3 Important Facts About Black Mold

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If you or a loved one has allergies, or if you've simply battled mold in the past in your home, there are 3 facts about mold that can help you prevent it, control it, and keep it from ruining your health. 

Dead Mold is Just as Dangerous as Live Mold

You may be tempted to use a strong chemical, such as bleach, in order to kill mold that you find in your home. This will indeed kill the mold that is growing. However, that mold is still able to exacerbate allergy symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, or rashes in people sensitive to mold. For example, if you're allergic to cats and a cat dies in your bath tub, you have not solved your cat allergy problem. The body is still a cat body, so it's still going to cause an allergic reaction in you. 

Killing mold is of no use to someone with allergies unless the current mold is removed and the indoor environment is arranged so that no new mold outbreaks can occur. 

Mold Spores Are Everywhere

That's right. They're all over the place. Much like the common cold virus is on many of the services we touch every day, yet most people only become ill from it once or twice each year, mold spores are inside and outside of our homes. The concentration of mold spores in the air varies depending upon everything from indoor air circulation to outdoor weather conditions. Mold spores aren't visible to the naked eye, so don't think it's impossible that you're being exposed to mold just because you don't see any large, black masses of it. 

Mold Only Grows With Moisture

Keeping your hands washed and sanitizing surfaces in your home helps to reduce the chances that you will succumb to the common cold, even though it exists nearly everywhere that we go on surfaces and people that we touch. In the same way, keeping your home dry helps to prevent mold from growing and spreading throughout your living spaces. Mold spores are microscopic. So once you find yourself able to actually see black mold, that's because moisture has allowed the mold to multiply exponentially. 

Keeping these three facts about black mold (and mold in general) in mind, you become armed with the knowledge to better manage the mold situation within your home. When your home is kept dry and mold is monitored on a regular basis, you can more efficiently secure the comfort and safety of those living in and visiting your home. Talk to experts like American Flood and Fire for more information.

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