Why You Need a Mold Inspection

Mold……it’s all over, so is it really dangerous? Certain types of mold ARE toxic, but most molds in the home are not.

Molds are prone to growing in environments where there is moisture, so learning to control moisture is the most important thing you can do for your home.

What Mold Does to Your Health

The big issue with mold is how it can impact your health. Moldy environments can lead to certain health risks, including:

• Headaches
• Eye irritation
• Coughing and wheezing
• Skin irritation
• Throat irritation
• Nasal irritation and excessive sneezing

Individuals with current allergies can see an increase in the intensity of their allergies if they are exposed to excessive levels of mold.

Chronic lung illnesses are one of the most severe reactions to mold and have even lead to problems with cognitive functioning.

Mold and Damp Environments

So what does mold love and what can be done about it? Mold LOVES moisture, so the common areas to find mold includes; the windows, bathrooms, basements, water pipes, laundry rooms, and crawlspaces.

While these are the common areas, mold can grow anywhere! Even your couch could have mold growing. Mold gets into the home through doorways, windows, vents, and can even attach itself to your clothing.

Controlling Mold Growth

We know the moisture causes mold growth, but what can you do about it? A dehumidifier is one of the best options to control mold by keeping your humidity levels under control.

The EPA recommends homeowners keep their humidity levels below 50%. Here are some other tips to try to keep mold growth limited in your home:

• Check for roof leaks, and promptly repair them to prevent water from getting into the attic.
• Secure the gutters to the home, and make sure water flow freely through them and down the downspouts where it’s pushed away from the foundation of the home.
• Repair leaky seams around the windows.
• Insulate the pipes in your basement to limit them from freezing, but also preventing the coldness of the water from forming water that can drip in the walls.
• Clean up after any flooding, and use industrial fans to ensure the area is correctly dried.
• Ventilate your home! You need to have cooking areas, showers, and the laundry area include effective ventilation to limit humidity that increases the mold growth.

How to Spot Mold

Usually, mold looks like a spot and can even have a little musty smell to it. There are several different types of mold, but here are the most common you can see with a visual examination:

• Pink, grey, orange, or whiteish looking mold. This type of mold IS toxic and needs to be removed by a professional.
• Green and brownish looking mold. This one is normally found in the shower, or wherever you have a lot of dampness. It’s considered allergenic, but not typically toxic.
• Cotton-like brown mold. This is a mold you find on walls and ceilings normally it’s caused by a water drip.

Of course, there are so many types of mold, it’s hard to list them all in a single article. If you are worried about mold, it’s best to call us for a mold inspection so we can identify the type of mold you are dealing with.

Learning about the type of mold you have can help you determine if you need bleach and water, or you need to call in some professionals for mold remediation services.

How to Clean Mold

What happens if you do see mold? How can you clean it?

You need to remove mold from hard surfaces by using basic commercial products like soap, water, and bleach. Use 1 cup of household laundry bleach with a gallon of water, and start scrubbing the surface with a sponge.

Towel dry the area or open the windows to let some air into the home to help dry the area. Keep in mind, mold can enter the home when the windows and doors are open, so you might kill mold and end up with some new mold!

What Does a Mold Inspection Provide?

A mold inspection is designed to look for several things that most homeowners do not know about.

From identification of the type of mold to finding mold behind walls, Reedy Set Go has the training, tools, and experience needed to stay on top of mold issues.

Here are some things we do with our mold inspection services:

1. Check for signs of prior mold problems. Past mold can almost always come back if the conditions haven’t changed. Sometimes people even become sensitized to mold with allergic reactions they tend to play-off as “common allergies” they deal with on a daily basis.
2. Identification of mold growth near pipes, inside walls, and within the structure of the home. Wood decay can occur if mold is present in the overall structure of a home.
3. Inspection of mold growth around the home, near trees and other exterior things that could increase the risk of toxic mold growth.
4. Identification of moisture-prone areas that do cause mold concerns. If there is mold, there is moisture somewhere!
5. Air quality testing to identify mold spores that are airborne, leading to respiratory issues.

Our mold inspection will help homeowners not only see the risk of mold but will allow you to understand what can be done about the mold.

If you are concerned about mold, Reedy Set Go provides mold inspections throughout Northern Utah.