Advice From An Expert on Mold and Damp Indoor/Outdoor Environments

First, it’s best to start by avoiding neglecting a potential mold problem. Mold contamination and allergic reactions to mold are more common than you might think. It can be immediate or delayed. Mold can also trigger asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of people who are allergic and non-allergic to mold.

Mold growth can lead to an organic breakdown of specific structures, such as hardwood floors, drywall, and other organic forms. Also, in-home construction can lead to the replacement of property and create increased expenses for the house and more significant financial pressure on whoever bears the cost.

Mold belongs to the Kingdom of Fungi and thrives in moist areas, such as soil, plants, and dead or decaying matter. Molds are found outdoors in trees, grasses, and dead leaves during rainy seasons and tend to grow on rooftops or window frames during hot summers. Molds are everywhere around us, including in our homes and indoor surroundings. They live in warm and damp places, such as carpets, attics, and bathrooms, wherever there is a humid environment.

Molds are a natural part of the environment found almost anywhere where moisture and oxygen are present. They belong to the kingdom of Fungi and live in moist places such as soil, plants, and dead or decaying matter.

Since mold growth requires moisture, the key is to get rid of that moisture fast and not just because of mold; other advantages of drying faster and early are the prevention of:

  • Rust of metal handles, doors, and other metal structures

  • Damage to electronic devices

  • Irreversible swelling of porous building materials

Best dehumidifier for mold: AlorAir, Ebac, or SPT

Molds are common in buildings and homes. Mold grows in places with a lot of moisture, such as leaks in roofs, windows, pipes, or areas where flooding has occurred. Mold grows well on paper products like cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood. Mold can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.

Mold found in both indoor/outdoor environments can enter your home through open doorways, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning systems. Mold in the air outside can also attach itself to clothing, shoes, and pets that can carry it indoors. When mold spores drop on places with excessive moisture, such as where leakage may have occurred in roofs, pipes, walls, plant pots, or where there has been flooding, they will grow.

Many building materials provide applicable, suitable nutrients that encourage mold to grow. Wet cellulose materials, including paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products, are particularly conducive to the growth of some molds. Other materials such as dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery also support mold growth.

AlorAir, Ebac, or SPT dehumidifiers help remove excess moisture from the air. An AlorAir, Ebac, or SPT dehumidifier may be helpful if you live in a humid climate or your home has recently had a leak or flooding. Excessively moist air can cause mold and dust mites to thrive in your home, causing allergic reactions and triggering severe asthma symptoms.

You may remember the water cycle from elementary school science: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Although you might not realize it, the water cycle always takes place while you breathe in air, even when you spend time inside. “Humidity” is a measure of water vapor in the air. Dehumidifiers remove or minimize this water vapor. Therefore, reducing the chance of mold infestation.