Can I Stay in My House with Black Mold?

SECTION 1 BLACK MOULD

Black mold is a type of fungus dark green or black in appearance. It thrives in dark damp conditions, often in showers and baths, kitchens, and basements. It is common in humid climates like tropical wet areas. Mold can trigger severe allergies, and can cause asthma to emerge in sufferers of the condition. However, mold is extremely unsightly and smells strange, so it is important to get rid of it from your house before the children, and asthmatics start wheezing and sneezing and exhibiting signs of asthma that the mold appears to trigger.

According to Healthline, and based on studies, there is no evidence that mycotoxins produced by mold cause disease. However, toxic signs of black mold in air vents, crawl spaces, and the bathroom is unsightly and the problem should be addressed, as it is not good to breathe it into our lungs.

CAN I STAY IN MY HOUSE WITH BLACK MOLD?

Yes, you can stay in your house with black mold. However, mold needs to be eliminated to avoid allergies and asthma. If you have young children, they shouldn’t be subjected to mold, so you must plan to eliminate the mold fast. Any room showing signs of black mold should be closed off and treated to get rid of the mold. The mold is often caused by water damage, and unless the leak or source is eliminated the mold will just keep coming back. if you are not sure where the black mold is originating from these are the most common places to find it.

• Under flooring, rising damp
• Around window frames in bedrooms
• Shower Recesses
• Basement
• Attic

In old houses where damp courses were not always installed, you see the rising dampness and the black mold growing in the wet patches. When you walk into a damp house you can smell the mold, and it smells musty, and family members will often show signs of allergy when they come into contact with it.

The mold is extremely unhygienic and unsightly, and you don’t want to see it in your home. if you find that you have damp issues, either get them treated or move house, as untreated mold will get into your soft furnishings and clothing as well.

MOLD AND ALLERGIES

Some people do have mold allergies and toxic signs of black mold allergy are:

• wheezing
• coughing
• red itchy eyes
• constant sore throat
• skin rash
• asthma attacks

People with low immunity are at risk of fungal infections which can include lung infections due to mold.

A study carried out in 2016 on school children found that high mold levels in children led to asthma. Often mold was found in the mattress, so if the mattress gets wet it really needs to be replaced. While our children are still developing immunity ( the immune system is not fully developed until the child is 7 years of age), they should be kept right away from mold exposure, as it can be damaging to the young respiratory systems.

If you have concerns about mold allergies, your Doctor can diagnose mold allergy with a blood test. Corticosteroid sprays can be given to reduce inflammation in the airways.

MOLD CONCERNS IN YOUR HOME HOW TO STOP MOLD

If your house is damp, and you have concerns about mold, bring in an expert to conduct an assessment. You may only have a small area of mold, in this case, it can be cleaned down and ventilated, making sure that it goes away. if you are closing a room down to treat it. Remove all objects from the area that have not been affected by mold. Scrub and disinfect the surfaces using a bleach solution.

Any leaking pipes or rising damp that is harboring the mold must be fixed now. As if they are left, the mold will continue to grow.

It is almost impossible to prevent mold from forming in damp areas,

SECTION 2 CONTROLLING BLACK MOLD

In some houses with poor ventilation systems, it is very difficult to prevent mold, and it does keep coming back.

• keep fans running in bathrooms and other wet areas. to increase airflow
• use a dehumidifier to keep indoor relative humidity below 50 percent.
• use an indoor air purifier with a HEPA Filter.
• make sure that rain gutters are cleared and not blocking water flow.
• never leave piles of books and newspapers on the floor, keep the floors free of clutter.
• prevent indoor mold by regularly cleaning your home, and eliminating any outbreaks before they spread.

If the mold issue is serious, it should be left to the experts to eliminate it, and they will recommend that you do the following to stop reoccurrence.

• treat water damage, do you need a new roof?
• Control moisture by controlling humidity
• Undertake regular cleaning of window sills and bathrooms
• No one wants to breathe in mold spores so apply some bleach to outbreaks.
• Place damp rid containers in all wardrobes and clothing cupboards, and monitor them regularly, if they are full of water change them.

The second thing after moisture, that mold needs to grow is warmth or the right growing temperature. keep your air conditioning unit quite cold and the mold will stop spreading, but the spores still need to be removed.

If you have a heated swimming pool attached to your house, this is another breeding ground for mold, unless it is cleaned regularly.

The bad thing about mold is that given optimal conditions it can spread very quickly and before long it will be right through the house.

If you ever see any mold growing on foods, like cheese, don’t eat it, discard it immediately, as food should be kept in the refrigerator to prevent this from happening. The mold spores could make you sick if ingested. Mold feeds on plant-based stuff, meaning that most things in the house, so it does take hold fast.

SECTION 3 CAN I STAY IN MY HOUSE WITH BLACK MOLD?

Although you can stay in your house with black mold it is not a healthy option, and you will probably start to experience allergy symptoms that can be quite debilitating. So you do need help to get rid of the mold and to successfully do this you will require the services of a mold remediation team. If you are attempting to remove the mold yourself you will require full PPE (personal protective equipment), goggles, a gown a face mask, and gloves.

To clean surface mold spores, use a vinegar solution on a sponge cloth. 1 cup of vinegar mixed with 1 gallon of water and wipe away the spores leaving the surface clean. Ultimately it is a better option to call in the experts to deal with the issue and in a lot of old areas like the attic black mold vs dust, making black mold in the attic extremely common and needs thorough remediation. Sometimes it also grows in the air ducts of the conditioning system, and these should also be cleaned regularly with a recommended solution. If your family home is very old and has not been cleaned properly for years, the chances are that black mold is in the crawl space and all through the house. It is probably not going to be possible for you to remove it yourself without retaining the services of a mold removal company.

CLEANING SHOWER AND SILICONE OF BLACK MOLD

You should be able to rid the shower and shower silicone of black mold by cleaning it thoroughly every week, using white vinegar to eradicate all signs of mold. Pour the undiluted white vinegar into a spray bottle and wear your PPE, and spray over the black mold. Let it sit for one hour and then scrub at any stubborn black marks before hosing it off again. Any remaining areas should be immediately retreated and scrubbed with a scrub brush before being hosed off again. The smell of the vinegar will disappear after a while and the shower and shower grout will stay clean for about a week when you will need to repeat the process. The hardware store also sells products to remove black mold, that appear to be bleach-based, however, the vinegar is just as effective. After you finish the treatment on the silicone, dry it out well, you may need to put the hot lights on for a while, as this will stop the mold from coming back.

If you use a bleach product, bleach is quite toxic, and we are discouraged from allowing it to enter the waterways.

BLACK MOLD IN THE ATTIC

If you have recently bought an old house you will find it smells musty and will possibly have found black mold in the attic. Over the years it bonds with the dust and will need a thorough clean-out before reinsulating the attic space. Black mold vs dust is a nasty combination, and if you can access the attic easily take the vacuum up there and clean out all the layers of dirt. Be sure to wear your PPE up there as there will be spiders amongst the layers of dust and mold. Once you have finished vacuuming you will be ready to wash out the attic space with vinegar. Once again place the vinegar solution in a spray bottle and spray the whole area, let it sit for an hour then wipe it clean. Bring a blower up to thoroughly dry the area, and once the mold is gone, call in a roofer to professionally insulate the space. Proper insulation will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. The good news is you won’t have any more black mold up there under the roof, which is a common area for black mold to spread from.

If you are young and fit, you may be able to remove mold from your home yourself. However, for older people, the problem can be overwhelming and it is easier to just pay for the services of a remediation team and leave it to the experts. Every year they will be able to come in and make sure that the mold stays in check, as once they are in your home they know where to look for mold outbreaks, and how to manage them.

PREVENT MOLD FROM RETURNING

PAINTING YOUR HOME

• If you are painting your home, there is an additive to put in the paint that prevents mold. When you choose your colors and have the paint mixed at the store, ask for the additive to be included. Old houses are prone to black mold and the additive will keep it away. If you have removed mold from a wall prior to painting, the wall may need 2 days to dry thoroughly before you apply the paint, if you paint a damp wall, it will peel.
• If you get mold on your favorite clothing or upholstery you can remove it, by applying 1 cup of vinegar to the washing machine or alternately sponging down the couch with a vinegar solution. Freshly washed clothing is best dried in the hot sunshine, as this will kill off the mold spores.
• Black mold is damaging to your home, and should always be removed whenever you notice it as if left unchecked can ruin your possessions.
• If you notice mold on wooden furniture, sponge the wood down with a solution of dish soap and water, then towel dry it thoroughly before applying some furniture polish. Never use bleach on wood.

CONCLUSION

In some climates, keeping black mold at bay is an ongoing battle, but there are times when you can’t do it all yourself, and need to call in the experts to solve the problem. Black mold in the attic should be dealt with by an expert company, and the reason is the spores all float downwards

and will contaminate and spread the black mold around the rest of the house. Once this happens it is very hard to get rid of the mold totally.

Any furnishing with mold spots on them should be placed in the bright sunlight for a couple of hours. As the rays of the sun will kill the spores.