September is Mold Awareness Month

Mold.

You just cringed, didn't you?

It's understandable; mold is gross. It pops up everywhere from that cheese that got pushed to the back of the refrigerator to your basement walls. It is nature's best decomposer, destructive to everything around it and resilient to any attempts to remove it.

But it must be removed. And September, Mold Awareness Month, is a great time to learn all about it and how to eradicate it.

Mold in your home is a multifaceted danger. It "eats" organic materials like wood and paper (one of mold's favorite foods is drywall). Unfortunately, much of the structural integrity in a home is, well, organic material. Picture those wooden beams that run across your basement ceiling, supporting the first floor of your home. Now picture them collapsing due to mold damage.

It's a scary thought.

Beyond affecting the structural integrity and safety of your home, mold can cause a host of health issues. Spores travel through the air and, in some cases, can make the indoor air quality lower than outside. Living in a home with a mold problem can lead to increased asthma and allergy symptoms.

Mold leads to home repair bills AND medical bills. But it can be stopped.

The number one thing mold needs in order to thrive is humidity. Without a properly humid environment, it can't take hold in the first place, let alone thrive by snacking on your house.

So how do you eliminate humidity?

If your basement or crawl space often feel damp, that's the sign of a water issue that can feed mold for years to come. Proper waterproofing and crawl space encapsulation can treat that part of the problem.

After the source of the water is treated, though, it's essential to constantly control the humidity in the space. This can be done with a dehumidifer like our SaniDry system. 

So here's the plan: Take a deep breath, go down into your basement or crawl space, and look for signs of mold. Then call us for a free inspection and we'll take care of you.