How to prevent mold after water damage in Port St Lucie

 How to prevent mold after water damage in Port St Lucie

Mold damage and toxic mold have become an increasing area of concern among consumers, health researchers, and insurance companies because of the possible health effects and damage to real and personal property.

Scientists, health professionals, insurance companies, and economists are studying mold damage, mildew and related microorganisms to further understand how they impact health and finance. Studies have been conducted in several countries by WHO (the World Health Organization).  They found that 1 in 3 homes have mold after water damage in Port St Lucie and that 1 in 10 homes have a serious mold problem. 

How to Identify Mold?

Mold is made up of microscopic organisms that are present both indoors and outdoors. Mushrooms, yeast, mildew, and mold are types of fungi that break down dead organic material and recycle organic nutrients into the soil and environment. In order for mold to grow and reproduce, it must have moisture and a food source.

Any organic material such as wood (including lumber), paper (including wallpaper and drywall), leaves or soil can serve as food. Mold growth on surfaces is often visible as discoloration that can be orange, green, brown or black. Sometimes mold is white. Molds release tiny spores that float through the air 

Mold is a simple class of fungi.  It’s often used as the term to describe any fuzzy growth seen on surfaces.

The term mildew is often used interchangeably with mold and fungi although mildew is actually fungi that cause plant disease.

Spores are the reproductive structures, just like seeds, that allow mold to spread to other areas. They are small and light (half a million spores can fit on a penny) and are easily transported through the air.

Spores can remain dormant for longer than 20 years until the right conditions are present for growth.  The good news is that only about 20% of spores are viable (able to produce more fungi) but whether or not the spores are literally dead or alive they can still produce allergens and may even be toxic to people!

What Is Toxic Mold?

Certain types of mold sometimes produce toxic chemicals, called mycotoxins, that the mold uses to inhibit the growth of other organisms. Scientists, doctors, and health specialists are still unclear on exactly what effect mycotoxin exposure has on specific health conditions.

Water damaged buildings with mold growth and exposure impact the three parties that form what is called the insurance triangle.

Mycotoxins can be toxic, cancer-causing and suppress the immune system.  They are not produced by all mold although mold related to water-damaged structures such as stachybotrus chartarum, aspergillus versicolor and tricoderma do produce them. 

Mycotoxin (toxic mold) exposure symptoms may include:

•       Runny nose
•       Asthma
•       Skin rash
•       Headaches
•       Fatigue
•       Nausea
•       Diarrhea
•       Sore throat
•       Memory loss
•       Lung bleeding
•       Vomiting
•       Fragile blood vessels
•       Muscle pain
•       Joint pain
•       Depression

Every person will react differently to mold.  Some will suffer next to no symptoms from exposure, where others show immediate and severe signs of exposure.  Children and the elderly are especially susceptible to the health problems caused by mold. 

Mold is systemic and opportunistic and can affect the entire body.  Molds of different types can also grow together, and when they do, they magnify toxicity.  This is a function that is called synergism. In order to decrease the risk of contamination, a mold inspection is highly recommended once in a while. In some areas, a free mold inspection is offered.

Mold remediation before or after mold treatment

Water may come in through roof leaks during heavy rains, from washing machines, ice makers, or dishwasher failures, or from major fire extinguishing efforts and floods.

Do not wait to address water damage, especially if you don’t know how to remove mold! Building materials will absorb more and water and will have to be removed and replaced instead of restored. Prolonged moisture creates hazardous and costly mold growth.

Immediately addressing mold after water damage in Port St Lucie saves a significant amount of money in repair costs.

Mold in your home needs moisture and can usually be found in damp, dark areas. Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, roofs, attics, crawl spaces, windows, sliding glass doors, and plumbing pipes can all hide water leaks. Water can accumulate causing an environment where mold can grow. It is important to ventilate normal areas of moisture in your homes such as the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room. Frequent cleaning of wet areas in the home can help stop mold growth.

The Green Approach to Mold Damage Restoration

If the base the classification of mold remediation according to what type of mold removal product is used, then there would be only two options for you. As mold removal products can be classified as either natural or chemically enhanced, therefore the process can also be classified as either chemical-based or green-based. Currently, the former is being used more often than the latter.

However, in a general sense, natural cleaning products are more capable of bringing out better results than those with toxins. As they can be good for both human health and the environment, obviously they can be a bigger help. Not only can they protect you from all of the negative effects of mold spores, but they can also preserve the environment from added pollutants that can be released.

Natural mold removal products are more capable of producing better results than the other removers that you can use. To go for them is to make the best out of your mold remediation process that will benefit both humans and the environment.

Conclusion

When combating fungus, remember that simply removing the efflorescence will not eliminate the problem. The most important thing is to find and remove the cause of the dampness of the partition. The most common cause of the efflorescence is improper ventilation, but water can also get into the room from outside, e.g. as a result of a cracked gutter, leaking roof or other structural defects of the building. In this case, the mold treatment should be started by removing the defect, and mold inspection should be planned for further prevention.

The post  How to prevent mold after water damage in Port St Lucie appeared first on Rapid Restoration.

from
https://rapidrestorationfla.com/how-to-prevent-mold-after-water-damage-in-port-st-lucie/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-prevent-mold-after-water-damage-in-port-st-lucie