The Benefits Of Mold Testing
Mold is not a harmless substance, and mold growth should never be ignored. If left unchecked, mold growth can damage your home, your possessions, and even your health. If the air quality in your home is affected by the presence of allergic or toxic molds, then immediate action must be taken to keep indoor mold to safe, natural levels. Of course, a problem that you don’t even know about is not one that you can eliminate. So mold testing the first step in ridding your home of unhealthy mold growth. Continue reading →
Your basement is a paradise for disgusting mold and mildew. Mold is a fungus that feeds on moisture. And your basement is one of the most moisture prone areas in your entire home. Mold and mildew are not only gross, they can also have a serious impact on your family’s health. In addition, unchecked mold and mildew growth can damage your possessions and lead to pricey home repairs. If you want to control mold and mildew in your basement, the first step is to control moisture build up. By taking the right precautions, you can banish basement mold and mildew from your basement. 
There’s a lot more to your house or apartment than just the areas you normally see. There are spaces between every wall, spaces above and below your furniture, cabinets, and large appliances, and air ducts in every room. Just because you can’t see mold growing anywhere doesn’t mean it’s not there, and in fact most professionals expect a certain amount of harmless mold growth within just a few years of a building’s construction. 
In one sense, mold is a bit like water. In small amounts, no mold is actually dangerous, but if you find yourself surrounded by huge amounts, a real health hazard exists. On the other hand, there are particular types of mold that present a higher health risk, because in addition to simply producing spores that people should not be breathing, the spores themselves contain “mycotoxins,” essentially substances that are poisonous to the human body. Keep in mind, ALL molds are unhealthy in large amounts, but these two types of mold in particular can cause illnesses at a faster, more serious rate. 
For most people, the easiest way to test for mold also probably means that the problem is very severe. Being able to see mold all over the walls, or smell a powerful, musty odor means that the mold infestation is already at a serious stage. By the time it hits this stage, a serious mold remediation process is called for, and there’s little choice but to bring in the experts. 
Humidity is one a regularly occurring phenomena that everyone is familiar with, though not everyone necessarily understands the full import of what it can do. The concept of humidity doesn’t seem especially harmful, after all, moisture in the air doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, but in the long run, it can lead to the damage of wood, or make conditions within a home more inviting to hazardous organisms like mold. The most common solution to a problem of excessive, regular humidity is a device called a dehumidifier, but does it really work? 
More so than any other insect, termites are a bane to the homeowner. While other infestations like ants and cockroaches are an unsightly and unwanted addition to any house, these pests mainly eat the same sorts of food as humans and do minimal damage to the building. On the other hand, termites consume the very walls themselves. 
In most modern homes, the insulation material of choice is fiberglass. The layers upon layers of tiny mineral fibers are great at trapping air to create a barrier that keeps cold air in and warm air out – or vice versa. But as far as moisture and mold control go, fiberglass leaves something to be desired. 
One of the things that home or building owners hear a lot of is the danger of mold building up in a structure. But what is mold exactly? And why is it really that harmful? The answers aren’t always simple, but we believe more information means more informed decisions, so we’re going to explain the fundamentals of mold and the risk it carries. 
In crawlspaces, dark corners, and cracks especially, mold can be pretty difficult to spot. At AA Action Waterproofing, we know how dangerous the presence of mold can be in the home, and how important it is to remediate it, but the latter can be difficult if you’re not sure where to look or what you’re looking for. We want to outline some of the most common signs that you’re dealing with mold, as this will help you to know when it’s time to call in the professionals for a mold inspection and remediation service.