Your home should be a comfortable and safe place to live with your family. Unfortunately, mold and mildew inside your home can affect its structural integrity, indoor air quality and significantly deteriorate your health, if left unchecked.
What causes mold to grow inside your home?
Mold is a fungi that grows rapidly when moisture is present. Since it can grow on virtually any surface, mold is a threat to your entire home. It can grow on carpet, wood, sheetrock, insulation, fabric, leather and food, among other fibrous materials.
There is no way to entirely clear mold and its spores from your house, which is the scary truth about mold & mildew in homes. The only effective way to control mold growth indoors is to properly remove the moisture you create. The following areas of your home can be havens for mold growth:
Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms
Near windows where condensation occurs
Under or behind appliances with plumbing leaks
Roof leaks
High humidity areas, like basements, crawlspaces, and attics
Identifying mildew, the early growth stage of mold, can save you from larger mold issues down the line. If you smell a “musty” scent or notice discolored carpet, warped floorboards, new water stains or black and white specks on ceilings or walls, your home may have a mold problem.
The effects of mold & mildew on your home
As a living organism, mold needs to feed in order to survive. This means it literally consumes your home as it grows. However, some types of mold can sustain themselves on just dirt and dust in the moist areas of your home. Either way, letting mold issues go unchecked guarantees you’ll have a home with poor indoor air quality, potential structural problems, and that will simply smell, look and feel unhealthy.
The largest and most dangerous effect mold has on your home is affecting its indoor air quality. Mold contaminates the air you and your family breathe. Serious health issues such as respiratory problems, sinus congestion, eye, nose and throat irritation and headaches can quickly arise and cause severe and permanent problems.
Building Performance’s plan to prevent mold and mildew
Reducing and working to eliminate mildew and mold growth can only be achieved by preventing excessive moisture from occurring in your home. Moisture prevention requires addressing water leaks, reducing indoor humidity and therefore condensation, and introducing proper ventilation for kitchens and bathrooms. Ensuring proper drainage around the outside of your house is crucial as well.
We will work to detect moisture and determine its origin inside your home. We will also inspect your roof to ensure no leaks are causing moisture problems. Building Performance will then work with you to find solutions to reduce leaks, improve insulation, reduce humidity, and ventilate your home effectively.