Mold Facts

     Molds can be found wherever there is moisture, oxygen, and something to feed on. In the fall, they grow on rotting logs and fallen leaves, especially in moist, shady areas. In gardens, they can be found in compost piles and on certain grasses and weeds. Molds grow in our homes in moist warm areas like damp basements, closets, and bathrooms, even after the moisture has dried up. Also, molds can grow in places where fresh food is stored, refrigerator drip trays, house plants, humidifiers, garbage pails, mattresses, upholstered furniture, or foam rubber pillows. The worst place that molds can grow, however, is inside wall cavities and flooring of our homes, wherever there may be cellulose materials they can feed on, such as wood, ceiling tiles, or plasterboard, even if they are not visible, and they have sustained water damage at one time or another. This is very common if there has been a plumbing leak or an inadequate roof.

Humidity Readings

    The presence of visible mold in a home is always the result of excessive moisture. Relative humidity above 60% in the home or materials and structural components that have a surface moisture greater than 20% provide an environment that is conducive to mold growth (water is the problem; mold is a symptom)

Reasons to be Concerned About Mold

    Molds produce spores, very tiny particles which become invisible airborne particulate, similar to asbestos or lead particles. The spores sometimes contain chemicals, designed to kill other competing life forms.

These substances are known as:

• Mycotoxins; adversely affect human health.
• Aflatoxins (carcinogenic); are also another source of mold
• Trichothecenes (inhibit protein synthesis, immunological suppression)

While not all molds produce such mycotoxins, all mold spores contain other substances irritating to the human respiratory tract, and can elicit allergic symptoms in sensitive individuals.

Remodeling Your Bathroom: Finding Mold?

    Many homeowners enjoy doing their remodeling, but there are others who feel as if they opened up a can of worms. Those homeowners are likely the unlucky bunch who found unexpected mold in their bathroom. Before you familiarize yourself with what you should do if you find mold in your bathroom, it is important to examine what mold it is. This fungus not only looks unattractive, but it can be dangerous. Unfortunately, due to the moisture that can be found inside most bathrooms, mold can be found in thousands of bathrooms in the United States. If you start to remodel your bathroom and you find mold under your toilet or even under you floor tiles, there is a good chance that you may have mold infestation. This is because on the surface you can clean mold off of tile with a household disinfectant, but, if you lift tiles and find mold underneath you may want to have it further tested because as you know mold will grow where ever there is moisture, absence of light, and a food source, and, what is underneath the bathroom tile? Everything mold needs to flourish. once Mold spores are airborne, they are easily transferred. By lifting a tile and exposing mold into the open air, you can greatly increase the chances of that transfer.

We at MLS Testing are not in the business to promote scare tactics, we simply want you to know the truth. Did you know that not all Black Molds are toxic? In fact we can’t live without mold. The fungi world is used by us humans for everyday medicinal purposes.