What Is Mold?

So, what is mold? Mold is  a fungus that can grow on different surfaces in different ways and in an impressive range of colours!

Mildew is often confused with mold in the house, but although both are fungus, they differ in where they grow and how they look.  Mildew will usually be white or a grayish in color while mold tends to be green, blue, red or sometimes black.

Scarily, there are more than one hundred thousand living species of fungus that we know of and probably hundreds of thousands more that remain unidentified. Where plants will produce their own food, a fungus will gain their nutrients from living or dead matter.

Fungus does have a use in our world by being able to break-down dead organic matter and return it to the earth.

For fungi to spread it needs moisture in the air and then it will spread by spores in the air that are naked to the human eye.  Spores will always be present, but to keep them from getting out of control to stop mold in the house, keep the atmosphere dry and aired.

If you are reading this, it’s likely you have already asked yourself ‘what is mold’ and have arrived at these pages because you have a problem with mold in the home. Hopefully, you will find the information you need on these pages or on our parent site at http://www.gettingridofmold.org

Black Mold Removal Basics

Of all the molds you could find, black mold is perhaps the least desirable. It has been linked to lung problems and can even be life threatening for some individuals. For these reasons it is important to begin black mold removal as soon as the problem is identified. A black mold test performed by a professional in the industry can help you figure out if the type of mold infesting your home is indeed dangerous black mold. Black mold house infestation can be mild or severe, and the severity is what determines the best course of action to take.

For more on Black Mold Removal CLICK HERE.

Discount Dehumidifiers For Allergy Relief

Discount dehumidifiers are all over the place on the internet. All you have to do is do a search for them and you will be inundated with sites that offer sometimes substantial discounts on all different brands and models.

Budgets are tight all around and it makes so much sense to try to save money. That is probably one reason why you are looking into discount dehumidifiers, to save some money on your air conditioning bill.

I think we all agree that humidity is very uncomfortable and sticky. But did you know that it is also a breeding ground for dust mites, mold, and mildew?. Allergens like these can make allergy sufferers absolutely miserable. It is bad enough outside, why not do something to give yourself some relief inside your home?

A dehumidifier can help with these allergy symptoms and make you feel more comfortable all the way a round.

The benefits of dehumidifying your home goes a lot farther than allergy relief, however. Decreasing the amount of moisture in your home will also save on costly repairs. If you have blinds or drapes over your windows you can probably see some condensation on the window pane.

This means that the humidity in your home is too high and you need a dehumidifier to control it. If this condensation is allowed to stay there, if your windows are made of wood, the wood will eventually rot and you will have to replace your windows probably years sooner than you normally would.

If you run a dehumidifier in your home you should keep the level of humidity about 35%-50%. This will not only save you from allergens but it will also save you from those costly repair or replacement bills.

Some of the humidity in your house does come in from outside every time someone opens a door or window, but the majority of the humidity in your house comes just from everyday living. Every time someone takes a shower, or you cook dinner, or dry clothes in your dryer you are putting a lot of moisture in the air.

Proper ventilation will help like turning on the exhaust fan when you shower, and running the one on the stove if it is vented outside, mine isn’t so when the fan is running it vents it all right back into the house, not cool. Make sure your dryer is properly vented to the outside of your house.

Another huge culprit for holding the humidity inside your home is your carpet. This is probably the place where most of the dust mites hang out, too. The carpet fibers themselves could be making all your allergy symptoms worse as well.

Go check out some nice laminate flooring and either put it in yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Your allergy symptoms may not disappear completely but you should notice some relief. All this plus finding a decent discount dehumidifier will help decrease the level of humidity in your home.

Crawl Space Dehumidifier-Aid In Mold Prevention

Crawl spaces can be creepy places and when they’re wet and musty as well, they can be even more so. That musty smell is most likely because of mildew and mold that has grown in it’s preferred environment, a wet one. If your crawl space is like this, then you could wish to consider purchasing a crawl space dehumidifier.

Crawl spaces are dark, cramped and hard to work in but if you are going to fix the issue you’re likely to have to get in there and get busy.

Initially, assess the situation, get sufficient light in there to see well and search around to see if there is any standing water anyplace. If there is, then mop it up with a rag or towel. If it returns then try to figure out why. Check pipes for leaks and fix them yourself or hire a person to come in to fix them before you go any further. If the pipes are totally free of leaks then search for a way for rain or snow to get in from the outside.

The puddles may possibly only be as a result of condensation or even the ground water. In these cases the dehumidifier will only do so much. You’ll probably have to encapsulate your crawl space to get it to remain dry.

Just before you get to work on the encapsulation, run the crawl space dehumidifier for a few days to make your working conditions just a little better. Do not forget to empty the collection compartment or you’ll just have to begin all over again.

Next, you have to make the floor of the crawl space as level achievable to help the puddles stay away. You could even bring in some sand or use several bags of cat litter to help absorb moisture on the dirt floor of your crawl space.

Now you have to get the liner inside and fasten it to the walls by using an industrial adhesive. The liner you use ought to be antimicrobial and have zero permeability. If this is confusing for you ask an professional. The liner ought to be installed no less than 18 inches up the walls of the crawl space.

Ensure to overlap the liner on the walls and when you roll it out on the floor. Secure the seams with duct tape to avoid gaps. This really is certainly not a one day job but when it is all carried out you will have a good, dry, far better smelling crawl space and will have successfully saved yourself a great deal of repairs as mildew and mold will destroy wood along with other materials utilized to develop your house.

When the crawl space is dry and encapsulated, you need to still run the dehumidifier as needed to maintain it from getting musty again. Keep in mind, if the crawl space is cool, and it probably is, make sure the crawl space dehumidifier is one that can operate efficiently at low temperatures so it does not freeze up. If it freezes up it will not perform as efficiently as it ought to and could even shut down totally.

You will discover more about coping with crawl space mold and other mold problems by visiting our main site www.gettingridofmold.org