Finding mold can be scary. Not knowing where to look when you feel you are exposed is even scarier. Did you know it does not have to be visible to affect your health? For a lot of us we may see "mildew" (a type of mold, don't be fooled) in damp places such as vents and bathrooms and think it is normal. But finding mold can also be signaling a larger issue, especially when found in obscure places. If you are having symptoms of mold allergies or toxicity, here are the top five places to inspect in your home. Before we continue, this is am extra tip for outside the home--check for any physical damage to the home that could be leading to moisture intrusion. Typical places would be window/doors/siding/roofing. Now on to the interior!
1. Bathrooms. Oh my. Lots of issues here. When fans don't vent properly it can lead to increased moisture in the bathroom. Mold needs a damp place with food and it is good to go. If you see it in your tub or shower clean it asap. Check along the baseboards, seals around the tubs and showers, and the inside of your fan. Mold in these places is less common and can be indicative of a larger issue. Excess moisture has a lot of opportunities to go into the walls and floor in a bathroom via broken caulking or seeping in to baseboards. If your fan does not vent outdoors, where is all of the moisture going? Check inside your venting as well.
2. HVAC closets. This is a place we rarely visit in our homes. Have you checked your filters lately? And how was the rest of the closet? Moisture in the closet can lead to mold spores being sucked in to the intake vent and being distributed throughout the home. Check high and low. Sometimes we look around the drip pan and fail to investigate ALL of the closet. Sometimes hot water heaters are housed here as well (ours was) and those are notorious for water issues. Ours was also in an exterior wall and as I mention below, during heavy rain our home would flood and this is an area that was taking on water from outside.
3. Under sinks. This can be any sink where there are visible pipes. Water can leak and create a slow drip that will go into your cupboard or walls. And if it is slow you are less likely to notice it happening and may not realize until it is too late. Water can get in to your base boards and sheet rock and mold LOVES sheet rock.
4. Interior walls around the exterior of your home. We had cracks in our exterior wall and foundation, this led to flooding during heavy rain. The water would seep through the baseboards of our exterior wall and slope through the entire side of the house including our bathroom and HVAC closet. If you check these walls and their baseboards, you can see if they are damp or discolored. If you can safely remove a baseboard without damaging it, this is your best option to see what is happening inside.
5. The hidden rooms- Attics, basements, or crawlspaces. These are places that are rarely visited if they are not habitable space or just used for storage. If you have a roof leak, you would never know there was mold in the attic until you checked. If you have water coming in via the foundation, your basement/crawlspace could be moldy. Grab a spouse or friend and go on that adventure. This is a huge source of mold that is overlooked. Air is still circulated through these spaces and in to the main part of your home.
Mold is good at hiding. Many people feel the symptoms without realizing the cause and blame allergies, the weather, or their climate. Checking your home is a good way to determine if you are experience any moisture issues, which can lead to mold. If you don't see mold it could be hiding in your walls, but do not fear. You can have an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) test done to measure the humidity, carbon monoxide levels, and mold spore count. This can be one way to determine if mold is in your air and can help with the search.
Hope this helps,
B&R
Tell us...have you found mold? Where was it? Comment below to share your experience, we want to hear from you!
Legal & Discloser statement
Comments
Post a Comment