How Mold Happens

We often discuss how to fight the effects of mold in your home and what measures you can take in your basement or crawl space to make it inhospitable for mold to grow. But we don’t often get down and dirty into the how and why of mold. Let’s do that today. 

Mold isn’t complicated. It also isn’t rare. There are mold spores literally everywhere and, on their own, they’re harmless. The reason you might not think about them on a daily basis is that individual spores are also so small that they’re invisible to the naked eye.

It’s once they take hold and colonize in your home that they become problematic; and it doesn’t take much for mold to colonize. All mold needs is moisture and food (organic material) and it will grow unchecked as long as it maintains access to those two things.

This is why your basement or crawl space are the perfect place for mold growth. Whether the organic material is in the form of wooden support beams, the paper backing on fiberglass insulation, or even furniture or cardboard boxes, mold will happily eat it. Basements and crawl spaces are also known for harboring moisture, whether it’s standing water or just humidity. 

The most important thing to keep in mind is that once you can see mold, even a little bit, you have millions of spores. And as long as optimal conditions continue, it will continue to grow and spread. In addition to lowering air quality and exacerbating or even causing health issues, long term mold spread can actually cause structural damage as it degrades the wooden support beams in the ceiling of a basement or crawl space.

So what can you do?

While there are some organic materials that you can get rid of - replacing cardboard boxes with plastic, removing all furniture from your basement, and replacing fiberglass insulation with an inorganic form (which you should do anyway) - you’ll never be able to get rid of the basic structure in your house. That means there will always be organic material down there. Controlling moisture is the best action you can take.

If you have an influx of water via leaks in the floor or walls, a waterproofing system is essential for controlling and discharging the incoming water. In addition to the waterproofing system, or in the event that you don’t have visible water issues but have common humidity problems, a dehumidifier is the most important part of the mold eradication equation.

We have a variety of dehumidifiers based on the size of the space and severity of the ambient moisture issues, and can help you choose the right one to keep your basement or crawl space controlled. By keeping moisture below a certain level, mold is rendered dormant and inhibited from further growth and spread.

Mold: it’s gross, and it’s everywhere. But it’s also easy to control as long as you have the right tools, and the right guidance. Call us to schedule your free inspection and let us help you tackle that mold problem once and for all.