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What Are the Top Signs of Mold Sickness?

Name: Exit Mold
Address: 1 Irwin Ct., Lynbrook, New York, 11563, United States
Telephone: (516) 512-7877

Whether you like it or not, mold can be found virtually everywhere. Microscopic spores float through the air both inside and outside your home, and these spores can grow into an entire colony in just a few days if the environment is right.

While mold is certainly unpleasant to discover in your home, it can actually be dangerous to have an infestation lurking behind your walls or under your floors. Mold is considered a health hazard and should always be tackled by a professional. Learning about mold infestations and signs of mold sickness can help you identify a potential issue so you can take action right away.

Why Do Mold Infestations Occur?

Mold is a fungi that thrives in dark, damp environments. This is why places like your bathrooms, basement and attic are more vulnerable to mold infestations. If you have uncontrolled moisture issues or a humidity problem in your home, you are at a heightened risk of experiencing a mold infestation at some point in your home.

Common reasons for moisture issues in your home include:

Roof leaks
Plumbing leaks
Leaky basements or crawl spaces
Gaps or cracks along doors and window panes
Improper ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens
Issues with outdoor drainage

Once mold spores settle into these damp and dark areas, they can grow into an entire colony in as little as 48 hours. Unfortunately, mold grows silently, so you might not realize that you have an infestation until it has grown significantly.

What Does Mold Look Like?

Different mold types can look vastly different from each other, so it can be difficult to distinguish on your own. Mold can be red, green, black or even white.

It can also have a wide variety of textures, ranging from slimy or chalky to fuzzy. While it may look different based on the kind of mold that you find, mold usually has a classic musty or earthy smell that it gives off.

Identifying a Mold Infestation

While mold does grow quickly, it often grows in places that don’t experience high traffic. If you only go into your basement to swap out laundry or only head into your attic to grab boxes of holiday decorations, you could unexpectedly be dealing with a serious mold infestation for a long period of time before it is discovered.

If you start to smell a musty odor or if you recently dealt with a water leak and are concerned about lingering moisture, it might be time to do a little investigating.

Signs of a Potential Mold Problem

A stubborn musty odor in your home
Visible discoloration on your walls or ceiling
Warped floorboards or drywall
Soft spots on your walls
Stained tiles or grout lines in your bathroom

What is Mold Sickness?

In addition to these signs, mold can also cause physical reactions in the body. Mold produces allergens and irritants, and it can also produce toxins in rare cases. While having mold in your home won’t necessarily cause you to become seriously ill in a short amount of time, it can certainly cause you to not feel your best.

Mold sickness is also more common in vulnerable populations, like older adults, children, and people with compromised immune systems. These populations may experience more severe mold symptoms or will become more sensitive to the diminished air quality faster than someone without a sensitivity.

Signs of Mold Sickness:

Runny nose or congestion
Itchy or watery eyes
Persistent sneezing and coughing
An unexplained sore throat
Lung irritation and wheezing
Headache

What To Do If You Suspect a Mold Infestation

Mold exposure symptoms can be drastically different from person to person, but if you suspect that your symptoms are caused by a potential mold problem, proceed with extreme caution.

Some mold spores can be dangerous or even deadly if they are disturbed and then inhaled, so move really carefully as you inspect your home. Wear a mask and sturdy gloves as you move from room to room, using caution when moving boxes or furniture. Move curtains and other soft materials carefully as even slight movement can release mold spores into the air.

If you do discover an infestation, don’t touch it! Back away and then get your friends at Exit Mold on the phone.

Trusting The Experts at Exit Mold

A professional mold remediation is the safest and most reliable way to take care of your mold problem. Our team has the tools and safety gear to stay protected while we work, and you can stay safely out of harm’s way while we are tackling the mold. We will work quickly to contain the area by shutting off your HVAC system and closing your vents, and then we get to work cleaning and sanitizing the area.

One of the benefits of working with Exit Mold is that in addition to our mold remediation process, we will also restore damaged areas and remove stubborn odors left behind by the infestation.

Depending on how long the infestation was left to grow, you could be dealing with some significant structural damage to your walls, floors, and ceiling. We can repair warped walls, swollen floorboards, and sagging ceilings with ease.

Due to the fact that mold infestations are caused by lingering moisture issues, water damage is also a common problem that accompanies mold infestations. Exit Mold can take care of this as well!

Our team will expertly dry up lingering moisture to ensure that the mold cannot grow back. Once we are through, you will be able to enjoy your clean, fresh, and mold-free home once more.

Suspect a mold infestation in your home within our service area? Contact the team at Exit Mold at (516) 512-7877 for a quick and thorough mold remediation.