(Almost) Everything You Need to Know about Getting Rid of Mold

If you are dealing with a mold problem at home, it’s important to remember that you aren’t anywhere near alone.

Mold spores are literally everywhere on the planet, and have been present for millions and millions of years. They exist anywhere there is even just a little bit of moisture, and according to the American CDC more than 80% of homes in the United States alone have at least some level of mold existing infrastructure.

And while most molds are little more the unsightly organisms that can be cleaned up rather quickly, more insidious types of mold can pose a dangerous and even potentially deadly health risk to you and your loved ones as well as any pets you keep in your home.

This is why it’s of the utmost importance that you hire the right mold removal experts to understand exactly what kind of mold you’re up against, at what stage your mold infestation is currently in, and hand over the heavy lifting of mold removal to these professionals so that your property is spotless and mold free by the time they are done.

To learn a little bit more about everything you might be up against, as well as what it takes to destroy mold wherever it might be found, we’ve put together this quick guide.

What exactly is mold in the first place?

Before we dive deeper into mold removal services and how to make sure your home is safe from this often times almost invisible danger, it’s important that you understand the difference between harmless mold and dangerous (if not deadly) mold infestations like black mold.

Mold is nothing more than a conglomeration of fungi spores that collect closely to one another, rapidly reproducing and expanding in any space that has the right conditions for them to proliferate in. Similar to mushrooms (though obviously without the same physical structure), mold spores can start off as invisible specks of organic material and then quickly manifest into something much larger – and much harder to get rid of – almost immediately.

Mold loves to grow where it is warm, where it is damp, and where the conditions are humid. That the same time, mold is incredibly resilient and has the ability to survive even the harshest of environmental condition – growing in spaces that you would have thought nothing could survive.

There are tens of thousands of different kinds of mold, with experts recognizing that it’s almost impossible to accurately catalog all of the different varieties. Some experts believe that there may be as many as 300,000 or more different individual types of mold, and that more types of mold may be created even still today!

Indoors, however, you’re likely to bump up against four specific kinds of mold more than any other. These mold spores are classified as:

•           Cladosporium

•           Penicillium

•           Alternaria

•           Aspergillus

For the most part, these types of mold are rather harmless (and Penicillium can actually be used to synthesize penicillin – one of the most powerful medications on the planet and a perfect example of how mold can be good or bad).

Stachybotrys mold, however is something else entirely.

A very specific genus of mold, capable of asexual reproduction, this mold is most commonly referred to as either black mold or toxic black mold – and can produce dangerous and even deadly conditions if it is allowed to grow and reproduce unchecked indoors.

If you even believe that you may be dealing with a black mold infestation it’s of the utmost importance that you reach out to professionals ASAP for a proper diagnosis and that you have them conduct proper mold removal services just as quickly as they are able to if black mold is indeed discomfort.

Where is mold most likely to grow indoors?

As we highlighted above, mold has the ability to take hold and grow pretty much anywhere in your home. But there are certain conditions (certain spaces) in your property that mold will seek out above all others.

Your bathroom, for example, is always going to be a hot spot and bed of contamination when it comes to mold.

We might really appreciate a nice, long, hot shower – but mold spores absolutely LOVE them! These conditions are perfect for mold to reproduce, providing the warm, wet, and humid conditions they need to exploding population and spread their mold infestation anywhere and everywhere they can.

Bathrooms that lack proper ventilation are especially prone to mold infestations, and you’ll usually start to see that these types of mold colonies begin to establish themselves in between your shower tiles or anywhere silicone caulk has been used to seal gaps in spaces.

The kitchen is another hot spot for mold to take hold in

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The kitchen sink (particularly underneath the kitchen sink) is always going to be a spot to check for mold, particularly if you have a small leak that has gone undetected. Your refrigerator hand your pantry can both be trouble spots for mold as well. Any food that has expired will inevitably start to mold over, and it doesn’t take long for that spoilage to cause mold spores to pop around the rest of your kitchen as well.

A basement (particularly an unfinished basement) is almost always going to be home to significant mold infestations.

The spaces are usually dark, usually damp, and can very frequently become humid because they have low levels of ventilation. It’s important that you have your mold removal specialists check your property from top to bottom to find out where mold is hiding (especially in the places you cannot check on your own, like inside of your walls) to better understand what you are dealing with.

Signs and symptoms of a mold infestation

There are a couple of different signs and symptoms that you should be on the lookout for alert you immediately to the fact that you are dealing with a mold infestation that needs to be eradicated ASAP.

Obvious signs of mold growth include visible colonies that you can see establishing themselves on exposed surfaces, mold growth that seems to be coming from “hidden” locations in your home, and a moldy and musty smell in spaces where you know mold as a great potential to “set up shop”.

Other signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for include coughing, wheezing, and a flareup of your allergies. Mold spores will negatively impact the air quality in your home, and if the infestation is particularly bad you’ll start to physically react to the mold spores that are making their way into your body (another wet, hot, and humid space).

A rash, serious irritation, or difficulty breathing can all be signs of black mold. In these situations you need to seek out immediate medical assistance to better understand exactly what you are up against while at the same time contacting legitimate mold removal specialists that can diagnose the problem, find the black mold, and remove it from your property once and for all.

Getting rid of mold once and for all

When it comes to DIY mold removal, it’s hard to imagine anything working better than bleach, Borax, vinegar, or a bit of hydrogen peroxide that has been mixed with water.

Bleach all on its own is powerful enough to kill virtually any species of indoor mold that it comes in contact with, not only destroying the mold itself but also making sure to destroy any left over spores while leaving a surface clean, sanitized, and quite a bit resistant to mold growth in the future.

Unfortunately, bleach isn’t going to work all that well if you’re applying it to materials that are porous. Bleach can’t dive deep into these kinds of materials, killing only the surface mold while allowing the underlying infestation to continue to grow.

Borax works wonders when it has been mixed with water as well, but it isn’t going to be quite as powerful as bleach. Your run-of-the-mill mold spores can be destroyed quite handily with a borax and water mixture, but anything more resilient – including black mold – won’t be phased.

Both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide can devastate mold colonies, with each of these pretty common products having the ability to kill about 82% of all mold species out there. The vinegar smell can be a little bit overwhelming (especially if you have to apply quite a bit of it to get rid of mold), but it’s a nice, natural, and non-toxic solution that gets the job done quite well for the most part.

Call in the professionals to handle mold removal for you

At the end of the day, however, you’ll want to take advantage of the professional mold removal services available through 911 Water Damage LLC.

Promising a clean, efficient, and effective solution that not only destroys ALL of the mold in your home but also provides a barrier against future mold infestations, preventing them from happening in the first place, these are the kinds of professional services that guarantee improved air quality, low health risks, and non-toxic solutions that destroy mold without ever putting your family or loved ones at risk.

To learn a little bit more about how we here at ​911waterdamages.com can help, contact us at your earliest convenience. We would love to talk to you about our mold removal solutions!