Why You Should Be Concerned When You See Small Patches Of Mold In Your Home

Mold is a common problem. There's a good chance that mold is growing somewhere in your house right now or has been in the past. Common places are around the shower and in the bathroom where it is humid and warm. Mold isn't always an extensive problem that needs intense measures to fix. Cleaning mold out of your shower can be as easy as using a cleaning product and scrubbing away the signs of mold and mildew. However, mold can signal deeper problems in your home too. Here's why you should take mold seriously and what can be done about a bad mold problem.

Small Areas Of Mold Could Indicate A Bigger Problem

If you see mold along the drywall behind a washing machine, you may not be concerned if it is just a small area. However, the presence of mold indicates conditions are perfect for the mold to spread. Mold needs high humidity, a food source, and warm temperatures to flourish. A small mold problem can turn into a bigger one given those conditions, so you want to find out what is causing the mold to grow. You might have a leaky washer or a pipe fitting might be loose. Stopping the cause of moisture is vital to stopping the continued spread of mold.

Another reason to be concerned about a patch of mold showing through the drywall is the possibility that mold is more extensive behind the wall. Mold often grows out of sight. You will have no indication it is there unless you smell a mildew odor or notice small areas of mold that indicate a bigger problem. If a pipe is dripping between the walls, there could be a large area of drywall and wood coated in mold. Even though it's covered, the spores can still spread and cause problems. Mold not only irritates your respiratory system if you're sensitive to it, it can actually cause rot damage to building materials. Getting rid of it fast is important.

Professional Help Is Needed For Mold Removal

While you can clean mold out of the grout in your bathroom with bleach or a mold remover, cleaning mold off large areas of the structure of your home is a different matter. You need professional help for safety reasons and for proper removal and disposal of the moldy materials. Keeping down dust is important when cutting out damaged drywall and other materials so the spores don't spread. Plus, all moldy materials need to be bagged carefully and disposed of so they don't infect other areas of your home. You may even need to have a special ventilation system set up in the area while the workers remove mold so the spores are pulled outdoors. Removing mold from your home is a complex process that goes far beyond scrubbing the walls with bleach because of the safety issues involved. Calling in a mold removal expert for help is an important step in getting the problem under control.