How Mold Affects the Air You Breathe & What You Can Do About It

Most homeowners are terrified by the thought of having mold growing in their homes. And for good reason! Mold in your home is not only unsightly and unpleasant to smell, but it can also be hazardous to your health and have serious negative impacts on the structural integrity of your home. Mold affects the quality of the air that you and your family breathe in, so it is important to take preventative measures to keep mold from growing in your home.

How to Prevent Mold in Your Home

It is important to understand how mold can affect your home air quality and how to prevent mold in your home in order to keep your family happy and healthy. Fortunately, there are a few measures that you can take to improve air quality, keep moisture from building up, and prevent mold from growing in your home.

How Mold Affects the Air You Breathe

Breathing in mold or mildew can trigger allergy symptoms and asthma attacks, and in some severe cases may even cause allergies or asthma to develop in those who did not have these conditions prior to exposure. These conditions can cause trouble breathing, headaches, fatigue, coughing and sneezing fits, as well as nausea. Mold and mildew in the air can also cause respiratory infections and skin irritation.

Certain types of mold produce mycotoxins, which can suppress immune system health while also potentially causing cancer, liver damage, and damage to the nervous system. Mycotoxins are typically present outside where there is dead plant matter and organic waste, but they can also be present indoors where the home has been damaged by moisture from high humidity levels or leaking pipes.

What You Can Do to Prevent Mold

Since mold needs moisture to grow, the key to mold prevention is monitoring and controlling moisture in your home. Here are some ways you can do just that:

• Ensure that your home has proper ventilation in your bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and other areas where there are often high moisture levels.
• Monitor indoor humidity levels, keeping them between 30 to 60 percent.
• Improve airflow throughout your home by letting fresh air in, using ceiling fans to circulate air in the room, keeping furniture away from the walls, and opening doors to closets and rooms.
• Check your household plants to ensure that there is no mold growth that may spread to other areas of your home.
• Clean or repair roof gutters to prevent causing any damage to your roof, which can result in leaks.
• Dry any wet areas in your home from leaks or flooding as soon as possible.

If you want to improve your air quality and ensure that your home is not a breeding ground for mold, it may be time to call in the HVAC experts. Contact us today to discuss your HVAC options for helping reduce moisture buildup and keep your family safe and healthy by preventing mold growth.