These Health Concerns Are Why Home Inspectors Take Mold So Seriously

As anybody who has recently tried to sell a home will be able to tell you, home inspections are a vital part of the process and mold testing needs to be included to uncover any possible health concerns. Not only are they a good way to get a general idea of the health of your house (particularly with regards to underlying structural issues), they’re also the only real way to ensure that your home won’t be undervalued for whatever reason. 

Home inspections can pick up on a ton of problems that you might otherwise not be aware of, and for this reason they should be an essential part of every homeowner’s toolkit when the time comes to value or sell the property.

But as ubiquitous as home inspections are, there are still some areas which can prove elusive. A prime example of this is the range of health concerns that can arise from mold. Mold testing companies are in high demand, and home inspection groups that check for mold tend to do well in the industry. The reason for this is that mold in a home can come with a host of potential hazards, so it’s a top priority for any home inspection agency worth its salt.

Part of why it’s particularly tough to know whether or not there’s mold in your home is that it can often be very unobtrusive. A house could be completely clean and well-cared for, only to have the fungus growing on some furniture in the basement. In today’s article, we’ll be looking at exactly why these mold testing companies look so carefully at such a common fungus when they’re valuing a home. 

Asthma

The presence of mold in a home has been linked in a number of different ways with asthma. Infants are particularly susceptible, and can often develop a number of different problems with their respiratory functioning. The severity can range from mild wheezing to bouts of coughing, and can develop as soon as within the first year of the child’s life. 

Another reason mold companies are take the presence of mold in a structure so seriously is that preexisting asthma can be seriously exacerbated if the environment is sufficiently damp and mold-heavy. Other chronic lung problems are similarly affected, and prolonged exposure to the fungus is known to be a significant cause in the worsening of such conditions.

Lung Damage

As well as negatively impacting young children and those with preexisting medical conditions, exposure to mold can—in the worst case scenario—be responsible for more resistant conditions. Some of these can stick around in the unfortunate victim’s respiratory system for a long time, meaning temporary exposure to mold could have very non-temporary consequences. 

With the potential to radically worsen the quality of life of the home’s residents, it’s no wonder that mold testing companies take mold’s presence to be such a serious issue. 

From itchy eyes to asthma attacks, and from bouts of wracking coughing to long, agonising runs of consecutive sneezes, there are a number of ways the presence of mold can have unwanted impacts on the residents of the home. 

The most extreme possible consequence is permanent lung damage, which will in turn increase the risk of lung-related illnesses later on in life. Mold inspection companies are well aware of these risks, which is part of why they take the potential existence of mold in a house so seriously.

Allergies

On top of asthma and the problem of permanent lung damage, the third main health risk that drives mold testing companies to take mold so seriously is the possibility of having an allergic reaction to the mold itself. In comparison to the other health conditions, having an allergy to mold isn’t necessarily something that can be induced by prolonged exposure to the fungus (although it can increase the risk factor substantially). 

There are a few main points to keep in mind when you’re wondering about whether or not you have an allergy to mold.

The first is that it’s quite possible to live your life without excessive amounts of exposure to mold, and as such you might well be unaware of such an allergy’s existence. Unfortunately, this can spell real danger if you suddenly move into an environment which is spore-heavy, with the risk for anaphylactic shock increasing still more. 

Conclusion

To tell the truth, this article has just scratched the surface of why mold testing companies are so concerned about the possible presence of mold in a house. In order to ole it out completely, they’ll often spend a long time going over the classic problem areas throughout the course of their home inspection. Even though mold can be found practically anywhere, it’s very common to have an infestation in places like air conditioning vents and in basements.

The main reason for this is that mold thrives in damp environments which aren’t often disturbed in a major, structural sense. Air conditioning systems (which are, for the most part, left to their own devices once they’ve been installed) are as such the ideal location. 

As well as growing on furniture and appliances, mold can get a start on the structural features of your home as well. That’s part of why mold testing companies will spend so much time in the basement of your residence. It can be surprisingly difficult to spot sometimes, especially if it’s in the early stages of its growth period and is still surreptitious to a degree. 

When it comes to what you can do to protect your home from mold, the simplest answer is just to order a home inspection. With such serious health risks on the line, this really isn’t the time to be taking chances. It can be difficult to choose which mold testing company you want to go for in the end, with so many good options on the market, but here at Reedy Set Go we have years of experience under our belts. We’d love to tell you all about it; feel free to reach out and get in touch with us today!