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The Negative Effects of Mold on Your Family and Pets

You’ve invested a lot of time and money to create a safe, comfortable home to raise your family. Did you know that inadequate humidity control or water damage can put all your efforts at risk? The cause of concern is mold. Mold is found abundantly in nature, and its job is to break down organic materials outside. When mold spores make their way indoors and multiply unchecked, they cause health issues for you, your family and pets.

How Mold Impacts Your Family’s Health and Wellbeing

Mold spores enter your home with outdoor air that comes inside when you open windows, doors, and patio enclosures. The spores are microscopic and attach to clothing, shoes, and pets that have been exposed to outdoor air. When the spores find moist surfaces or humid environments in your home, particularly those caused by water damage, they multiply and cause trouble. There are thousands of mold species, and 80 of them are known to cause serious health problems. The mold spores that take over your home can range from allergenic mold to toxic mold.

Here are some common health risks of allergenic mold that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control identified.

– Sneezing
– Runny nose
– Skin rashes
– Wheezing and asthma attacks
– Nasal congestion
– Lung infections

These symptoms of exposure to toxic mold species were found by the Cleveland Clinic for Continuing Education and other industry experts.

– Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
– Nose bleeds
– Vomiting
– Nausea
– Persistent headaches
– Bleeding in lungs

According to Dr. Karen Becker at Mercola, pets suffer much from exposure to mold. These signs indicate mold poisoning in pets.

-Rapid breathing or wheezing
– Bleeding from nose or mouth
– Lost appetite
– Vomiting
– Tremors
– Seizures

Importance of Timely Mold Removal

Mold spores multiply fast when sources of moisture are available to them. It’s impossible to completely remove mold from your home, but you can bring mold back to safe, natural levels indoors by performing mold remediation activities. The dangerous medical conditions that long-term exposure to mold causes make fast mold remediation a priority for homeowners. Timely, comprehensive mold removal can also protect your home’s market value.

Why Hire a Professional for Mold Removal?

Mold remediation specialists have the knowledge, skills, and equipment to assess a mold situation quickly and create an effective solution. Trained technicians use sensitive test instruments that show the locations and amounts of mold in your home. While you can see some mold in wet areas in your house such as bathrooms and basements, you’ll miss mold that’s hidden in your air conditioning ducts or behind walls. Experts remove mold from those hard-to-reach areas, and they avoid spreading spores to uncontaminated places throughout your home. After mold cleaning and removal treatments, they’ll show you how to cut moisture levels in your home to prevent future mold infestations.

If you’re looking for an experienced, reliable mold specialist in or around Prior Lake, contact SOS Cleaning and Restoration. We have experience with turning water-damaged houses back into homes.

References:

https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-and-health
https://www.cdc.gov/mold/dampness_facts.htm
https://www.activebeat.com/your-health/6-health-symptoms-of-prolonged-mold-exposure/3/
https://www.hgtv.com/remodel/interior-remodel/black-mold-symptoms-and-health-effects
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/06/09/pets-toxic-mold-exposure.aspx
https://www.onlinelawyersource.com/toxic-mold/types/