Mold infestations aren’t something you can simply ignore and hope for the best. Mold poses a serious health risk to you and your family. Additionally, mold damage negatively impacts the value of your home. If you have a mold issue, it will only worsen over time, especially due to the climate in Washington. Here are some reasons why you need mold remediation now.
Mold Is a Serious Health Risk
Health is one of the most important things to consider during any mold infestation. The simple fact of the matter is that mold is such a big deal due to both its immediate and long-term health effects. While mold in your attic or crawl space may not seem like a serious threat, spores can find their way into the air.
When inhaled, mold spores can cause a variety of respiratory symptoms. Cough, wheezing, and other allergy-like symptoms are common. This is particularly true for people with existing respiratory conditions, young children, and older adults.
Over time, you and your family can develop chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS). This is more colloquially referred to as toxic mold syndrome. Significant exposure can lead to a wide range of symptoms, such as fatigue, headache, shortness of breath, and more. Having mold remediation as soon as possible can prevent this long-term impact.
Mold Can Spread Quickly
You might think your mold problem is isolated, and you can safely ignore it or simply clean it up with household products and forget about it. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case at all. At the first sign of mold, you should reach out for immediate mold remediation. Keep in mind that if you can see visible mold, there is unseen growth present as well.
Once mold has taken hold, it can quickly spread to other parts of your house. The high humidity and relatively cool summers in many regions of Washington mean that mold can quickly spread throughout any part of your home. It isn’t relegated to the attic or crawlspace but can spread to interior rooms once it has taken hold.
Remediation removes affected materials and implements the proper sanitization methods to stop the spread of mold. You can rest easy knowing that you won’t have mold throughout your entire home after the initial infestation.
You’ll Quickly Find Your Home Unliveable
The very first signs of mold might seem easy to ignore. However, you won’t be able to ignore them for long. The spread of mold and its growth will quickly turn your home into a highly unwelcoming environment that you won’t want to spend any amount of time in.
One of the first things you won’t be able to ignore is the musty smell. As mold grows, it releases a distinct odor that spreads throughout your home. You hesitate to invite any guests over, and eventually, you’ll want to avoid living there yourself!
This smell isn’t just unpleasant. It indicates the spread of mold spores, meaning a dramatic drop in indoor air quality. The air quality in your home is linked to health, energy, and mood, so your home will become a very unpleasant environment if you don’t seek mold remediation soon.
HVAC Systems Can Develop Issues
Mold spores will find their way into your home’s heating and cooling systems before you know it. In fact, your ventilation may play a role in spreading them throughout your home. However, the mold spores themselves can take a toll on the system.
Like any other airborne particles, your heating and cooling system should capture mold spores. However, the more particles that need to be filtered, the faster your air filter wears out. If you’re using an older air filter, then it could be letting plenty of spores through. Depending on the material, it could even provide a place for mold to grow.
Mold spores can start to block the air filter, which means that your system has to work harder to draw in air. That means more energy use and less efficient performance. Depending on the size of your HVAC system, it might not be able to keep up with your home’s heating and cooling requirements.
Your Property Value Can Plummet
Would you buy a home with a serious mold infestation? Having mold in your attic or crawl space is something that can reduce the value of your property. Any potential homebuyers will likely discover the issue during the presale inspection, and they won’t like it one bit.
Signs that you’ve had mold inside your home are even worse. You want mold remediation to stop an infestation from your attic or crawl space from ever reaching other areas of your home. If homebuyers know that you’ve had a serious mold issue in the past, then they have reason to believe it may be a problem in the future.
You’ll Only Need More Remediation in the End
You’re not doing yourself any favors by putting off remediation. While it might seem like an unwelcome expense and a disruption to your life at home, it is absolutely necessary. Proper remediation is the only way to remove mold from your home without the infestation simply recurring again. Putting it off only makes the problem worse.
As mold spreads to other areas of the home, you will need more remediation. You can find yourself needing treatment for additional rooms. That might include significant material removal and reconstruction.
Dealing with mold in your attic or crawlspace is typically much more affordable because these areas are unfinished. Dealing with mold in other areas of your home could increase costs, so act fast to avoid excessive costs.
Don’t Leave Mold Remediation Too Long
If you’ve noticed the first signs of mold, whether it’s a musty smell or visible growth, you should reach out for a free inspection from Attic Projects. We provide professional mold remediation services in Washington and can get your infestation under control before it gets out of hand. Schedule your free inspection today.
