During the cold winter months, mold can become a common occurrence in some homes or businesses. In fact, around one in five homes suffers from condensation, which is moisture that creates ideal conditions for mold to grow.
What is mold and what are the risks?
There are thousands of different types of mold that can grow in homes. Mold is closely related to fungi and a large mold colony is made up of two main parts. The mycelium that grows beneath the surface and consumes nutrients and the fruiting bodies (plasmodia) that appear as large dark flowers on the surface. The fruiting bodies are the most visible sign of mold and are how the problem spreads.
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Mold spreads through microscopic spores that fruiting bodies shed as the mold matures. These tiny spores can be inhaled or land on the skin, where they can cause irritation and inflammation. Many people with respiratory problems may have allergic reactions to mold spores that include skin irritation, rashes, difficulty breathing, and watery eyes.
People with weaker immune systems may have more severe reactions to mold, with children and the elderly most at risk for serious health problems due to mold.
What types of mold appear on walls?
Mold spores are always present in the air, but not all species can grow in homes. The most common types of mold that grow in homes are Cladosporium and Alternaria . These types of mold are strongly associated with allergic reactions and can also cause mental health problems if present in large quantities, such as depression and confusion.
Stachybotrys Chartarum , also known as toxic black mold, is less common than other types of mold but more dangerous to your health. In addition to releasing spores that cause allergic reactions, it also releases chemicals called mycotoxins that have been linked to severe allergic reactions and a variety of medical conditions.
Clean mold from walls
Most types of mold can be cleaned using diluted bleach or a special fungicidal spray. The chemicals should be sprayed onto the affected area and left for thirty minutes to allow them to kill the mold, which can then be wiped away with a damp cloth.
When cleaning mold, you should wear protection to avoid ingesting mold spores, and any cloths you use should be thrown away after use to prevent the mold from spreading to other areas of the home.
If you are prone to reacting to mold spores, or suspect toxic black mold, the mold should be professionally cleaned to protect your health.
Permanent mold prevention
As we have discussed before, unfortunately, simply cleaning up the mold is not going to solve the underlying problem. Most of the mold biomass is below the surface, and over time, the fruiting bodies will return.
To prevent either type of mold from returning, it is necessary to eliminate the conditions that allow it to grow. Mold usually grows in damp areas, so it is essential to find the cause of the damp. Rising damp, also called rising damp, occurs when moisture reaches the walls from the ground due to a damaged waterproof layer.
We can identify rising damp because it is found on ground floor walls up to a meter from the floor. You may see a stain or rotten skirting boards. Stopping rising damp requires repairs to the damp proof layer.
To definitively solve the problem of rising damp, Blue Sky Inspections has the MURSEC ECO device. It is a multi-frequency device with SmartPolar technology that emits a very low frequency signal that acts on the water molecules present in the pores and capillaries of the wall, changing their polarity and causing the damp to descend through the walls towards the subsoil.
Seepage damp occurs when water seeps into a property or escapes from an internal pipe. As with rising damp , seepage damp is fairly easy to find as it will usually be close to the source of the damp, such as a gap around a window or a hole in the roof. Once the source of the water has been removed, the damp will begin to dry out.
To solve the problem of moisture caused by filtration, the company specializing in the elimination of moisture, Blue Sky Inspections, injects water-reactive resins that react with water, expanding its volume and plugging the cracks in the concrete. If we combine these techniques with the use of mortars without shrinkage, mineralisation of concrete and treatment of joints in screens and expansion joints, we are able to solve the problems of filtration.
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If there is no obvious cause for the damp, it may be due to a build-up of condensation on a porous surface. Condensation damp is caused by elevated levels of water vapor in the air condensing on a surface and penetrating to saturate underlying materials. Resolving condensation damp usually requires improvements to the ventilation in your home to expel the moist air.
Blue Sky Inspections has the PURAIR device : Controlled Mechanical Ventilation to solve the problem permanently.
However, it should not be forgotten that it will be necessary to carry out a diagnosis of each problem in order to specify the techniques to be used in each individual case.
Contact us without obligation on 913 209-5691 or write to us at Jasen@BlueSkyGreenEarth.org and we will arrange a visit.
