School is starting up and children are our future. We love seeing the little ones running around, learning new skills and taking on new hobbies. What we don’t want, is to jeopardize the health of the kids. Mold can be something that hinders the path of our children. The harmful effects need to be known and mold remediation is a necessity.
The Mystery
Effects of mold are more known now than ever. That doesn’t mean everyone is safe or really knows what is happening in their homes. It is pretty difficult to determine whether or not symptoms are tied to mold, especially if the possibility of it isn’t thought of.
Mold produces tiny spores that not only trigger growth but also diminish the quality of the air. When humans are exposed to these spores, they can be inhaled and cause neutral allergic reactions that the body uses as a defense mechanism against foreign objects. Reactions to mold are different from person to person, which makes it hard to gauge what the symptoms are from. Children are among the most prone to the negative effects of mold, and the severity depends on what type of mold, the amount of exposure, and proximity of the mold to their daily routines.
Here are different symptoms children may experience when mold is in your home:
Skin Irritation
Black mold poses a threat to the skin. When spores enter the body through the skin, irritation, itching, and rashes are a definite possibility. This is much more prevalent in children because they often times are more hands on. Younger kids like to touch everything and this gives mold direct access to their skin.
Eye Irritation
On average, people touch their face 3,000 times a day. 3,000! With such a large number, it is no surprise that mold can get close to, if not in, the eyes of our little angels. When mold comes in contact with eye cells, it can cause inflammation and create vision problems. Itchy, watery, bloodshot, soreness, and puffy eyes all accompany the presence of mold. Along with that, blurred vision can come into play and that is not something we want, especially for our children.
Respiratory Problems
Studies have shown that living in a mold infested home correlates to respiratory issues in children. Different problems may arise when inhaling mold spores like these:
- Wheezing
- Runny nose
- Shortness of breath
- Itchy nose
- Sinus congestion
- Sore throat
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Other flu-like symptoms
Kids with asthma are even more at risk for problems when the mold is combating their immune system. Mold can trigger more frequent attacks and exasperate the lung disease.
Black mold, in particular, can cause burning sensations in the nasal cavity, throat, and mouth. If spores get lodges in any of the sinuses and mucus membranes, it can lead to severe breathing problems, bleeding in lungs, and even death.
Neurological Problems
The trichothecene mycotoxins in black mold do more than just affect the airways, skin, and eyes. If it wasn’t already bad enough, black mold spores can kill neurons and impair brain functions. This can cause mood swings, nervous disorders, and irritability. Common neurological problems include:
- Slowed reflexes
- Dizziness
- headaches/migraines
- Memory loss
- Depression and anxiety
- confusion/disorientation
- Shortened attention span
- Numbness
- trembling/shaking
Problems like this can really hinder a child’s ability to develop. Learning and partaking in hobbies can stall. With even just one of these problems, there is a constant crisis on a kid’s growth in school and in their childhood.
Black Mold In The Bloodstream
When black mold finds its way into the bloodstream, vascular and circulatory problems may occur like irregular heartbeat, heart damage, inflammation in the heart, low blood pressure, too much or too little clotting, and internal/external hemorrhaging.
Other Possible Problems
A number of other issues can affect your children due to the exposure of mold:
- Chronic fatigue
- Hair loss
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Muscle pain
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Weakness and general discomfort
How Does Mold Grow And What Can Be Done About It?
Mold requires little water to survive. In fact, just a little bit of moisture can cause mold to thrive and create an infestation. With tropical weather conditions, Florida is always at risk for mold. Problems skyrocket in some seasons too. School starts in the midst of hurricane season and this is when the mold is very much in power.
Small cracks and poor construction quality can let water in with ease. Within 48 hours, mold can already get a hold on life and move in. More time and more water can allow mold to spread around the home and get into areas that make matters worse. As mold spreads to air ducts, the fans will blow spores all over the house and allow it to latch onto furniture and other areas that are not confined to the walls.
How can you know when you have a mold problem? For starters, there are some easy baseline guides to discover an infestation. Musky earthy smells come from mold, so if your home has a very unpleasant smell, it can be a sign. Another routine check is to inspect the walls. Look for blotches or streaks of discoloration. Mold can cause the walls and other components to turn gray, black and even green. In this instance, your problem is already bigger than you might think.
Getting Rid Of Mold
Areas that are most commonly wet, like showers, are classified as a one man job. Some store-bought cleaners and sanitizers may be all you need to fix this. But when mold spread around to other areas of the home and is in larger quantities, cleaning it yourself may actually do more harm than good. Spraying and scrubbing these areas can cause mold to spread around as well as fling into the air.
When this occurs, it is best to leave this task to the professionals. It is good to know what your plan of action will be and making a call to a restoration company should be a part of it. Restoration USA is ready to help you tackle this job.
Making The Call
Calling is the first step of the process. This initial call is vital and lets us know what we will be coming to when we arrive on site. Other information in this call may include:
- The full name of the property owner
- Contact information
- Homeowner’s or property insurance policy information
- The street address that the property is located at
- More general information on the look/smell of the mold, or why you suspect mold may be in the property
Keeping these details on hand will make the call much smoother. Once a team arrives, we will take a look at the property and evaluate it. We will take into account any banned materials like asbestos insulation and lead paint. Removing these hazardous materials is a must.
When we are done with the inspection, we will gauge the cost and work directly with your insurance company so you can get back to your busy schedule.
Removing mold will be our next step. Restoration USA uses IICRC approved equipment to get this underway. We will remove affected areas of the home and dispose of them properly. Then we will implement our industrial air scrubbers to clean the air, and other areas that can’t be reached by hand – spores like to get into every nook and cranny.
After the mold is completely removed the smells will be taken care of with the further use of our air scrubbers. To combat nasty aromas even further, we will deodorize and sanitize the home and rid it of these smells completely.
Go With The Pros!
Restoration USA knows how important your children are to you. We want to keep everyone safe and get them back to healthy living. With over 25 years of service, we know the ins and outs of mold remediation. We will work at your convenience and set up times that best fit into your schedule. Our team is ready to assist you at any time. We know that problems need to be compromised as soon as possible, so we offer 24 hour emergency service. If you notice any of these symptoms in your children, yourself, or anyone else in the home, give us a call at (866)-745-6428 or fill out the contact form on our mold removal page. Let your kids blossom and eliminate mold as quickly as possible; problems grow exponentially as time goes on so don’t wait it out!