Everyday Activities That Lead to Mold Growth

All of the following include daily activities that lead to mold growth:

• Showers with too much steam
• Wearing shoes around the house
• Leaving the windows open

What is Mold?

Mold is a type of fungus that contains small organisms that can be found almost anywhere. They can come in a variety of colors, including white, orange, green, purple, or black. While it can cause significant damage to homes and buildings, mold plays an important role in our natural environment when it comes to decomposing dead leaves and plants. But it can also trigger a lot of health issues if not addressed in the home.

When Is Mold Growth Dangerous?

Contacting mold spores on a daily baisis can lead to breathing issues or allergies.

As all types of mold require moisture to survive, they disperse tiny spores into the breathing air. You may not notice, but you come into contact with these spores on a daily basis. However, it’s when there is a large mold colony present in the home that you will experience allergies and breathing issues. As the colony disperses large amounts of spores, mold spores can be inhaled and cause severe health effects.

Note that not everyone will be affected when inhaling mold spores of large quantities; only those who are allergic will experience the reaction. Thankfully, molds can be easily identified, such as white or black patches or orange film in moist areas like the kitchen and bathroom.

Even if you are not allergic to mold, you may notice skin, eyes, nose, and/or throat irritation when inhaling the spores. But regardless of whether you are experiencing health issues, it is highly recommended to call a mold remediation professional to address the problem.

The following are daily habits that lead to mold growth:

Showers with too much steam

Having a lot of steam in the shower can be very relaxing, but this can also promote mold growth, triggering allergies and breathing issues. As mold survives in warm, moist areas, the bathroom shower is the perfect place for it to grow quickly.

Wearing shoes around the house

It’s common for many people to wear their shoes around the house, but doing this also tracks in everything from outside, including mold spores. After the spores are tracked in, they can latch themselves to porous building materials like drywall, carpeting, and ceiling tile. From here, they will only require moisture to quickly spread to other areas.

Leaving the windows open

It’s nice to let some fresh air in the home every now and then, especially in the morning, but you should be careful how long the windows are left open. Doing this allows floating spores to come in and plant themselves around the windowsills or even in areas further inside your home.

Where Else Can Mold Grow?

Mold survives in warm, moist areas. The bathroom shower is a perfect place for it to grow quickly.

Mold can grow in any area where there is moisture in your home. Everything from windows, bathrooms, air ducts, kitchens, basements, attics, crawlspaces, the list goes on, can provide mold spores with moisture. You should be aware that mold is most common in areas that are dark and damp, such as the basement, crawlspace, and attic.

Common health issues from mold include allergies and cold symptoms, but others like ear infections and asthma can be triggered with compromised immune systems.

To prevent mold from growing, it’s important to repair any leaks or fans that clear moisture from the area. It’s also a good idea to avoid laying down carpeting in bathrooms, kitchens, basements, and other areas that are susceptible to accumulated moisture.

Mold and Structural Damage

In addition to triggering allergies, breathing issues, and even long-term health effects, mold can cause severe structural damage on the building materials on which they grow. When given an adequate source of moisture and organic food source containing cellulose, a common ingredient found in all homes and properties, the fungus will eat away at the building materials.

Areas including basements, crawlspaces, attics, and other areas with rich moisture sources face the highest risk of structural damage from mold. It’s important to inspect these areas frequently or conduct mold inspections on a regular basis.

You should also be aware that the wood used in home renovations or during building processes is not always dry when installed. Make sure that construction projects never involve damaged materials.

Finding Mold on Your Property

As there are many ways that mold can develop on your property, regardless of how it happened, it’s important to have it removed immediately. While some property owners attempt to remediate the mold themselves, others choose to hire mold removal and remediation professionals. In fact, it’s always recommended to work with restoration professionals as they use professional products and processes in order to remove the fungus at its source.

When attempting a DIY mold removal project, you may not completely remove the mold or the moisture source, leaving spores deeply embedded in the floors and allowing the mold to return in the future. Home and building owners always face this risk when trying to remove the fungus themselves.

Hire a Mold Remediation Professional

When working with a professional, you can be sure that the mold will not return in the future as their products are designed to remove mold completely. Mold removal professionals are quick to identify problem areas and will know how to remove the moisture source as well as repair the affected area, removing damaged porous materials and installing replacements.

They will also set up containment chambers and wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the mold from spreading and to protect their health during the process. After the mold has been completely removed from the affected area, they will work with your insurance provider during the claims process to make matters easier for you.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.