Mold can do a lot more damage to a home than many realize. If left to grow unnoticed, mold can start to infest materials like drywall, wood, carpeting, tile, and more. It can also be extremely problematic for the inhabitants living inside of the mold-contaminated home. Symptoms that people exposed to mold experience can include a headache, difficulty breathing, eye and skin irritation, runny nose, and the development of conditions like asthma and Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.
Mold needs moisture to grow, and therefore thrives best in wet areas that are poorly ventilated. If you spot any, it is important to remove mold right away as mold spores can spread and grow very quickly. Once the mold infestation gets out of control, there is less you can do to contain it yourself.
Mold on hard surfaces like tile and plastic can be cleaned fairly easily with soap, water, a sponge, and some hard scrubbing. After you are finished cleaning the mold, make sure that you throw away the sponge or other tools you used to clean it. Mold spores can remain on the sponge and spread onto anything it touches. Porous surfaces are another story. If mold has fully infested a piece of wood or drywall, those objects will likely need to be thrown away and replaced depending on the level of contamination.
Below are some places to look for mold in a home in hopes of catching it before it becomes a major issue.
The kitchen is a prime location for mold to grow in a house because there are a lot of water sources.
Bathrooms are extremely likely to harbor mold, as they are moisture heavy spaces that typically do not have great ventilation.
To help improve ventilation in the bathroom, open any windows and turn on the fan, especially after a bath or shower. This will discourage mold growth.
Since basements are often associated with dark and damp conditions, it should be no surprise that mold growth in the basement is extremely likely.
One big issue with the basement is that for many people it is a room that does not get much foot traffic on a daily basis. This means that signs of mold can go unnoticed, allowing it to grow freely until it becomes a major issue.
Knowing where to look for mold can play a significant role in prevention. Incorporate these wet areas into your regular home cleaning routine to keep your home not only clean but also healthy and safe.
