Preventing Mold. Mold Starts Small So Pay Attention!
I once had a small utility room which I used as a home office. Over a period of months I noticed that small sections of the carpet between my desk and the door would be wet for no apparent reason. I also noticed a growing musty smell that I tolerated out of pure denial and laziness. Of course as you can guess, over a summer the smell became intolerable and ultimately, I had to call professionals in to look for the source of the mysterious leak. I had assumed it was storm water coming in from outside on rainy days, but it turned out that the pipes in the wall had a tiny, steady trickle of water that ran down my floor and turned my little office into a greenhouse for mold.
The
problem with small leaks is that if they go unfixed for a long period of time
mold just takes root and grows with enthusiasm. Most of us probably wouldn’t
find a small leak until that familiar musty smell invades a room. Places like
basements and attics are most in danger because they are dark, wet, and
generally not inhabited by anyone long enough to notice a problem.
But leaving a leak and allowing mold into your home comes with a lot of risk. Mold is physically destructive to your property and some mold is even toxic to people and animals. Mold is hell on most of the material that comprise your home; material such as drywall, carpet, building materials, wallpaper, and paint. And from a health perspective, if anyone in your family has a compromised immune system or is predisposed to allergies, they may be extra sensitive to such mold. Common symptoms reported by people from toxic mold include respiratory ailments, headaches, rashes, allergies.
When mold is allowed to grow unchecked, its growth creates real damage to your home and causes significant loss to the home’s resale value. Don’t wait thinking that you can just replace the material; just replacing the material destroyed by mold can be a costly undertaking not to mention a huge hassle to replace floors, drywall, baseboards, repaint, re-wallpaper. Think also that in the midst of this one must also engage in extensive cleaning and decontaminating of the area to inhibit further mold growth. Do not assume that insurance will pick up the tab either. Some policies may cover you and others insurers may exclude mold from the policy.
So don’t make my mistake. If you sense or smell something is wrong in a room, don’t wait and look to find and correct the problem before it becomes an even bigger nightmare down the road.
Some of the most common areas to look for small leaks are under sinks, around toilets, showers, and tubs and around household appliances. Windows and doors can gather moisture and it is prudent to check the condition of every one in your home from time to time. Spend time in your basement and in your attic looking for moisture from seepage or roof leaks. Don’t just rely on your nose to tell you that you have a problem, but definitely do trust your nose. If you smell mold, you probably have mold.
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