What Can Mold Do Inside Your Home?

Mold is a living organism that naturally lives in every climate. When it gets inside your home, some conditions can allow it to thrive. If you would like to know more, keep reading about what mold can do inside your home.

1. Mold Feeds on Parts of Your Home

Mold spores float around the air constantly, but they aren't usually a problem. When moisture is added to the mixture, however, those mold spores can take hold and start to thrive. Mold loves moisture, and it will feed on parts of your home to get any ounce of moisture. For this reason, it tends to thrive in areas of the home with lots of moisture or little ventilation, such as a bathroom with no exhaust.

Mold loves paper products and wood. Unfortunately, this means they may attack your drywall. If you have wallpaper, the mold may start to grow on the underside of the wallpaper. You can prevent mold from destroying your home by keeping it dry. Clean up any water that gets spilled and determine if you need some waterproofing in your basement or crawlspace.

If ignored, the damage from mold can be enough to fully damage structures, such as causing a wall to crumble away. Not only does this physically damage your home, but this may also make people think your home is dirty and unmaintained, especially potential buyers.

2. Mold Can Hide in Many Spots

A big problem with mold is that it loves darkness and solitude. For this reason, it doesn't always grow in the open where you can easily spot it. If your home has sustained water damage, such as a flooded finished basement, mold could hide behind the drywall or under the flooring. This makes it hard to tell you have a problem until major consequences happen like a collapsed wall.

Mold also loves to hide in air vents. If you have a forced-air heating and cooling system, your home relies on a system of vents to transport the air. However, if you neglect to maintain the system, it could allow moisture to build in the ducts. If this happens, your only sign may be an unpleasant, musty odor whenever you use the HVAC system.

The crawlspace is another great hiding spot for mold. This is especially the case because many crawlspaces are not waterproofed. Water can rise up from groundwater, so you don’t even need to have any standing water outside. Luckily, you can waterproof your crawlspace.

3. Mold Can Be Dangerous and Deadly

Inside the home, mold can thrive, and all those spores can cause irritation. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, you may be more prone to irritation from mold. Even if you aren't allergic, mold spores can irritate your eyes, skin, and mouth.

In extreme cases, black mold may start to grow. This type of mold is toxic for anyone who comes in contact with it, especially for long periods of time. Black mold tends to grow in small areas, and it usually appears black. It is also usually slimy and wet instead of fluffy.

Remove any black mold with a professional who has the right protective equipment and skills. Trying to remove the black mold yourself could send spores into the air, which could spread the black mold further.

Mold is common, and under the right conditions, it can start to thrive inside the home. Water is the number one risk factor for mold, so keeping your home waterproofed is a must. If you would like to know more about how to protect your home from mold and moisture, contact us at Central Penn Waterproofing today.