You may have heard about the dangers of household mold, but do you know why that is? It’s that mold spores are toxic and are extremely dangerous if inhaled. They don’t just contaminate your indoor air quality; they can make you and your family quite sick.
Mold can appear anywhere in your home where the right environment exists. Mold needs moisture and food to grow, so you will usually find it in areas like your kitchen, bathrooms, and basement. Notorious mold hotspots are your cabinets, carpets, drywall, furniture and wood flooring.
However, another common and extremely dangerous spot for mold growth is inside your air ducts. As the air passes through your ducts and moves through the home, it will grab those mold spores and spread them everywhere. How do you know if you have mold growing in your air ducts? Here are the common signs.
1 - Chronic Mysterious Health Problems
Have you or your family members experienced a higher number than usual of colds or allergic symptoms recently? This could be bad luck, a poor immune system, or it could be because you are inhaling mold spores.
Common health problems that are caused by low air quality with mold contamination include respiratory irritation, dizziness, rashes, and congestion and in some cases is even linked to mental health issues like depression.
Obviously, these ailments should be taken seriously. See your doctor and contact a mold specialist to inspect your home for full peace of mind.
2 - Persistent Smell in Your Home
Do you smell a strong musty odor in your home? Is it in all of your rooms, or is it in a single room or two? If the mold is inside your air ducts, it will make its way throughout your entire home, rather than being localized to an isolated area.
You’ll know if you are smelling mold. It has a very strong, very pungent odor, which is going to also impact your air quality.
3 - What do you See?
When mold is growing inside your ducts, you will be able to see evidence of it on the outside of the ductwork. Be aware if you see stains or anything that looks like foam on the exterior of the ducts.
That’s not foam; it is mold. One of the many benefits of getting your ducts cleaned regularly is that you reduce the likelihood of mold growth because you remove the debris.
You also have peace of mind that a trained technician is inspecting your ductwork. For an appointment in Sun Prairie, WI, give us a call.
