By now, you’ve heard a thing or two about mold invading people’s homes. It does happen, and the effects can be devastating. Even if the problem doesn’t affect the health of you and your loved ones, and you manage to hire a mold remediation specialist to come and handle the problem, there’s still the issue of property value. Depending on where you live, it may be necessary to disclose mold cleanup efforts to real estate agents and prospective homebuyers. There have been rare cases of valuable homes losing more than half of their market value due to a mold problem that had already been professional resolved.
All of this means that preventing mold, and dealing with it right away when it does make an appearance, are important safeguards on the health of your property and family. Understanding more about mold can help our prevention efforts, so let’s look at 3 things you didn’t know about residential mold.
1. There are many different strains
Actually, “many” is an understatement. There are over 100,000 different strains of mold, with varying levels of toxicity. Does it matter what type of mold is growing in your home? Experts say yes – discovering which strain of mold you’re dealing with is done by scientific laboratory testing, and allows mold remediation professionals to custom tailor a strategy for removing the mold and preventing its recurrence. There are also a few strains of mold that are particularly toxic, and it’s important to know if you have one of these strains in your home.
2. Remediation isn’t final
So you’ve discovered a mold problem in your house, and decided the best strategy is to hire a professional. That way, there will be no room left for doubt. You find the most popular contractor in your area and go through the remediation process, investing your hard-earned cash to solve the problem once and for all. But even if you’ve hired the best of the best, mold remediation is only temporary. That’s because mold can always come back again if the conditions are right. Unless you come up with a solid mold prevention strategy, and carefully stick to it, there’s nothing to say you won’t have another invasion next year. That’s why prevention is so important.
3. DIY cleanup isn’t that simple
A lot of people notice something that looks like mold and reach for the nearest bottle of cleaning solution and roll of paper towels. This is a mistake. First off, most cleaning solutions won’t actually eliminate mold, although it will look like you’re cleaning it away. Effectively, the spores will be smeared over a larger area. As for using recommended bleach mixtures, this can be dangerous and should not be undertaken without proper safety precautions. Finally, there’s the simple fact that most mold invasions go deeper than what can be seen on the surface. In other words, eliminating the surface problem will not affect the mold colony as a whole.
Learn more about your home’s mold situation by contacting a reputable mold testing and remediation specialist in your area. Good luck!