If your home has gone through a leak or flood, your home might have suffered from significant damage. One of the most severe damages that can affect your home is mould. Mould will cause a number of health and environmental hazards.

What is Mould?

Before we get into the impacts of mould on your health, let’s first talk about what mould is. Mould is a fungus that is found in a variety of colours, and it essentially develops in the presence of moisture. You might mistake mould for a stain or smudge on your walls, which is why it can go unnoticed for a time if your home hasn’t been affected by leaks or flooding.

If you’re going to be looking for a place to find the mould, you should consider looking around window sills, fabrics, carpets, etc. This is especially true if your home has been flooded. Water can become trapped in the fabric of your carpets or blankets, and while it might appear to be dried, the bacteria can remain and develop.

Mould needs a material to grow on, so it can grow pretty much anywhere in your home.

Impacts on Your Home

Mould can degrade the structure of your home. That’s because mould is the result of bacteria buildup, and as time goes on, the mould can spread significantly to attack other parts of your home.

When mould goes unnoticed, it can cause several health problems and it can contribute to rotting. Elderly individuals and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of mould.

Health Impacts of Mould

The main problem that mould poses to human health has to do with our respiratory system. Mould can be released into the air through spores. When it enters our respiratory systems, it compromises our ability to breathe.

If your home has mould, you may notice the following symptoms:

  • Nasal congestion

  • Throat irritation

  • Coughing

  • Loud breathing

  • Tightness in your chest

  • Asthma

Now, why does mould have such a profound effect on our health?

It’s mostly due to how much time we spend in our home. If you take work out of the picture, you might spend more than twelve hours a day in your home. When you’re exposed to a significant amount of mould, it causes inflammation in your body.

Black mould is the most common form of mould, and it’s known to have caused asthma in millions of children around Australia and the world.

How Does Mould Form?

Mould is most commonly formed when a home is exposed to dampness or moisture. Homes that have gone through significant flooding can develop mould if the restorations aren’t done properly or if the water hasn’t been evacuated quickly enough.

If your home has experienced leaks, you may also find mould in your home. Leaks can take longer to detect, which means it has more time to harm your walls, structure, etc. Over time, these parts of your home can rot and fail completely.

Conclusion

If you’re worried about the condition of your home, you might be considering whether you should be looking for mould. That’s because mould has significant effects on the condition of your home and can damage your health.

If you want to detect mould in your home, you should check in corners, window sills, and wherever fabrics in your home might have come into contact with moisture. For additional information on preventing mould or to schedule an inspection, contact the team at ElectroVac today.

If you are looking for carpet restoration services in Docklands , get in touch with us today!