The presence of mold in a home is any homeowner’s worst nightmare. The unpleasant and pungent odor of mold as well as its dark growth appearance is the least of your worries. High levels of mold in a home are known to cause respiratory problems, sneezing, allergies, coughs, sore throats, brain fog, fatigue, and headaches among more. And what makes matters worse is that when mold spores find their favorable source food”, they settle and multiply rapidly.
It is not always easy to tell whether you have mold in your home. You could even be living with it for years before actually discovering it. However, here are 5 key signs that indicate you should test your home for mold.
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Odd, musty smell
This is one of the easiest tell-signs of mold presence anywhere in your home. If you happen to notice an odd smell, particularly a musty one, you could have mold in your home. A musty smell can be likened to that odor which emanates from wet clothes that have sat for too long without drying. If you have ever left damp clothes in a washing machine for awhile you have probably smelt that musty odor.
If you notice that a certain area of the home persistently emits that musty odor, there is a possibility of mold presence. Follow the odor to where it’s strongest and if you get see mold than clean and remove it. But if the odor is unreachable, say inside walls, call a professional to help you out.
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Mold growth
There are many different types of mold out there. You cannot really identify any one of them based on color, shape or size. Some appear as dark growth, furry, and black stains; while others appear as white, green, black, orange or brown specks. Check out the areas that have water sources or are commonly damp in your home and see if there are any signs of these indicators of mold. Certain mold fungi flourish in damp areas such as the bathroom, laundry area, basement, and kitchen.
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Health symptoms
Because mold is not always visible, it can be difficult to tell if your home has mold until you start experiencing some health problems. These health problems are the indicator that your home could be having mold. Common symptoms of a mold allergy include consistently experiencing a running nose, watery eyes, headaches, sneezing, coughing and sore throats. If you notice that any of such problems begin only when you get home, consider testing your home for the presence of mold.
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Condensation particularly on windows
If you happen to notice condensation on your windows or excess moisture dripping from your pipes, it is possible that your home could have high levels of humidity. This is a recipe for mold growth as it forms the perfect breeding ground for mold to grow. If you notice this sign, in conjunction with the others mentioned above, there are high chances that your home has a mold concern. You should test for mold and follow any recommendations by the mold professional to prevent and remove the mold growth. Controlling the moisture/elevated humidity is key in preventing fungus to grow.
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Water problems
Water problems are another common indicator of mold problems. If you have had flooding, pipe leakages, toilet overflows, or sewer back-ups previously, your home could be at risk of mold growth. Inspect the areas where water remained for a long time such as underneath carpets and in cracks on floors and walls. Also look out for discolored ceilings, walls and floors; such discoloration indicates colonies of mold developing behind it. It also indicates that there is moisture penetrating the surface and facilitating the mold growth.
These 5 are the most common signs of mold presence in a home. If you have come across any of them or a combination of them, do consider testing your home for mold and if you find any, get rid of it early enough.
The most interesting part of your article for me is when you talked about how your house can be at risk for mold growth if your experiencing toilet overflows. We can’t use one of our toilets because of the overflowing of water from it. We have a big family, so it’s essential for us to have our toilet repaired as soon possible. Now that I’ve learned how mold growth can be a possible reason for toilet overflows, I will make sure to contact a mold remediation company as soon as possible.
Both my husband and I actually have been experiencing headaches and watery eyes recently. We’ve been trying to figure out what’s been causing us these symptoms. I would have never guessed it could be mold. I’ll have to get that checked.
My husband and I noticed a weird smell in his mother’s basement the other day. As you mentioned that could be a sign of mold and other problems. I will contact a professional to evaluate the situation in her basement before it turns into something worse.