Molds are of many colors such as black, grey, green, pink, white etc. There are approximately 100,000 – 200,000 types of molds which can be of various shapes, consistency and textures. The most common household molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus and Stachybotrys.
Certain types of Mold spores can cause health problems if you fail to have the mold removed. People are affected by mold in different ways when they inhale the spores. Large number of airborne mold spores can cause allergic reaction, asthma, other respiratory problem, bronchitis, runny nose and eyes, sinus, throat irritation and even central nervous system problem.
Following some basic principles can help you to prevent mold infestation from your house. Fix water problems such as roof leaks, leak water pipes, and wet basement etc. keep your home well ventilated and use ventilation fan in your kitchen, bathroom. Use dehumidifier to keep the humidity level below 55% in your house. Avoid carpeting in your kitchen, bathroom, and basement.
Should you have reason to believe that you have mold you should consider hiring a Certified mold assessor who is fully licensed and insured professional, trained to meet specific state requirements for assessing your indoor air quality. They will do various test and look for reasons you may be having problems with your indoor air quality. They have special equipment which can help identity mold and any areas of moisture behind wall or in ceilings. You can purchase do-it- yourself kits which can include an air filter test and air duct test. Air filter tests and air duct tests can be administered using indoor air quality test kits. Indoor air quality test kits can examine presence of specific airborne particles present in a room such as dust, pet dander, pollen, bacteria, carcinogenic fibers, soot, asbestos, and of course, molds. Some indoor air quality test kits come in specific kits, and some come as a full analysis package for volatile particles.
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Air filters and air ducts are designed to catch and filter minute and volatile particles in the air. Without regular cleaning and renewal, air filters and air ducts can easily be breeding grounds for potentially harmful bacteria and molds. An indoor air quality test can be administered by gathering a sample from your home air filter. Simply remove the circulation source of your air conditioner and use a cloth (or surface sampler provided in the test kit) to gather samples. You next pour a rinse solution with the sample onto the sponge provided, and analyze the sponge using a total microbe test.
Once you have the test results back this will help determine what is necessary to resort your indoor air quality back to acceptable levels. Should the test indicates that the mold should be removed it is important to interview several companies check for their certification, references, type of remediation they perform, warranties and is the do any type of follow up post clearance testing. They keep to successful mold removal is identifying they type of mold, the spore count and location which all can be answered with mold testing.
