Why Water Causes Mold And How To Spot It In Your Home
Mold is one of the worst problems that a homeowner will ever have to face, but if you know a few facts about how to prevent it, you might not ever have to face this problem in your own home.
Mold is a fungus that grows just about anywhere there is air and moisture, but that does not mean that it has to be allowed to grow in your home. There are minute quantities of mold spores in almost all of the air we breathe (sometimes more or less, depending on where you live), but it is only when they land on a moist surface that they will begin to reproduce and become a problem for your household.
Why should you be concerned about mold growing in your home? Mold is generally some pretty nasty stuff and can cause all kinds of health problems, especially if the kind growing in your home is toxic. The people that need to worry about mold exposure the most are usually the elderly, pets, children, and those with HIV, AIDS, or other diseases affecting the immune system. It can also eat away at clothing and other items made of fabric and cause structural damage to your home, since most varieties will eat anything organic, such as wood.
Mold most often grows in places that are dark and damp, such as the back of your closet on old dirty clothes or in a laundry hamper containing wet clothes that has not been cleaned out in a few days. Even wet rags in your kitchen sink become molded after a few days and you can tell this because they will start to feel slimy after not having been washed.
Mold also likes to grow in the basement, especially if it is a wet one. Most people have a high level of humidity in their basements unless they know how to properly control it and this can be done by installing a dehumidifier or a few exhaust vents throughout the area, especially if there is a bathroom or laundry room there. Exhaust vents will allow any excess heat and moisture from those areas to escape to the outside of your house so it does not become absorbed by the ceiling and upper walls. These should also be installed in the rooms on the upper floors of your house that are prone to moisture, such as the bathroom and kitchen.
Rachel Yoshida is a writer in many fields.
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