Black Mold

Mandy Fain asked:




If you dug out some old boxes full of musty stuff from your attic, you might expect there to be a little mold on things, especially if you live in a humid environment. But, mold is probably growing somewhere in you house right now, and you don’t even know it. That’s why it’s important to know what black mold likes to grow on. It’s the first step to getting rid of it.

What mold likes to grow on is determined by what mold needs to thrive. Mold needs food, a good temperature, and water. In general, wherever there’s water you can expect to find mold.

Mold isn’t picky either. It doesn’t just strike old, musty, dirty houses. If it has a chance, it will grow all over your nice, new, clean house. So, don’t give it a chance!

Here are things mold commonly likes to grow on.

In The Kitchen

Of course, mold likes to grow on food. It’s not always the dreaded black mold; it may be its less toxic cousin, the slimy green one. Either way, it’s ugly and disgusting. The mold that grows on food is not so dangerous, but seal it in plastic before you throw it out just in case.

Mold also likes to grow in cabinets. You should check from time to time. Basically, any place that is dark and closed up, and might get a little water in it, is a breeding ground for mold.

Sinks, drying racks and other places that get lots of water are also favorite hang-outs of black mold.

In The Bathroom

The biggie here is shower tiles. You’ve probably seen black mold growing there before, or its friend orange mold. The wall material behind your tiles is delicious for black mold, so it gets carried away and starts growing around the tiles where human eyes can see it.

Just like in the kitchen, mold likes to be close to the water source in a somewhat hidden place. This means sinks, counters, cabinets and anywhere else that gets a little water.

Anywhere In The House

Mold likes hidden-away places. On the walls, mold likes to grow behind things such as pictures or mirrors. If you haven’t moved your pictures for cleaning in a while, check and see if our black moldy friend is hanging out there. Wallpaper, because it is porous, is also a great place for mold to live. Keep tabs on your wallpaper so you don’t have to remove it all someday because of an infestation of our little friend.

Carpets are wonderful vacations spots for mold. If you ever have any water damage, you may have to remove the carpet if it gets bad. One good way to tell if you have mold in your carpets is just to sniff.

Mold can live in dust and lint. If you keep your house well dusted, you’ll reduce black mold problems.

In The Basement

You may have a tenant you don’t know about, living in your basement and not paying rent. Mold loves the dark, humid basement. It especially likes the walls and ceilings, where water is often running amok. You may also have mold growing around the concrete on the floor.

In The Attic

The attic is also ideal. It’s a place that doesn’t get much ventilation, so it’s great for black mold. Houses with wooden beams in the attic are particularly favored.

In The Hidden Places

Mold loves crawlspaces, wall cavities, and any other place it can hide. You may be suffering from black mold-related health symptoms and not even know it, because our little friend is hanging out in your house and you can’t find him.

Another fave place is inside your heating and cooling ducts.

Mold can get used to the weather just about anywhere, but it especially loves warm humid environments. Florida, California and the Pacific Northwest have some of the worst mold problems in the US. Desert areas and high altitude areas also get hit hard with mold infestations after a big rain or storm.

The key to keeping mold spores out of your respiratory system is to find it before it finds you. That’s why it’s important to know what black mold likes to grow on.

Black Mold

Black Mold asked:


Mold and Mildew are fuzzy microscopic organisms that thrive in highly humid environment.  Both microorganisms play a vital role in the ecosystem.  They aid in the decaying of leaves which is responsible for the enrichment or fertilization of the soil.  When mold is of great help to nature, it is however a problem in the households and poses a great threat to our health.  Mold and mildew, though minute they are, can cause massive devastation in your household especially when left unaided.  Both reproduce by means of spores that are spread airborne. At an early stage, mold and mildew grow on organic materials such as wooden furniture, ceiling tiles, papers and card boards, foods, house wadding, walls, and carpets and the likes.  Mold colonies can start to proliferate within 24 to 48 hours of water exposure.  As the molds grow, they destroy the material on which they are thriving and then open out to the adjacent part and continue to destroy the material until it is fully covered by these rudiments.  Not only that they can destroy the structural component of your house, but mold can also pause as a health hazard as they can cause mild and severe infirmity.

Molds are a thing of nature.  So how does a mold get into your house?  Mold and mildew start to proliferate if your house has water damage brought about by flood, leaks on the roof and water pipe lines, a basement that is damp, when there is less ventilation inside the house, a sink or a bathtub overflow, and some sewage back-ups especially in frequently flooded areas.  Molds continue to grow fast as long as there’s moisture.  When left alone, it can be inhaled and touched and cause allergic reactions such as sneezing, wheezing, fever, irritations of the nose and throat, reddened eyes, headache, easy fatigability and skin redness especially to those highly sensitive individuals.  There are also studies that show that molds can cause asthma attacks to individuals who are sensitized by it.  Molds can also cause reactions to people who are non-allergic to the microorganism.  It can also cause infections to an immuno-compromised host. If you have mold infestation in your home that is too much to handle, let the experts in mold testing and mold removal do the job.

QCI have professional team who are experts in their field of mold remediation.  Initially, a visual mold inspection is done to provide evidence of the initial finding as well as to develop supposition as to what have caused the mold infestation.  The inspectors of QCI develop a mold testing plan to determine what type of mold has contaminated your household whether it is a black mold or a toxic mold and the extent and activity of the plague.  Mold testing usually includes, air sampling, swabbing or taping of the mold samples and measuring the humidity within the building.  Initial mold testing serves as a basis for the success of the mold removal as well as in the assessment of the quality of air inside the house.

After the initial mold inspection and plan of remediation is layed out, mold removal can now takes place.  Mold removal is the process of safely and meticulously removing mold infestation by qualified professionals.  Mold removal is not an easy job and needs to be handled by an expert in order to ensure you and your family’s safety.  QCI have personnel who are proficient on this field.  Mold remediation services offered by QCI are antimicrobial surface cleaning and treatment, air and surface sampling, furniture and contents decontamination, HEPA air scrubbing, electrostatic air fogging, biocide cleaning of the ducts and carpets, mold inhibitors and encapsulants treatment.  After mold removal, clearance testing is done to ensure that the plague has been totally eradicated.

Mold removal is not as easy as it sounds.  Prevent mold infestation by keeping your house clean and dry at all times and allow air to circulate inside the house.  If ever the plague is just a minor one, use proper techniques in removing it like wearing of eye shields, mask and gloves and use disinfectants.  Call the experts if you think the mold is too much for you to handle, as they know what to do.  QCI has 24 hour support that can help you with your mold problems.

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