There’s an undeniable link between air quality in the home and overall health, and poor air quality can lead to a number of unpleasant medical symptoms. A common problem in homes that can reduce air quality is mold, especially if it’s growing in your HVAC system and spores are being blown around by your vents and ducts.
Even though mold in the home is problematic, there are signs you can look for that indicate a problem, and there are experts out there who can help with remediation if you do have mold in the house.
Health: There Are Medical Issues Associated with Mold Exposure
Mold is a common allergen, so if one or more person in your house often experiences cold-like symptoms, it’s possible that a mold allergy is parading around as an illness. Mold allergies tend to produce symptoms similar to regular seasonal allergies, including:
· Nasal congestion and runny nose
· Sneezing
· Sore eyes
· Itchy skin
· Exacerbated asthma symptoms
· Coughing
· Sore throat
Two telltale signs of a mold allergy are that the person suffering will start to feel better outside your Belleville, NJ house, where the air quality is better, or if more than one person in the family is going through the same experience when nobody is actually sick.
Visible Signs: You Might Be Able to See if There’s Mold in Your House
Mold isn’t invisible, and although it will often grow in areas where it’s difficult to see (like under floors and behind walls), it can just as easily grow in visible places where it will leave a trail.
Mold can often be found on porous surfaces like wood, paper, drywall, and grout, and it will look like a stain or spot that can come in many different colors.
Some of the most common colors for mold include black, gray-green or gray-brown, white, and even orange and purple (especially on wallpaper). Mold can also look like a foam coating on the inside of HVAC vents or ducts, and this is a definite indication that your air quality is being affected.
Odor: Mold Has an Obstinate and Lingering Smell
You know when you walk into a basement and are hit by that stale and musty smell that’s characteristic of older homes? That’s the smell of mold, and if you smell that in your house and can’t get rid of the odor, it’s a sure-fire sign that there’s mold in the house.
When this happens, you have to perform a thorough inspection to locate the problem area, which is typically somewhere warm and damp, such as attics, basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, areas where there’s water present, and places that have experienced water damage or flooding.
Mold exposure can reduce the air quality in your home and cause unpleasant allergy symptoms, and it’s crucial to be able to identify the signs of mold growth in the home. The most common signs include visible cues, a musty smell, and allergy symptoms that get better away from the home. When any of these signs are present, you should perform an inspection yourself or call a mold remediation company or HVAC company to inspect your home and ductwork and fix the problem.
