Did you know that Texas weather can significantly impact your home’s structure? Weather variations can lead to major issues such as cracks in the walls, wear and tear in the roof, and much more. Additionally, the high summer humidity creates the perfect environment for mold growth. Mold is a major contributor to various health issues. Warm temperatures and high humidity are ideal conditions for mold to grow.

But how do you detect mold in your home? This is a common question that comes to every homeowner’s mind in Texas.

Ideally a certified home inspection company like GreenWorks Inspections can help you identify mold in your home. Mold inspection is critical, and therefore requires some tests to ensure that your home is in good condition. Mold is commonly found on wooden structures and surfaces, often in dark dark green or black colors.

In this blog, we will discuss the mold inspection process (including sampling methods) and how to remove it from your home.

What is Mold?

Mold is a fungus that often grows on ceilings, floors, and other surfaces with higher humidity. Typically, it is dark green or black and it hides behind wall paint, inside dry walls, floors or ceiling tiles. Mold can exacerbate signs of various health issues, such as asthma, shortness of breath, and skin allergies.

How to Detect Mold in Your Home?

There are various methods for identifying mold in your home, including the following:

Observe your Home Physically

Walk through your home, especially in the kitchen, washroom, attics, and crawl spaces. These are ideal spaces where you can easily see signs of mold. These signs include bubbling of the wall paint or its discoloration.

Health Issues that Signify the Presence of Mold

If you and your family are experiencing consistent coughing, headaches, laziness, or other allergic reactions, there is a high chance that your house has mold growth. Sometimes, mold hides behind the drywall or in wall cracks, so you cannot see it. To learn more about mold, hire a professional home inspector to examine all hidden spaces.

Hire a Professional Home Inspector

A certified home inspector examines your home thoroughly and highlights all the hidden spaces that can be a perfect environment for mold. They also check other critical components like checking for water leakage in plumbing, or accumulation of moisture in hard to reach areas. Professional mold inspectors also take a thorough history of water damage inside homes (mostly after instances of floods or storms). 

With their experience and professional gadgets, they can help you detect mod at its early stage.

How Does a Home Inspector Test for Mold?

A home inspector performs various tests to determine the type of mold and the amount of mold spores in the air.

Air Sampling

They take air samples from different spaces in your home to identify mold’s presence. This test helps to understand the number of spores suspended in the air that can reproduce after landing on the floor, ceiling, or any other surface.

Surface Sampling

In this test, they take a sample from a surface by swabbing or lifting it with tape. They collect these samples in a clean container to identify how much mold is present on the surfaces.

Bulk Sampling

In spaces where mold cannot be seen with the naked eye, the home inspector takes a small piece of drywall or any other suspected surface. This small piece of sample helps to identify the presence of mold, which is the cause of various health issues.

Labeling the Collected Samples

After collecting samples, the home inspector marks the date and location on the container so that it will be easy to identify which part of your home is more affected by mold.

Send these Samples to the Laboratory

After labeling, these samples are sent to the laboratory for a detailed analysis on mold. This analysis provides data about which type of mold is in your home and how toxic it is.

How to Remove Mold in Your Home?

After getting specific data from the laboratory through sampling, you will know the spaces that are most affected by mold. Below are some crucial steps you need to follow to prevent yourself from facing any problems in the future.

Fix the Water Leakage Issues

If the water is leaking in your home, this can provide a suitable environment for mold growth. Fix the water leakage issues immediately and clean the entire surface surrounding the water pipes.

Remove Mold Affected Materials

The affected materials, such as carpets, drywall, and ceiling tiles, must be removed from the home. Disposing of these items will help to get rid of mold. However, scrub them thoroughly with water and detergent for hard surfaces such as glass and metals.

Dehumidify the Area

After cleaning the surfaces, use a dehumidifier fan or open the windows and doors to dry the area properly. If the surfaces are still damp, there is a high chance that mold will return and cause different health issues.

Final words

Mold is a silent killer that causes various health issues, such as shortness of breath, eye and throat rashes, and skin allergies. Therefore, identifying and removing mold is crucial to the well-being of your home. For this, we strongly recommend hiring a certified home inspection company, such as GreenWorks Inspections, to detect mold in your home. They have professional home inspectors who examine your home thoroughly and identify all the hidden places that are susceptible to mold.