did some trim work to replace baseboards and door facings and repaired places damaged on our walls.
Fantastic company to work with. Very responsive, always available to answer questions and concerns, great communication and more importantly honest and kind! Would highly recommend their services.
We used Bright Home Construction for both our flood that we had in our kitchen as well as the remodeling of the kitchen and we loved their work. They were very professional, knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, and made dealing with the insurance company very easy for us. We will be using them for all our home needs moving forward. Hope this helps!
They were fast and professional. I am a contractor and had an issue on a jobsite when one of my employees put a screw in a water line. It was a potential disaster. But! Andy from bright home came out quickly and made us look like we handled the situation like professionals.
Andy arrived within minutes of calling him and notifying him that my condo had just flooded. Andy and his team immediately went to work. Multiple units were damaged due to another unit above and my unit was the first to be out back together. I highly recommend Bright Home Comtruction.