Know the Facts and How to Prevent it from Invading Your Home
As a homeowner, one of the worst things you can hear someone say to you is “black mold.” Just as frightening as it sounds, black mold is detrimental and dangerous to all living creatures, as it releases mycotoxin spores. These spores cause a variety of neurological symptoms, infects your lungs, attacks your immune system, and eventually can cause organ failure and death. Here you’ll find information on what black mold is and how it affects you, as well as how to identify, remove, and prevent it from infesting your home.
What is Black Mold?
Black mold is just like any other mold, except for the fact that the spores that it releases are toxic to all living animals. Exposure to black mold causes several health problems, including death. Spores from this kind of mold attach to the neurons in the brain, weakening the immune system and creating a whole host of symptoms.
Exposure to this kind of mold can cause a variety of issues, and if left unchecked or exposed over a long period, a person can experience the following symptoms:
- Tremors
- Mood swings
- Mental confusion
- Fever
- Headache
- Fever
- Eye irritation
- Sneezing
- Rashes
- Coughing
- Bleeding lungs
- Birth defects
- Miscarriage
- Infertility
- Death
Black mold can cause your organs to shut down, and even cause brain damage. Because it weakens your immune system, you become susceptible to illness and diseases. Even after exposure to black mold, symptoms don’t always go away. They may cause irreversible damage to the brain and the immune system. This is why it’s incredibly important to be able to identify black mold, know how to prevent it, and to get rid of it as soon as possible.
How to Identify It
Mold is everywhere, but only some types can present significant health concerns. Even if you can’t see mold, you can smell it – it has a musty, identifiable mildew smell and is usually found in damp, humid, and warm locations, like your bathroom.
If you find mold in your home, you first need to make sure that it’s black mold because mold can be white, green, red, and orange, as well as black. If you find other types of mold, you can treat it with a bleach solution. Black mold, however, requires an expert for removal. If you’re unsure whether or not you have it in your home, you should call us to investigate, rather than try to handle a potentially dangerous substance.
How To Remove It
If you do find black mold in your home, whether you’ve just purchased a new home or noticed it in your current one, you’re going to want to make sure that you hire a professional. Black mold remediation can cost anywhere from $500 up to $10,000. However, you may be able to add a rider to your homeowner’s insurance policy to cover this in the event that you discover black mold in your home.
You should never try to DIY the removal. Not only is this dangerous to you and your family, but it’s actually illegal in some states to try to do this yourself. Specialists are trained in black mold removal and wear ventilation masks and protective clothing to ensure their safety. Also, once black mold has been uncovered, you’ll need to have an inspector come into sign-off on remediation to safeguard your home safe to resume living in.
How To Prevent It
The best way to deal with black mold is by preventing it from growing in your home. It thrives in humid, warm, damp locations. Use dehumidifiers in your basement and ceiling fans in your bathroom, and maintain a good airflow throughout your home. If you have any items or materials that have been tainted with black mold, remove them immediately.
You also should not bring in any wood or porous objects from outside, as mold spores can hide in there, and they will then gain entry to your home. In bathrooms and humid places in your home where mold may be hiding, use cleaning products meant for keeping mold or mildew at bay.
Keep all water out of your home. If your basement is prone to flooding, consider grading your yards and utilizing downspouts pointing away from your home. Keeping water out of your basement will take you a long way in mold prevention.
A Serious Issue At Home
Mold is a serious issue if you find it in your home, and can cause serious damage to you and your family’s health — prevention is key. And if you do find it within your home, always remember to hire a professional to ensure the mold is safely and completely removed.
