Posts Tagged "Mold testing"
Always Test for Mold!
It is always important to make sure your home is safe for you and your family. But its also important to test before you make a uneducated decsion and end up paying for something that wanst even there. Companys can very easily take advantage of homeowners fears. This is why it is very important to test before any action is taken Watch this clip on the Today show about this growing problem these people are making a bad image for our profession lets set it straight.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Mold Home test Kits, Are the Worth It?
There was a recent article in the New York Times about the affects of mold on health. This article advised homeowners to use home test kits to detect the presence of mold. These home test kits are not reliable thus causing other problems. The following list the problems that the home test kits may entail.
Mold is a naturally occurring organism that is present in almost every environment. Home mold test kits that use ‘settle plate applications’ (the test where a dish is left out for 24-48 hours). These test generally do not measure the airborne particles accurately. Spores vary in shape, size, and weight. The heavier mold spores will fall through the air faster then the smaller mold spores. thus being represented in larger quantities in the dish then the light mold spores. Since most environments contain mold spores in the air, it becomes difficult to determine weather the spores that are collected, are part of a dangerous indoor colony or just from the outdoor environment.
The do-it-yourself mold test kits often cause homeowners to make rash decisions ether because feel as if the mold that is present is not harmful or that the mold is harmful and then they end up making a costly decision to remodel there home. The accuracy of these test are terrible even if a lab test for the molds they might not be able to detect hidden molds. So the homeowner can no longer properly assess the situation. Most of the time people either do to much or do not do enough.
The bottom line is that if you are concerned about your homes indoor air quality, contact a professional testing service, preferably one that is Certified. With the professional testing services you will get better interpretations an analysis of the mold. Allowing you to make informed choices. Your decision can make all of the difference between potential health problems for you our your family. The best choice is to have the job handled professionally, properly, and quickly.
Mold Growth
Mold, its not just something that grows on your bread after sitting for to long or what grows on cheese. Mold is important in our world but only if its outside of our home. Mold can be found in many places and can grow virtually any were. Mold can be feed through many was but its main ingredients are moisture, heat (approximately Between 60-80 degrees). It doesn’t take long for it to grow, any where from 24-48 hours mold can grow. All mold isn’t bad, it is crucial for decomposition of many natural things in our world. Mold plays a role in our lives as a decomposer but its nice to have mold outside of your homes, instead of in your home. When Mold enters your home it can bring a laundry list of health problems. Its important to know that keeping your house mold safe can keep you and your family healthy.
Mold can grow in our homes on any surface. It can do this buy feeding from the moisture in the air and the temperature of your house. Molds like damp warm places. Such as bathrooms, kitchens, and basements. Attics can be effected to because of the exposer that they have to the environments. To keep humidity down in our homes its important to have good ventilation that vents to the outside of the home, in these “problem areas”. Mositure controle is the key to keeping molds from growing in our homes.
Molds can bring serious health risk in to your living areas. many homes these days have finished basements were the have play areas setup for there children. Symptoms of Mold can be the same as allergies or as a common cold. Such as follows running nose, itchy eyes, coughing, and wheezing. Though these symptoms may seem harmless what can be caused from long term exposure can be serious cause for alarm. Heavy exposure to some molds can cause asthma, short term memory loss, Shortness of breath, and head achs.
Mold may play a vital role in nature as a natural recyler, but its better to keep it out of our homes. Mold intrusion in your home can be costly and bring high health risk to you and your family. To learn about Mold and how it can get into your home and were it will grow. Go to http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html. Or click here to see mold intrusion video.
