Bay Area Water Damage and Restoration has as one of its major “enemies” the all mighty dreaded mold! When you hear the horrific word in a home or pool inspection your heart sinks and that overwhelming feeling of dread can ensue. But what is this terrifying word? When was the last time we studied about mold? For most of us it was way back in high school or maybe in college!
Mold can be confused with other life forms but in this blog we’re going to define mold and explore some interesting facts about it so that the next time you do have water damage you just might be able to figure out for yourself if you have mold and what you can do to help prevent it in the future!
First off we don’t want to get too complicated in what we define here. Our goal is to give a more “layman’s” or simplified description of mold and not get into the common, and often advanced (confusing), textbook ramblings.
Mold is quit simply a plant and more specifically a type of fungus. It needs to be clear here that not all fungi are molds but all molds are a kind of fungus! One of the traits that separate a fungus from other types of plants is that it uses spores to replicate and not seeds. A spore, quite simply, is a single celled entity that can grow into the organism that it sprouted from. Molds send these tiny spores out into the air instead of dropping a seed on the ground like other forms of plants. When you get water damage or have standing water in or around your home, it’s not necessarily the mold that can harm you but the spores they send out into the air. These mold spores can be very detrimental to your health and over long term exposure can cause serious problems with your respiratory system and overall health.
Now that we know a little about the basics of what molds are, we can talk a little bit about how to spot these little devils in our homes. We’ve all seen the commercials for cleaning products that claim to kill mold and mildew, so what now is mildew? I am glad you are here reading this because you are about to find out!
Mildew is just another name for the mold (or fungi) usually spotted growing on your bathroom or tiles and on the fixtures around your tub, shower, toilet and sink. Mildew can also be found in cracks, joints, and corners, so when you are inspecting make sure you do a full thorough scan high and low, and in and out of every cupboard, nook, crack and cranny! Spotting the mildew can be quit deceiving but nearly all mildew and mold are dark, much of it is infamously black or gray in color. The problem is that many people see mold and think it’s dirt, a stain or something else. When you are looking at tiles and particularly in your shower or where your tub meets the tiles, take a good look at the grout and caulk lines. Often, where the grout and caulk has washed away or warn down, you will find mold and mildew growing in these areas!
Mold and mildew thrive in damp places. This is why you find it in many bathrooms but there are some other areas you need to take a good look at. One of these areas is your kitchen. On many refrigerators, you can find mold growing on the rubber seal that lines the door. Sometimes you have to peal back the lining or pull it slightly apart (not cracking or breaking the rubber) and look for black or dark speckles on the rubber, door or fridge. It can be so bad that it will look like hair! If you see any of these, you have mold! Also, it’s great to check under your sink. This area can get very damp from leaks or pipe sweating and can lead to mold and mildew growth. This type of growth happens all over the Bay Area, from San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose, Sunnyvale to Pacifica and Santa Cruz. We live in a damp area and the damper the area, the more water in the air and the more opportunity for mold to start growing!
Mold and mildew grow easily in most homes in the Bay Area but when you add flooding, water damage, rotting wood, rotting sheet rock, leaks, standing water and things of this nature, you not only have a higher chance to have this parasitical infestation come into your home, or even office for that matter, but more importantly, you WILL get mold and mildew if you do not get it fixed quickly and have fixed correctly!
Earlier in this blog we touched on the fact that mold can be a determent to your health but for most people they have the “fear” of having mold but don’t really know why it’s so important to make sure your home and work spaces are kept mold and mildew free. First off, not to get too scary but mold can, in fact, be extremely toxic and deadly. All people are different but ultimately mold can have both immediate and long-term negative health effects on you and your loved ones. When you are around mold you are in effect sucking spores into your lungs, not something you want for a short time nor over a long drawn out period. Once these spores start getting into your body they can wreak havoc on your system. Symptoms can often be difficult to trace back to the source. Many people think that they will have a pollen or pet allergy, and no matter what they do they can’t get rid of it! We at Bay Area Water Restoration have even heard about people who have gone so far as to seek nutritional guidance and food allergy clearing when it was discovered that the person had long-term water damage under the house from continues leaking pipes. This caused a “farm’ of mold to grow on the underside of the floors in many parts of the house and caused supposed allergies that persisted until the water damage and mold was fully cleaned out!
Probably the most common symptom of mold spores on the human body is along the lines of Asthma and mold can be directly responsible for asthma and asthma like symptoms. These include constricted breathing, coughing, fatigue, nausea and can all be induced by mold and their spores. It is absolutely vital to rid your home of mold especially if you have young children and elderly around. The last thing you want is for these more sensitive bodies to have exposure to mold and, in particular, long-term exposure that can severally impact the quality of their lives!
If you know you have water damage from a storm, flood, busted pipe or leaks, make sure you get it properly fixed in a timely manner. If you smell the musty smell of mold or start getting asthma or allergy like symptoms and even suspect a mold problem, have an expert come check it out immediately! At Bay Area Water Damage and Restoration, we can get rid of the mold, get rid of the water, dry out and repair anything damaged and we take pride in doing the very best possible clean up and restoration in the business. So, don’t hesitate, call Bay Area Water Restoration today!