When Mold Moves In

Picture this: You go on vacation for a week. Seven days of rest, relaxation, and the ability to finally recharge. Sounds great, right?

One problem, in your rush to catch your flight, you didn’t notice the puddle of water that was starting to form underneath your kitchen sink from a leaky pipe.

When you get back from your week in paradise, you’re quickly brought back to reality as you step into your house and notice that your once-beautiful kitchen has a funny smell. A musty odor that seems to be radiating from the floors and wall.

The culprit? Mold.

To get a better understanding of what’s now covering your kitchen, molds produce tiny spores to reproduce. When these spores land on a damp spot indoors, they grow and multiply in order to survive.

That leaky pipe, hidden in the dark beneath your sink, created the perfect breeding ground for mold spores to rapidly reproduce and branch out.

What made the problem worse is that it was left unaddressed for multiple days. According to The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), mold growths can start on a damp surface within 24-48 hours.

Mold Related Illnesses

Since your seven-day vacation lasted much longer than the 24–48-hour window, it’s extremely likely that you’re going to need to act quickly in order to protect you and your loved ones from the dangerous symptoms of mold exposure.

What are these symptoms of mold exposure you might ask?

With what you now know about mold growth, you’re probably thinking “It sounds like mold could be a bigger issue as it gets colder/darker during the winter.” And you’d be right.

A combination of melting snow, less sunlight, and condensation created by hot water pipes gives mold growth a chance to really get out of control during the winter months. Additional time indoors during the cold weather also means that if your home has mold that your risk of mold-related illness increases as well. Mold occurs everywhere but New Jersey residents can expect to see an increase in mold now that winter has begun.

Treating Mold

Painting over mold, or using ineffective home treatments can cause mold issues to multiply. This happens because once mold spores are disrupted, they can scatter into the air causing the mold to spread. Mold will also continue to grow until the source of moisture is remedied. Costly demolition work is typically not necessary but it’s impossible to know the depth of your mold issues without a proper inspection.

Speaking with the experts at LEW Environmental Services is a great first step to eliminating mold in your home. Our technicians will come to your home and inspect every nook & cranny to identify all sources of mold and moisture. Next our experts will create affordable plans to control and eliminate mold in your home.