Our home is our safe place in the world, it’s where we relax, enjoy ourselves with friends and family, and nowadays, for many, it’s also their place of work.
We give maintenance to our valuable possessions to keep them in pristine conditions, such as our car, our bodies, and even our shoes! But many times, we neglect to see what repairs and maintenance our home needs.
We pay attention to the decor, renovate furniture, paint the walls and other esthetic details, but what about other important aspects, such as the gutters, the roof, the windows, and many other essential things for our home to be safe and in optimal conditions.
In this article, we reached out to experts in different areas of home maintenance and asked all the important questions to learn how to keep your home in a pristine condition.
Mold and Pests
What’s a common pest people tend to ignore until it gets really bad?
“The NPMA estimates that termites cause up to $5 billion in property damage each year. Although this figure sounds staggering, termite damage often goes undetected. Many homeowners don’t realize they have termites until they see visible damage such as bulging walls, sagging floors, and sticking doors. Even home exteriors that aren’t made of wood are not exempt from termite damage. Termites can get past metal and vinyl siding, plaster, and other exteriors. Once inside, they feed on floors, ceilings, cupboards, and furniture. This subterranean pest is the greatest threat a homeowner can face.”
– Mindy Perales | Rottler
How can homeowners avoid getting a mold problem and how to detect it early?
The best way we have found to avoid getting a mold problem would be to improve ventilation around the house, you can do this by regularly leaving windows open for long periods throughout the day. Using a dehumidifier is also a great idea as this will reduce the build-up of moisture throughout the house. To detect mold, the easiest option is to do regular checks around the house, especially in areas where there may be leaks but also any crawl spaces throughout the house. You should also look out for any health issues such as hay fever-like symptoms and breathing issues as these can be side effects of mold problems.
Marcus | Regional Services
If I take care of the mold do I have to worry about mycotoxins?
Yes, mycotoxins are the by-product mold produces that creates the most hazardous health effects, much worse than the mold itself. As mold is invisible until we see a colony appear or smell it, mycotoxins are much smaller molecules and lightweight than mold spores and always invisible. It can be easily transferred through your HVAC system and spread throughout your home, inhaled or absorbed by the skin. Be sure you or your remediation team is addressing mycotoxin clean up with environmental mold removal.
Julie Nicoll | American Mold Experts