Wake Forest, NC – Consider the following list of tips to detect toxic mold in your home.
Toxic mold can grow in places unseen and thrive there for weeks, months, or even years,†notes David Beavers of the Water Damage Team. “To protect you and yours, it’s good to learn to recognize the signs of this infestation so you can properly take care of it in a safe manner.â€
If there are stains on your walls or ceilings this could be a sign of toxic mold. If the area is very dark, it could be toxic and should be taken care of immediately. Mold specialists should be able to tell by looking at it or testing, so you may want to call in an expert if you’re not sure.
Millions of people have allergies, but if they act up more often in your home than outdoors it’s not normal. Mold doesn’t give you allergies necessarily, rather causes allergy-like symptoms. Toxic mold will give you more intense symptoms, including headaches along with itchy eyes and sneezing.
If there are colored spots on mold that you’ve already discovered, it could be toxic. These spots can be brown, green, or even orange in color. Of course some toxic mold is just a dark gray or black, and spreads very fast as well as changes color.
The smell of toxic mold is much like the smell of other mold, musty or urine-like. It’s certainly not a pleasant smell either way, so if you keep a clean home, don’t own pets, and your hallway still smells like urine- it very well may be toxic mold.
Toxic black mold often exhibits circular patterns or spots within the formation. These circles can be anywhere from 1 inch wide to 1 foot, and spread fairly quickly. Sometimes the circles don’t close, and make a semi-circle, or crescent shape instead, so don’t think “that’s not toxic” just because it’s not a perfect circle.
Toxic mold is not likely to grow on metal, dry wood, or any other dry surface. Toxic mold can only thrive and survive in very moist or even wet locations, so if the mold you see has any of the above characteristics and also happens to be under a wet rug, it may be toxic.
Before becoming toxic, mold can sometimes exhibit other forms, such as white fuzzy colonies, or even pink or orange formations instead of black. Be sure to call a specialist and describe the mold to them before trying to remove on your own. Toxic mold can be very dangerous for your health and should only be removed by a trained professional or very knowledgeable person on the subject.
