Understanding Mold in your Florida Home

September 06, 2021

Mold is a fungus growth, which starts with a microscopic spore. In a damp environment, it will spread on organic material, such as food or wood. It can be beneficial; for example, the antibiotic penicillin is a mold. Mold grows everywhere but can become a problem when it grows in large areas inside your home.

How Mold Enters Your Home

Toxic black molds can be found anywhere dark and dank conditions permit them to grow. When you try to kill them, they take to the air causing them to spread Molds usually enter a home through spores that pass through open doorways, ventilation, windows, heating and air conditioning systems that have outdoor air intakes. The mold spores also attach themselves to humans, animals, shoes, clothing, bags, and other objects that are capable of carrying spores.

When spores reach a place of moisture, especially those places where there is excessive moisture, they will attach and grow themselves. This will serve as their breeding ground. Molds usually grow in moisture rich places and those that are quite cold. The most common places where molds grow is in roofs, pipes, walls and plant pipes.

How Mold Grows

Molds grow in different ways. Molds have tiny spores, and these tiny spores have the capabilities of reproducing themselves through sexual and asexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction of mold, spores need another spore for them to reproduce. In asexual reproduction of mold, a single spore can reproduce by itself without requiring another spore.

Mold spores can reproduce themselves anywhere. They can grow and reproduce in soil, roof, and pots and even in air. Molds grow rapidly in places that have excessive moisture and have quite dim lightings. Reducing the humidity in your home can help reduce the opportunities for mold growth.

Where Does Mold Grow

Molds never choose the surface where to grow and breed; rather, they survive as long as a surface has excessive moisture. Moisture seeps through concrete walls and floors, wood and plastics and other materials that will cause dampness resulting in molds on walls, floors, carpeting and others.

The bathroom is the most susceptible place for mold growth because it is always damp. Soap scum, shower walls, ceramic tile and fiberglass are all possible surfaces for mold growth.

Basement and laundry rooms are also common for mold growth. The kitchen is also a possible site for mold.
There is no required surface for mold. Any surfaces are susceptible to mold growth if moisture is present.

Health Issues and Mold

Spores can be inhaled, absorbed through the skin or ingested on our food. And, because some people are more susceptible than others, one person may become debilitated by exposure to mold in the home, another person sharing the same environment is essentially unaffected.

Infants, the elderly, and those with immune system deficiencies due to disease, chemotherapy, etc. are particularly susceptible to serious illness following exposure to microbial contamination.

Mold exposure may cause cold-like symptoms like watery eyes, sore throat, wheezing and dizziness. Allergic reaction to mold is common. It triggers asthma attacks. In addition, exposure to mold can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs. Molds produce allergens, irritants and in some cases, potentially toxic substances that are dangerous to the human body.


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