MOLD REMEDIATION

Mold loves moisture. Extreme humidity is the main condition for the appearance of mold. It is not necessarily that the dampness rules in all your house, wet wall or corner will be enough for mold growing. Relative humidity more than 65% is considered increased. 

Humidity is associated with two features of microclimate. First is the freezing of walls, corners, windows. Condensation is formed because of the temperature changes. Second – unwealthy ventilation that cannot provide balanced air circulation in the apartment.  Wet air does not dilute fresh or remove from the room.

• Increased humidity (frequently point: leaks).
• Poor ventilation (increases humidity and hampers air renewal).
• Unequal room heating or local overcooling.

In order to successfully deal with mold, it is necessary to remove the specified causes of mold appearing. There are some typical cases of the appearance of mold in apartments and private houses. Top three reasons are above mentioned; however, specific examples will help to determine the source of the problem.

• Remove sources of increased humidity in the apartment or house (leakage).
• The air conditioner does not getting rid of mold in the house, in definition of the common mistake. Yes, it cools the air, therefore helping to reduce humidity in it. However, the air conditioner does not update the air in the room, but only runs it in a circle together with the mold spots in it. Such air must leave into the hood and be replaced fresh – and this is impossible without correct ventilation.
• Maintain thermal balance. Eliminate heat leaks, fill gapes with sealant and do not allow walls or windows to cool.

The most obvious difference is the color of the mold formations. Let’s observe the types of fungus, relying on it, as the simplest sign.

Black 

The most widespread and most dangerous of all types of mold. Usually appears in large numbers on walls and ceilings. At first glance, it seems that the spots are the same, but in fact they can belong to different groups. Of the variety of subspecies of this mold, aspergillus niger is considered the most common. It poses a particular danger to humans and animals, as it causes diseases consonant with the name – aspergillosis.

Green

Green mold (ascomycetes) spreads primarily in organic materials, soil or compost. However, they also do not disdain products, they can settle in vegetables as well. In appearance, these molds resemble deep green moss with an uneven surface. Green mold spreads quickly enough both in the contaminated product also in the human body, getting there with food.

Pink

It does not spoil the surface, like many other species, does not settle on the ceiling and walls, and does not even adduce a particular danger to humans (but it is still not recommended to eat food with it). It appears mainly on plant residues and rotten products (spoiled vegetables, fruits, in rare cases – cereals that have been wrongly stored).

White

White mold (mukor) almost always infects trees, houseplants and the soil in which they grow. White mold likes some products like cheese and bread. Not considered extremely dangerous, but sometimes it can affect some internal organs. This usually happens rarely with people whose body has very weak protective functions.

Blue

Rarely appears in houses, does not pose a danger to humans. It grows mainly on trees and is used in the production of exquisite cheeses. The appearance is a bloom of blue.

Gray

Gray (saprophytic) mushrooms look like a simple bloom. Settles on almost any surface and covers a variety of materials. Sometimes it infects food (vegetables, fruits) and spreads through flower seeds.

Mold can multiply on most porous surfaces where there is damp stagnant air. While it prefers temperatures above 60 degrees, it can also grow in cold temperatures, which is why it can be found in a refrigerator. Most often, however, it is found in the following places: 

• Wallpaper and drywall
• Ductwork and ceiling tiles
• Carpet, drapes and furniture
• Attics, basements and crawlspaces
• Books and magazines(anything made of paper or organic material)

The effects of mold not only include the potential for structural damage to your home. If you are in the market to sell, undetected mold can dramatically lower the value of your home. Some real estate agents believe the presence of mold can drop the value of a home up to 10 percent.

The smell of mold is reminiscent of the smell of stagnant water: raw and pungent.  This is the smell of mycotoxins that the fungus excretes. They are very dangerous.

If possible, identify the source of the odor. There may be a smell of clothes that have not been dried well after washing and put away in the closet, spoiled foods that should never be eaten. Eventually, the smell spreads through the apartment infected by fungus.

First of all, deal with the source: throw away the food, wash things again with powder and conditioner, and then dry and iron. We have devoted this material to methods of fighting with mold in an apartment. Ventilation and household aromatic products – air fresheners, candles will help to remove the smell.

Antiseptics to combat mold are divided into turpentine, white spirit and water-soluble. The latter, naturally, are less toxic. If you do not carry out a partial cleaning from mold, but repair in the house, then it is good to purchase a product designed to be added to putty, whitewash and water dispersion paints. Use antiseptics to remove mold should be clearly according to the instructions, with gloves, covered clothes, and sometimes even in a protective mask. Some drugs can be very toxic. 

Before applying the selected composition, you must completely remove the fungus. If the lesion is small, then you can try to just wash off the mold with a detergent and a sponge, and then dry this place. If the damage to the fungus is strong, then you will have to remove the mold along with the plaster, wallpaper and paint.

There are many ways to fight the mold. Everybody chooses their own way to fight it. But in any case, the mold will not disappear on its own. Therefore, when it appears, you should immediately take some actions. If to make everything quickly and correctly, then soon it will be possible to forget about this problem.

Almost no one argues that apartment mold is somehow, dangerous to human health. But few people know that when its spores get into the body, they do not just begin to revive, gain strength and grow into vast colonies in excellent anaerobic conditions, at an optimal temperature and sufficient humidity.

Along with this, they effectively stimulate cancerous mutations in cells. This conclusion reached by us specialists working in the field of human habitat safety. Having studied the main types of mold, which tend to inhabit the apartments of people, they discovered about a hundred toxic compounds with properties that provoke and develop oncology.

The most dangerous toxins among them is aflatoxin, which provokes the development of oncology in the liver. Natural penicillin has a complex, coherent structure. They, like a sponge, absorb environmentally hazardous pollution and have a double or triple harmful effect on health, manifested in allergic reactions that affect the skin, cause asthmatic components and oncology of the respiratory and circulatory systems.

Therefore, any “fluffy or slimy” scraps or spots found on appliances, wall surfaces, in the corners of rooms, and especially in an old refrigerator or on the surfaces of kitchen furniture, should be considered an emergency and a threat to safety and health.

The most frequent calls to the ambulance team for exacerbation of bronchial asthma and severe allergic reactions in cities occur at night. People sleep on synthetic bed linens, permeated with invisible fungal fibers, and probably do not realize that these cells freely droop through the skin and grow into the tissues of internal organs.

• While sleeping, invisible mold affects:
• The vascular system;
• kidneys and urinary tracts (signs of cystitis are found);
• Respiratory systems;
• Joints (articulations) auditory and visual apparatus the brain.