Sunday, January 8, 2012

Methods for Testing for Mold

You should always treat mold with the utmost of concern. Most people know that mold is not nice to look at, but they don’t always realize that mold can cause health complications. You can avoid all of these worries if you have your home tested for mold on a regular basis.

For example, most common breathing concerns are often a direct result of mold. A common side effect of exposure to airborne mold is random sneezing. Also look out for coughing, sneezing, watering eyes, skin problems and breathing issues.

Checking for spores in the air in your home is the fundamental step of checking for mold. Professional mold testers have enough experience to conduct these sensitive tests. Almost all tests reveal that there is mold present in the air, but you then need to determine if it is dangerous or not.

You are probably not at risk, but there is toxic mold out there that you really need to avoid. If your mold contains mycotoxins, it can be extremely dangerous. These are what toxic mold testing kits hope to identify and detect, since experts believe that mycotoxins can cause neurologic illnesses and even deaths.

If the level of mold has become worse than normal, a mold inspection could become necessary. These mold inspections are quite an ordeal, and they involve an extensive visual examination of your home. With the help of specialized tools, the aim is to photograph and diagnose the infestation, send off samples to a lab for testing, and then to eradicate the problem.

Unfortunately, these contractors don’t come cheap. You should only consider an inspection if you really have no other choice. Thankfully you have a lot of other options.

Start by educating yourself about mold in general. Mold likes areas that are dark, wet, and warm, and can survive in open air environments too. And since these organisms love living in damp areas, check for leaky vents, faucets and showers, and fix them right away.

Mold also thrives in cluttered storage areas. Clutter and dust are your enemies in this battle - also, try to shift your furniture once in a while. It will also be wise to keep your home well light and aired.

All that you are really doing is keeping your home livable. Rotting food is likely to attract mold so get rid of it as soon as possible. There are kits available online that you can use to check for mold after making these changes.

Know your enemy. Testing for mold will only be successful if you know everything you can about mold. Toxic infestations can be avoided by following the above steps.

When in search of assistance in your toxic mold testing endeavor, hitting the link will help.