Mold growth is a common problem that can arise in residential and commercial buildings. Mold tends to grow in places where moisture and high humidity are present, for instance, in windows, pipes, leaks in roofs or in places where flooding has occurred. Mold can grow and develop on products made of paper, ceiling tiles, wood products, cardboard, wallpaper, drywall and a lot more.
All Canadian homeowners can be at mold and mildew growth risk and that is why mold inspections are necessary to be performed properly in order to prevent further damage that can affect your and your family’s health as well as your property’s building code.
Take a moment and read the IBX Services blog and take all the required information that you need related to mold growth, mold detection, mold inspections and learn some ways that can help you reduce mold and other bacterial growth or even prevent it as much as you can.
How Does Mold Grow or Get Indoors?
The main problem is that mold can be found both in indoor and outdoor environments. It can enter your home through open windows, vents, heating, air conditioning systems or doorways.
Mold in the outdoor air can also attach to items of clothes, footwear, and pets and be brought inside. Excessive moisture is a source that lets mold spores drop on places such as pipes, walls, plant pots or where a roof leakage has occurred.
Furthermore, many building materials contain nutrients that encourage mold and mildew growth.
Wet cellulose materials, including paper products, wood products, ceiling tiles and cardboard are extremely prone to various mold types.
What Are the Health Risks Due to Mold Exposure?
Mold sensitivity may increase in allergy sufferers. Fungal infections are more likely to affect people with weakened immune systems or lung conditions. People who suffer from chronic respiratory disease, for instance, asthma or pulmonary disorder, may face difficulty in breathing.
Mold infection is more likely to affect those with immunological deficiency. In case you or your family members show these symptoms or conditions then you should immediately seek a professional clinic diagnosis and treatment.
How efficient can DIY Mold Testing Kits Be?
DIY self-testing kits for mold are readily available anywhere. The majority of them guarantee that you will be able to determine if you have a mold issue at your home. However, it is essential to mention some important facts.
1. Do Not Have Expiration Dates
DIY mold test kits have no expiration dates and can remain in storage for an indefinite period of time on hardware shelves. Despite being required to be sterile, these kits do not have an obvious expiration date, therefore buyers cannot tell how much possible handling or exposure these kits have received.
2. No Control Sample
A control sample is required to verify the elevation of spores and serve as a useful benchmark, however, many DIY kits lack a dish for collecting such a comparison sample from a different location inside the house or outside.
3. Mistakes in the Kit’s Shipping and Handling Process
You won’t be carrying your sample to the lab by hand on your own. To examine and identify the mold development on the petri dish, test kit samples must always be submitted back.
Naturally, this raises the possibility that your samples will be contaminated, which will produce unreliable results. It’s impossible to know for sure how your sample will be handled while in transit.
4. Dead Spores Are Not Considered in DIY Mold Testing Kits
While DIY kits and settling plates are designed to encourage the growth of mold, dead spores can also be harmful to your health. The DIY kit might not include water damage-causing substances like Stachybotrys, Chaetomium, and Ulocladium.
5. No Certified Inspection
DIY kits don’t give you a comprehensive picture of your mold infection. The inspection process, which calls for specialist equipment like digital moisture meters, hygrometers, and other tools together with an expert visual observation, is a crucial component of a thorough mold inquiry.
6. Ineffective Marketing
Customers frequently believe that the DIY mold testing kit they buy will specify and classify the mold types they own, however, this is not the case. The Petri dishes must be delivered to the lab for analysis, which will cost extra dollars.
7. Certain Spore Features Increase the Chance of them “Sticking”
Mold spores do not settle at the same pace because they have different weights, densities, and airflow characteristics. For instance, heavier spores quickly settle on the petri dishes and occupy a larger portion of the sample plate. Sticky molds, particularly those that suggest water damage and black mold, could be less common on DIY kits, but their absence might point to more extensive growth elsewhere.
Mold is a typical component of the environment, thus when air samples are taken from residences, they all include some degree of spore activity. Therefore, DIY kits are essentially useless for determining the intricacy of your airborne mold infestation and should only be used by experts.
Why Mold Inspection is Necessary for your Home?
You might be asking how to conduct mold inspections and what steps are needed. The best option is to hire professionals who offer mold inspection services to totally get rid of mold and mildew growth. You can save a lot of money by having mold inspections done instead of spending it later on mold removal and remediation.
Top Reasons why Mold Inspections are crucial:
- Find hidden mold growth
- Prevent severe health hazards
- Save your property’s building structure
- Save Money
- Receive Proper Mold Assessment
Mold may pose a health danger if you can see or smell it. You do not need to be aware of the sort of mold that is present in your house, and IBX Services does not advise or carry out routine mold samples. It doesn’t matter what kind of mold is present around your house.
You cannot rely on samples and culturing to determine your health risk because the impact of mold on individuals can vary substantially, depending on the amount or type of mold present.
In case you are suspecting mold and mildew growth in your home areas, do not hesitate to call IBX Services at (416) 252-5959 as they offer 24/7 assistance to these emergencies. Our mold removal experts can offer you specialized mold inspections at your commercial or residential property by using top-notch technology equipment.
For more details about mold inspections, you can send your own emergency description to IBX Services Mold Removal at [email protected]
