Mold can have obvious signs, and in early phases may go undetected. The impact on your health if you have a mold allergy can be severe. We compiled some helpful information to answer your questions about mold and common misconceptions.
Helpful Mold Questions and Answers
Professionals should be brought in to handle the complexities of mold and mildew removal. That said, being informed about your situation helps you to identify and proceed with the best treatment of a mold issue. For this purpose, we have assembled a list of questions and answers tackling the growth of mold and mildew.
Why is mold growing in my property? Molds are present and play a vital role in the natural environment. Outdoors, molds are responsible for breaking down organic matter like fallen leaves, dead plants and dead or fallen trees. Indoors however, mold should not be allowed to grow or thrive. Molds reproduce through spores which cannot be seen by the naked eye and are able to float freely through the air. When mold spores land on wet surfaces indoors, they will begin to grow. Keep in mind that without water or moisture, none of the many types of mold are able to grow or reproduce.
How Does the Mold Affect People? Those who are sensitive to mold spores may exhibit the symptoms of an allergy attack after breathing them in. Mold sensitivity may also manifest itself as an eye or skin irritation, wheezing or shortness of breath, stuffiness or even fevers.
The National Academy of Medicine released studies indicating that even healthy people can develop upper respiratory tract complications from mild mold exposure. Healthy children risk developing serious respiratory complications and illnesses potentially leading to the development of asthma.
Can I Just Use Bleach to Kill the Mold? The simple answer is no. Bleach does not resolve the problem, in fact, mold will continue to grow after each treatment. Bleach, in fact, facilitates the growth of bacteria.
When bleach is applied to a surface, the chlorine molecules left behind kill a small portion of the mold. It is the water in the bleach that penetrates the surface and facilitates the growth of the surviving mold.