Mould can be a serious problem in your home. If you find you’re having some sort of allergic reaction such as sneezing, coughing, and other symptoms that don’t appear to be normal, you may have a mould problem in your home. It’s important to inspect your home and remove any mould that you may have, and to prevent it from coming back in the future. Here are some things you need to know about mould removal in your home.
How Do Know I have Mould?
One of the first symptoms of having mould in the home is an allergic reaction to it. You may find yourself feeling sick more often, you may get headaches, sneeze, have respiratory problems, cough, and have other symptoms. If any of these are not normal, you need to look for mould in the home. Another way you can tell if you have mould in the home is you’ll have a mouldy odour such as a musty scent. This could be the only indication that you have mould growing in the home. You want to inspect the home to make sure any issues with mould do not get worse.
If you have visible mould growing in the home, this could be an indication that there is mould growing elsewhere in the home, which needs to be addressed. Some mould may look white in color and have threads. Other mould will look black or be a series of black spots. Mould can be gray, brown, black, white, gray-brown, or even gray-green. Mould that grows behind wallpaper or vinyl could be purple, pink, orange, or other colors.
Another way that you can tell that mould is growing in your home is if you have some sort of moisture problem. When you have a moisture problem, this is usually when mould starts to grow. If you have any sort of water problem in the home then this can be an indication that mould could be growing somewhere in the home. Discoloration on walls, water stains, and other issues with water can encourage mould to grow quite quickly. Bubbling paint, abnormalities in paint, cracking of paint, and peeling wallpaper could be an indication that you have water leaking somewhere in the home and this needs to be addressed. If any surfaces in the home field damp or wet, this is another sign that mould is growing in the home. There are several ways that you can get rid of mould which will be outlined below in this article.
Mould Removal
When you notice a mould problem you need to act quickly to remove the mould because it will damage what it grows on. The longer the mould grows the more damage that it will cause to the surface. If you have a leaky window for example the mould can begin to rot the wooden frame along with the window sill. If the mould is small such as around 10 square feet then this job can be done yourself. If you have a lot of water damage and the mould is growing more than 10 square feet you may need to speak to an expert.
If you hire a contractor, you want to make sure that this individual has experience in cleaning up mould. For example, you may have an air conditioning system that has mould growing in it and you’ll need a professional to help you to clean this up. If you have a large building or an apartment complex and you have a lot of mould growing you will need to speak to a professional as you just can’t handle this on your own. If the mould is a large infestation, it can be an indication that you have mould growing in many different multiple locations and all of these will need to be addressed by a professional. Here are some tips for dealing with regular mould.
Mould Damage
In some cases, an item that has been damaged by mould may not be repairable. An item may discolor, crack, peel, or otherwise lose its original appearance.
If you have mould on a hard surface, scrub this area with soap and water and allow it to dry. If you have carpet, ceiling tiles, or other areas that are mouldy these will need to be removed and discarded as they will just grow more mould in the future. Do not just paint over mouldy surfaces as the paint will likely crack in the future, peel, and the mould will just return.
If you have an item in the home that has value to you and it’s damaged by mould, there are professionals that can work on these items to remove the mould, such as art restoration, furniture repair, repair water damage and work with other damage to ensure that the mould does not return to the item that you value.
Floods
If you have any sort of flood in the home, this can be the perfect breeding ground for mould. if you have any sort of standing water in the home, most of the items that have come in contact with the water usually have to be removed. For example, if you have drywall that has been exposed to water damage, this usually must be removed, and new drywall installed. The old drywall will quickly develop mould as you simply can’t to dry it out properly. Floors and other building materials may also develop mould if they’ve been wet for an extended period. To ensure safety in the home from water damage, you must remove all the items in the home and then check for mould because it will grow if any area in the home is left damp or wet. The items in the home that remain wet will develop mould overtime, so they must all be checked to ensure that the home is safe.
In most cases, you can deal with small issues of mould in the home. If you have a larger issue with Mould you should speak to a professional to ensure that the mould is removed properly and that no new mould is going to grow in the home. Don’t leave mould growing in your home or your business, it must be addressed quickly because it can lead to health issues and other problems that must be addressed.