How Mold Makes Your Home Dangerous

10/29/2019 (Permalink)

Mold can make our homes a dangerous place to be, especially if we aren't aware that the mold has even began to grow.

Mold damage costs homeowners in the United States $73 billion a year, on average. Every year mold alone ruins more wood than fires and termites together. Mold produces mycotoxins, which are toxic chemicals that can be poisonous. However, despite some popular myths, the musty smell that comes with mold is not the smell of mycotoxins being produced. Fortunately, if you worry that you’ve been exposed to mycotoxins, there are simple urine tests that can be done to detect the presence in your body. However in order to detect it in the home a mold specialist is required to conduct a mold control test. Since the average homeowner does not have an easy way of knowing what kind of mold is growing in their home, the first step is to call a mold specialist, like SERVPRO, and get an assessment done. But what does a mold specialist do when they come to our homes? Well first they’ll do an air sample. Mold spores can travel through air, undetectable to the human eye. If the source of the mold is found, for instance water damage in a specific area, then a surface sample will be taken there. Once the samples have been reviewed and mold has been confirmed in the air or surface, your local mold specialist will arrive in safety gear and begin the removal process. Fortunately, companies like SERVPRO of Beavercreek have 24/7 emergency response so we don’t have to wait around to know about the safety of our homes. Sooner than you think, a mold remediation specialist could be arriving in their gear and with their tests, ready to give you the information you need to keep your home safe.