Basic Information on Mold

Mold has been a problem in areas populated by human beings for not only centuries, but as the Bible seems to relate to us, millennia and the effects on the health of human beings has been documented since that time. The scripture calls the mold infestations in homes and business buildings a “leprous plague” that must be dealt with as soon as it is noticed.

The symptoms of excess mold exposure are both many and varied. Allergenic molds cause, as the name implies, aggravation of allergies and respiratory conditions that already exist and can create new allergies that did not exist before the exposure. These symptoms can surface in the form of sneezing, watery eyes, a runny nose, or some quite unsightly skin rashes that are pretty itchy when left untreated. If these symptoms only show up when you are in your home and you do not have them when you are at work or elsewhere, you might want to consider having your home tested for mold.

While some of the most serious infections around the world are caused by mold exposure, one thing that has become a staple in the medical community is penicillin. Penicillin is produced from mold in the genus penicillium and has been used as a cure for all kinds of infections since the early 1900’s. Unfortunately, the penicillium genus also has a serious disease named after it that occurs mostly in HIV and AIDS patients in Southeast Asia.

Mold grows in humid areas of your home and you may not even know it is there if it grows inside your walls. Homes that have been damaged by floods may have mold growing behind the walls and you will not even realize it most of the time. Try to keep the humidity in your home as far down as possible and the temperature somewhere around 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Any moist rooms in the house should have an exhaust vent installed so the steam is allowed to escape. This will include the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and the basement. If you happen to do laundry in the basement and for some reason the dryer does not work or you do not have one, do not hang clothes up to dry down there, since this will create the humidity that you are trying to prevent.

Keep any water spills cleaned up. Whether the bath tub or the kitchen sink or the toilet overflows, cleaning up these spills as soon as they occur is essential to prevent water damage and mold growth in your house. Another important think to realize is that you should never have carpet installed in the bathroom and that cracked tiles need to be replaced as soon as possible.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.