Mold, like any other growing thing, needs a few things to actually survive. For mold, those factors include ideal temperatures, water, oxygen and of course nutrients. You might not even be aware you have mold in your home let alone these factors that allow the mold to grow, but in this article you will be learning about what causes mold to grow, types of harmful molds, exposure to mold and more. Continue reading below for some really great information!
What Causes Mold?
As mentioned, mold does need a few things in order to grow. Nutrients are usually things like dead organic materials like wood and paper, but it can also use fabric like clothing to use as nutrients as well. Mold requires moisture which means that it can get that moisture from a room that has at least 70% moisture, however, this isn’t always true because some molds can grow at other temperatures. A lot of the household molds that are out there right now will thrive at a normal indoor temperature. When the atmosphere is above 100 degrees, however, this will actually kill the mold as well as the spores.
Harmful Molds
The short answer: yes. The long answer: it depends! To be honest it’s very rare for a healthy human to get sick from mold. Most of the time when someone gets sick from mold it’s because they have an unhealthy immune system. One of the biggest issues is for people that have asthma and allergy symptoms already present, then the mold can make things worse. However, as mentioned it’s rare to happen in healthy humans, but it can still happen considering there are over 100k types of mold. One thing to consider are chemicals that mold can produce called mycotoxins. These can create illnesses in both humans and animals. Unfortunately scientific research and facts about this topic is pretty limited as of right now.
What Else Promotes Mold?
When it comes to a building, commercial or residential, the space or lack thereof isn’t what really causes mold. However other factors do matter such as building materials, moisture ridden rooms and spaces, humidity that gets stuck inside a room or space – water heater closets, for example, are tight spaces, but they also have a lot of moisture and humidity in there which makes this space a prime space for mold activity. If you have seen most of these spaces that are enclosed, they tend to have doors with slats, this is for that very reason, to try and make it so it’s NOT the perfect breeding ground for mold. So if you have a solid door and a space where the heater is, it might be a good idea to check in that space for mold and somehow fix this issue. Bathrooms should have exhaust fans, as well as kitchens, and clothes dryers should always be vented to the outside of the building to keep mold from growing.
Does Drywall or Paper Faced Gypsum Board Promote Mold?
Many types of mold really love paper faced gypsum board because of the way it’s manufactured. Its process uses a mechanical and chemical process of wood. The paper is pre-digested, so it’s really easy for different types of mold to get nutrients from the paper. One of the things to consider about paper faced gypsum board is to keep it dry at all times. Sure, it’s a great nutrient for the mold, but remember it needs a few different factors to develop and survive and one of those factors is moisture. If you keep it dry, control the humidity and keep it in places where it won’t get wet, you have a better chance of warding off the mold.
How to Get Rid Of Mold?
Honestly, this answer depends on what it’s on and how much of it you have. If you see mold growing on boxes or furniture, its best to just throw these items away. If the mold is growing on a hard surface like a concrete floor or in tile grout, you can simply wash the area with hot soapy water and a wire brush to get rid of it and seal, regrout or in the case of walls, repaint the area. If you have allergies, though, make sure you hire someone to do this for you! A large area should be cleaned by someone who actually does this work daily and knows what they are doing and has the tools to do it safely and correctly the first time around.
Another thing to consider when it comes to the spaces in your home and having too much moisture or too much humidity is to get yourself a dehumidifier. These will essentially balance the moisture and humidity in the space and make it so that mold has a much harder time growing. Dehumidifiers can be found in almost any home improvement store and range from a few bucks for something really small to a few hundred bucks for something much larger.