Mold in your home

Mold is the new four letter word for the next decade. It is the number one concern of home owners and home buyers. It can not only cost you thousands of dollars to remediate, left undetected, it can represent a serious risk to your health. Mold likes to live in warm, moist, dark environments, just like the inside of your lungs. It will grow in your lungs just like it grows on your walls, except FASTER!

Mold spores can develop where conditions are right, including mold seen on a surface. Even dead mold can unleash mold spores into the air. Visualize a dandelion blowing seedlings in the wind. That is one method of spreading mold, through the air. Another is through absorption contact with your skin. If you breath in mold spores, you probably won't know it until it's too late. Once in your lungs, some molds are so dangerous to humans that the only way to get it out of your lungs is to surgically excise it, removing lung tissue in the process.

If you think you have mold in your home, you need to have it checked immediately by a mold inspector. They will take air and surface samples of the mold, including mold found naturally outside the home. They compare types at a lab, identifying molds which should not be present in a home. The types and concentrations of the mold spores identified at the lab determines how the mold should be remediated (removed). There are thousands of types of mold that can be present, however, there are about 200 types that are typically found inside a home. All of these 200 mold types can be dangerous to your health. The very young and elderly are especially vulnerable, and in the right conditions, can be life threatening.

Don't play with this one, and don't try to correct a mold problem yourself. Remember, mold doesn't just "appear." It has a source, which always includes a moisture source, whether an active plumbing leak, exterior "environmental" sources (leaky roof during rainy season), or elevated relative humidity above 60%. If the source of the moisture is not corrected, the mold will return. If it is not professionally or correctly remediated, it can return. Most mold invasions seen in the desert come from active plumbing leaks. Gray water drain leaks can produce the dreaded "Black Mold," due to the higher bacteria levels found in this type of drain water. Especially dangerous is toilet drain leaks. The number one source for mold statistically is the water connection behind the refrigerator. You may want to take a peek to assure your water connection behind the refrigerator is not leaking.

Whatever you do, don't try to correct a mold invasion yourself. Bleach does not KILL mold, it only changes it's color so it is more difficult to see. In addition, mold is actually eating-digesting the surfaces it is growing on, such as drywall, carpet, wood and wallpaper. If you try the bleach cleaning technique, it only reaches the surface. Mold under the surface will continue to proliferate.

Leave it to the professionals, as there is nothing more important than the health of you and your family.