Mold Damage in Ooltewah Develops from Three Factors

1/20/2017 (Permalink)

Mold in Ooltewah from Moisture Ruining Wallpaper

Understanding How Mold Grows Helps Grapple with these Fungi

Many homeowners and renters are embarrassed to ask for help when it comes to a mold problem. They mistakenly believe that mold happens because they have kept a dirty house. This is completely untrue. Mold is present in every structure, and most cases are inert and harmless.

SERVPRO knows that mold damage has nothing to do with ground-in-dirt or a sink full of dishes that sits for a day or two. It happens in an Ooltewah home (or anywhere else for that matter) when three factors match up: Moisture, temperature, and food source.
Excess moisture can be a leak from a kitchen sink that pools in the back of a cabinet or it can be high humidity after several days of rain in a room that was closed off from the rest of the house. In both cases, the additional moisture allows dormant mold spores to expand. These expansion structures, called hyphae, grow across surfaces and even grow into material that could serve as a food source. An example is the hyphae growing on the cardboard backing of a sheet of drywall. It can penetrate the gypsum center and continue to grow on the opposite surface.

The temperature range where most molds grow is between 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Although some species can grow at freezing point or as high as 122 degrees, they are not common in the United States.

Mold feeds on organic materials and homes are rich in them. The paper in drywall is exceptionally vulnerable to mold, but the wood in framing, walls, and floors is also at risk. The wool, cotton, and rayon in carpets, curtains, and drapes are also a buffet if wet spores settle on their surfaces. In some of the previous cases, the spores will feed up debris (yes, dirt) on a surface like rayon that is essentially non-organic.

The quickest way to break up mold growth is to reduce the moisture levels. If there are pools of water, our technicians remove them using a series of pumps and vacuums out of our equipment inventory. Water that is trapped in carpets and floors is removed using extraction tools that draw it out but do not damage the fibers and backing. In areas where the humidity level is too high (over 12 percent), technicians deploy dehumidifiers and exhaust fans to draw it back down to a normal level. Air scrubbers are set, and containment areas established, when the danger of mold spore circulation is a possibility.

SERVPRO of East Chattanooga is ready to use this equipment and more to stop mold growth and then remove it from your home. Since every franchise is locally owned, this is not just another task to accomplish; it is helping our neighbors return to a normal life "Like it never even happened."  Call us at (423) 326-1406 today if you need our assistance.