You may think you're the world's best housekeeper. And you may well be. But don't think that your home is mold-free. Mold is constantly entering your home on your shoes, your clothing, or on the fur of a family pet. Every time a breeze rustles your curtains, hundreds of microscopic spores blow in through your window. They even enter through your air conditioning system.
In fact, a University of Arizona study looked at 160 homes in all regions of the United States and found the presence of mold in literally 100 percent of all those sampled.
The highest levels were found in places that people normally overlook: windowsills, refrigerator seals, under the kitchen sink, air registers, and entryways.
How Mold Grows
Most of us can tolerate a low exposure to airborne spores without ill effect. It only becomes a health problem when molds colonize, and these little mold-producing "factories" release millions of spores into your living area where they are inhaled.
Mold growth can happen quickly. All it takes is a moist environment, room temperature conditions, and an organic food source, and you may see the signs of mold in just 48 hours.
Regular cleaning with a bleach-based product such as Tilex® Mold and Mildew Remover can effectively kill mold spores before they cause trouble. But when surfaces are left not cleaned, problems can easily arise.
What is Mold?
Ugh! Look at that green stuff on the bread... and that fuzz on the basement walls... and that brown gunk growing in your refrigerator's drip pan.
That's mold: simple, microscopic fungi that, like yeasts and mushrooms, are nature's way of breaking down dead material so the nutrients can be recycled into the environment.
Mold feeds on any organic material such as leaves, fabric, soil, paper, leather, wood, or the forgotten can of beans in your refrigerator. It will even feed on the oils found on smooth surfaces that haven't been regularly cleaned.
Because molds thrive by digesting organic material, they slowly destroy whatever they grow on. That's why that stack of cardboard left in a damp basement corner may crumble when you pick it up.
Molds are simply a fact of nature. They grow anywhere there's a food source and moisture, and they spread by releasing microscopic spores that are carried every which way by currents of air. What does mold look like?
When molds colonize, they appear as a discolored patch. It could be a furry growth in the cabinet under the sink, a red stain on your shower curtain, a green or gray patch in a corner where the roof leaked, or a brown stain inside a bookcase. Molds can appear cottony, velvety, granular, or leathery. They can also be black or yellow.
Another way to detect mold growth is to follow your nose. If there is a musty or earthy smell, you can assume that moisture and mold are close by. Whether by smell or by sight, any detection of mold should be viewed as a red flag and an indication that mold levels may have reached a point where they can impact your health.
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