Breaking the Mold: The Most Common Causes of Fungal Growth
June 29th, 2017
No one wants mold in their house. Invisible in small doses, larger mold growths can appear in unsightly black, blue or green patches both inside and out, causing serious illness if inhaled and left untreated.
Part of the reason for that is that it can continue to grow once inside you, damaging your lungs and your brain and potentially leading to cancer and, eventually, death. Worse still, sometimes you don’t even know that it’s there.
Like many things, prevention is better than a cure, which is why it’s important to understand exactly what causes mold to grow. If you remove the conditions that cause mold to grow, you can protect your loved ones from illness while maintaining the value of your property.
What causes mold and fungal growth?
Moisture. Next question.
Just kidding – moisture is a key factor, but it’s not the only element that has to be present. For mold to grow, it also needs mold spores, oxygen, darkness, warmth and a food source – such as your beautiful hardwood floor or the drywall that separates your bedroom from the bathroom.
Of course, those elements are naturally present to begin with. If the inside of your house was below freezing or if it didn’t contain any oxygen, you wouldn’t be able to live there. Ultimately, moisture is the main factor that you can take out of the equation.
You can fight moisture and humidity by using a dehumidifier or by simply opening windows to allow water vapour to escape. But you’ll also want to keep an eye on the more common causes of humidity, such as leaking pipes and roofs, construction defects, inadequate venting in kitchens and bathrooms, wet clothes, indoor plants and water intrusion in basements and crawl spaces.
Remember: if it’s wet, it’s a threat.
Get the mold out
Don’t let our name fool you into thinking we only deal with lead – we have years of experience of mold testing and screening, and we’ll be more than happy to identify any potential causes of mold and to develop a strategy to help to remove it. You can learn more about our process on our mold information page.
We’re based in Charlotte NC but offer coverage across the continental United States – from Puerto Rico to Hawaii and from Nebraska to Alaska. We’re also more than happy to answer any questions, so whether you’d like an inspection or whether you’d simply like to talk about mold and mildew, be sure to get in touch. Call our office at 704-376-3594 or email us!