Getting to the source of a problem is the best way to solve it. If you want to prevent mold from growing in your home, you need to understand what causes mold in your home and how it grows.
Many people call Pure Maintenance saying things like:
“I need someone to look at my bathroom. I clean it constantly and the mold keeps coming back! What is wrong with my bathroom?!”
And the answer is, there may be nothing wrong with your bathroom! But there may be something wrong with your home!
Let me explain.
When a home is new, it has about the same “mold load” as outside air.
What is mold load? After performing thousands of mold inspections, Mike Adams (the founder of Pure Maintenance) coined the term “Mold Load.” Mold load is a holistic way of looking at a home rather than viewing it one wall or one room at a time. Think of it as the amount of mold in the air and in thousands of places throughout the home.
Where to check for mold in your home
As the home ages, it forms microscopic “mold factories” in high moisture areas where mold survives and grows.
- bathrooms (showers, bathtubs, toilets, towels, etc.)
- window sills (especially north facing)
- front load washing machines
- sink drains
- bath drains
- floor drains
- HVAC mounted humidifiers
- HVAC ducting
- … and so on
Your home is much like your body – anything that affects your circulatory system affects the rest of your body. If you have mold in a part of your home it will affect other parts.
The microscopic “mold factories” throughout your home release spores which move room to room and from one level to another. These spores spread throughout the house settling on walls, furniture, windows, carpets, clothing, etc.
Most spores will settle in dry locations and be unable to grow. But just because they’re unable to grow doesn’t mean they’re dead. In fact, mold doesn’t die on its own, it exists in one of three states…
- dormant
- growing
- releasing spores
Mold Doesn’t Die Naturally
Eventually, a “water event” such as a leak, a flood or the more common high humidity, condensation, etc. will come along that provides the ideal conditions for the dormant mold spores to “awaken” and start growing aggressively.
Over time, the amount of mold and mycotoxins will reach a tipping point where you can see (and maybe even smell) it. At this point, the mold load is at a critical level.
Remember, mold is not visible until it’s out of control, and mold can be out of control and still not visible. The cumulative effect of all the areas of “slight” mold growth is significant.
High mold load is why some old homes have a musty, dank odor that some refer to as “grandma’s musty basement.” It’s actually the mold load that has built up over many years.
Even really good water damage restoration will only restore you to the pre-event mold load status. More often than not, though, it worsens the problem causing the mold load to increase.