Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mold, An Underestimated Indoor Danger

By Peter Daas

If you have a place in your home where there is humidity, where it is damp or where walls feel moist, there's a serious chance that you're experiencing a mold problem. Indoor mold problems are a serious health risk. Serious exposure to mold can cause a variety of health problems. Oftentimes, people do not take it as serious as they should. Molds can have desastrous effects on the respiratory system, lungs and your nervous system.

Mold is everywhere around us, and it is mostly harmless. Some people are better able to adapt to mold then others, and some seasons are more problematic for mold allergies then others. Mold spores are constantly moving though the air. When they land in a damp or moist spot, they get a chance to reproduce. That's when mold spots grow and start to cause problems. Mold will keep growing in size and numbers if not taken care of.

It's not easy to get rid of mold. Mold prevention starts and ends with humidity. Make sure that indoor humidity stays low to prevent the forming of mold (around 50% or lower). You can measure your indoor humidity with equipment you can get at basically any hardware store. Do not make the common mistake of just painting over a mold spot if you discover it. Because of the dampness, the mold will only resurface and probably become even a bigger problem. If you discover mold, you should make sure to clean it thoroughly and completely. Scrub it off and make sure there are no spots left. If you leave spots of mold, they will multiply again.

If absorbent materials get moldy, such as absorbent drywall, cardboard, carpeting or furniture, it's better to throw it away completely. If the surface is absorbent, it's extremely hard to get rid of mold totally. Keep in mind that whenever you remove mold, wear a respirator and rubber gloves. These safety measures prevent damage to your health during the cleaning process. Cleaning a small mold spot is not a very big risk, but if you happen to get exposed to massive mold, it can cause serious problems.

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