How to Deal with Mold in Your Home

It should go without saying that you want to avoid the growth of mold in your home to the fullest possible extent. Mold can not only do some significant damage to some of the structural components of your home, but it can also result in the spread of toxic spores and fumes that could cause some health problems among the people in your family.

If you discover mold in your home, there are a variety of steps you can take to deal with it. Here’s some information from a mold prevention expert in Portland, OR.

Testing your home

If you’re interested in doing so, there are some tests you can perform on the mold in your home to determine if it’s toxic or not. However, rarely is there actually a need to test for a specific type of mold. You should just assume that any mold that’s growing inside your home is bad and that you should take whatever steps are necessary to get rid of it.

Eliminating the mold

As a general rule, the best way to proceed with getting rid of any mold that’s growing in your home is to first take the proper steps to kill and eliminate the mold you can see, and then go farther to correct the underlying conditions that caused that mold to grow in the first place. If you have excess moisture in the area, what is causing it? It could be a leak coming from your plumbing or through your foundation. It could be a lack of proper ventilation. Whatever the issue, correct it after you’ve eliminated the mold you’ve found so you won’t have to worry about it coming right back.

Keep in mind that one of the biggest dangers with mold is the speed with which it spreads. Mold quickly reproduces. It sends its spores into the air, where they are hard to extract. When people inhale mold spores, it could cause respiratory problems. Exposure to mold could result in skin rashes as well, especially if the exposure occurs over an extended period of time.

Begin by cleaning and soaking up as much of the water and moisture in the moldy area as you’re able to. It can help if you’re able to get high-powered fans and dehumidifiers into the area to remove some of that moisture. There are some areas where it’s easier to remove than others—mold removal in a basement will often be easier than mold removal in your rafters, for example. Whenever you’re dealing with mold cleanup, be sure to wear gloves, a face mask and long clothing to protect yourself from mold exposure. It’s a good idea to use old clothes you don’t care about, because you might end up wanting to simply throw them away once you’ve completed the job.

After finishing your cleaning, be sure to thoroughly sanitize and dry the area so the mold doesn’t grow back. Taking these preventative steps is crucial so you won’t have to worry about dealing with the mold again.

For more information about mold prevention in Portland, OR and the steps you can take in your home, contact the team at Active Mold Control LLC today.

Categorised in: Mold Prevention

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