Have you ever thought about the importance of testing your house for mold? Some people might not find mold testing too important but if they knew the potential dangers that come along with black mold, perhaps they would treat it differently. In fact, mold can cause severe health problems in humans that are exposed to it for extended periods of time. Mold has a musty odor and is usually green, white, brown or black in color. Mold usually grows in your window sills, walls, carpets, basement, attic and bathroom.
Let's take a look at some of the symptoms of prolonged exposure to mold.
Mold basically grows when it is exposed to high levels of moisture and humidity. It contaminates the air around it and this contaminated air is what causes all the health issues. The list of illnesses which can be caused by mold is quite large and includes respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma. It also includes other health problems like rash, throat irritation, nose bleeds, cough, cold, watery eyes, etc. And if you want to know some of the more severe symptoms, they are kidney damage, memory lapse, immune system failure, brain damage, etc. People that are already struggling with respiratory problems are more prone to contracting one of these health problems from mold.
This is why it is very important for you to regularly test your house for mold. Mold testing is even more important when you are thinking about buying a new home. You wouldn't want to buy a nice new home only to learn a few weeks later that you have a lot of mold to deal with everywhere. The best and easiest way to determine whether a house is safe to move in to is to hire a home inspector to check the entire house for any mold and to also advise you on how to remove it so that the house becomes completely safe to move in to. Apart from this, a home inspector can also advise you of any mold issues which may not be fixable. You tend to find such problems in the older houses.
Now, there is no point buying such a house is there? It is very important for you to ensure mold testing is on the list of your property inspection document. This way you can save some money as well. Most mold problems can be fixed with the help of bleaching treatments but there are some issues which are beyond saving and in those cases the things will need to be replaced all together. Finding mold in a house can make a real estate deal go south pretty fast. And since you, as a potential buyer, will not be keen on buying a house with mold, I would suggest that you ensure you keep your house mold free with regular checks as well. This way, if you want to sell your house tomorrow, at least the new owner won't have to worry about mold.
