Can Mold Continue to Grow Without Moisture
Mold and mildew are the banes of many a household. From structural damage to health risks, these fungi come with a slew of problems trailing in their wake, but it all starts with one thing: water in the form of liquid or relative humidity.
This begs the question that more than a few people, perhaps even yourself, have already brought to mind: If mold and mildew need water to thrive, then if you take away the water, will they still be a threat?
Some may jump to conclusions and answer that, once the fungi have dried up, the problem is essentially neutralized. But the truth may not be so cut and dried (pun intended).
How to remove mold from your home
On their own, mold and mildew spores tend not to bother us too much. If they did, we'd have a big problem because they exist everywhere, indoors and outdoors. There really is no getting away from them!
Things become more dangerous when moisture enters the mix.
For example, if your carpet gets wet due to a flood and you don't dry it out afterward, mold spores that were inevitably on said carpet will begin to multiply like rabbits!
As we said, there are traces of mold spores everywhere, but they're so small that they're basically invisible to the naked eye. However, when they reproduce like this in an indoor environment like your living room, the concentration of mold spores starts to become an unruly health hazard.
To make matters worse, it takes far less than a flood to get mold growing like crazy. An area with higher than average humidity is often enough to get it going so long as it has a source of food. This is why bathrooms, basements, and kitchens are often prime suspects whenever mold starts to show its face in the household.
What happens when you dry out the fungi?
When mold that was previously wet dries out, does it become neutralized?
If only!
In fact, dry mold can be an equal if not greater threat than wet mold, despite no longer being able to produce billions of mold spores. Since the mold spores already out in the open have dried out, they become lighter, thus making it easier for them to become airborne and spread throughout your home.
It's for this reason that it's not enough to simply dehumidify your house–you want to get the mold spores themselves out of there! Otherwise, people vulnerable to mold spores may continue to experience uncomfortable symptoms like skin rashes, coughing, itchy eyes, etc.
If the mold contamination is under 10 square feet, it's perfectly fine for you to try to fix the issue on your own. But if it's more than that, it's best to hire a mold removal professional to get the job done safely.
How to dry out the mold in your home
The simplest way to dry out mold that might be present in your home is to keep the relative humidity between 35% and 50%. You can do this by making sure your household has proper ventilation and running an effortless 70-pint dehumidifier and opening windows on dry days.
When cooking or taking a shower, keep the exhaust fans on so that the steam produced by these activities can have a place to go instead of building upon nearby surfaces. Make sure the exhaust fans are properly vented to the exterior of the home instead of terminating in the attic. If moisture builds upon smooth surfaces like glass, metal, or porcelain, removing it is relatively simple.
If, however, you spill water or a drink on the carpet or couch, you'll want to use a wet/dry vacuum to remove the water before mold starts to grow. You can pick these up from almost any home-improvement store.
Ultimately, the safest way to dry out a carpet that has held water is to remove it from the tack strips and fold it back so that the fans can blow air across the underside. The carpet padding may also need to be dried underneath, especially if a substantial amount of water has been absorbed by the carpet. In this scenario, a dry vacuum would not suffice because the carpet would take too long to dry out, and mold, as well as odors in general, will likely develop.
How to dry out the mold in your home
We wish that dealing with the fungus was as simple as throwing out a moldy piece of bread–out of sight and out of mind!–but that just isn't the case.
While mold spores are all too often out of sight, it's probably in your best interest to keep them in mind. If there's a consistently musty smell in any room of your house, give it a look or hire a mold professional to check it out for you.
Don't want to concern yourself with mold? Let us take care of it so you can sit back and relax.
Our mission is to champion unbeatable customer service with sensible and effective solutions to restore indoor air quality while ensuring dry homes and buildings.
What does our unbeatable service look like? Outside of our upbeat professionalism, it looks like saving you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. When we come in we won't just get it done, we'll get it done right, and leave your indoor air even cleaner than the air outside. So are you ready to start a conversation? We'd love to learn more about how we can help.
Source: https://www.moldmentorconsultants.com/mold-removal/is-dry-mold-dangerous-2020/
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