How quickly can mold spread throughout my home?

Mold is a serious issue that needs to be addressed as soon as you notice it spreading throughout your home. It’s a dangerous health hazard that could potentially harm you and your loved ones, so it should never be ignored for too long.

Typically, mold colonies need 24-48 hours to start growing on a damp surface. From there, it can start spreading at various speeds depending on numerous factors, all of which we’ll discuss down below.

So, if you’re ready for a short mold-prevention guide, keep on reading to learn more!

Keep an eye on any potential leaks inside of your house

 

Whenever there is particularly humid weather occurring, you should be extremely wary of any unsealed places in your home. This includes crawl spaces, basements, or even attics. Make sure you regularly inspect these areas of your home, especially if you’ve dealt with leakage issues in the past. Even the smallest leak can provide the moisture needed for mold to start growing. From there, it can spread to other areas of your home and when it reaches that point, you’ll probably need some professional assistance to get rid of it.

Again, if you’re aware of any areas of your home that are sensitive to overly rainy weather, ensure you’re inspecting them regularly. Moisture and humidity can accelerate the rates at which the mold grows and spreads, so remember to ventilate those sensitive spots as frequently as you can.

Plumbing issues

While the rain getting inside of your house makes issues with mold almost a certainty, you shouldn’t forget about your plumbing system either. Even when the weather outside is sunny and dry, if any of your pipes start leaking (even in the smallest amounts), your home is at high risk for a quick spread of mold. So, if you had any pipeline issues recently, we suggest you check those parts of your home for any signs of mold, especially if your pipes are anywhere near wooden areas or drywall. Again, mold requires moisture and humidity to grow, which makes any damp surface a perfect breeding ground for these fungi.

Bathrooms are a sensitive spot when it comes to mold growth

It’s no secret that mold grows incredibly quickly in bathrooms, as they’re usually the most humid parts of your home. If you regularly take steamy showers and you’re not ventilating properly, you’re likely to deal with moldy surfaces from time to time. Even if your bathroom is seemingly mold-resistant, you should still be careful, as mold can appear anywhere. It can even grow on metallic surfaces if there’s enough dirt accumulated on top of them. So clean your bathroom thoroughly after showering, and don’t forget to leave the windows open at least once a day.

If your bathroom doesn’t have any windows, we suggest installing a proper ventilation system or at least getting a dehumidifier. Once the mold appears, it will spread quite quickly, so immediately contact professional services before the issue gets out of hand. Elite Moisture Solutions can help you develop a customized mold removal plan for your needs.

Organic materials feed the mold, accelerating its growth

Dust, wood, fabric, and paint are all mold-prone materials that you should keep away from moisture as much as you can. Humidity is not the only thing that accelerates the growth of mold; the persistent fungus also feeds on any organic material it can find.

So, for example, if your wooden table has been in contact with water recently, remember to dry it out as quickly as possible and examine it thoroughly to ensure there’s no mold growing on its surface. Once it’s starts growing on any type of furniture, you’re better off throwing the entire piece away as you’d want to stop the spread as soon as possible.

Overall, the speed at which the fungi will grow throughout your home depends on the predominant building material inside of your house. Drywall is especially sensitive to mold-related issues, so ensure you take extra prevention steps whenever there’s a sudden rise in humidity in your house.

Your patio is a perfect breeding ground for mildew

Wooden patios require constant care and maintenance, especially when it comes to mildew prevention. Moldy areas can spread incredibly quickly throughout your patio, potentially ruining the entire construction from the inside. Make sure you dry it carefully after cleaning and invest in a waterproof cover or a roof for the rainy season.

Now, even if you have a concrete patio at your home, it doesn’t mean you’re completely safe from these issues. Again, your furniture will need to be protected, as the mold spores can travel through the air and potentially reach the interior of your house.

Prevention is always better than cure

As we’ve mentioned before, once you notice the mold growing in any part of your home, leaving it be and hoping for the best is simply not an option. The best course of action is calling the professionals who will deal with the issue before it becomes overly complex and expensive for you to handle. Besides, professional moisture control services can help you create the perfect prevention plan for future reference that will help you protect all of those sensitive spots for times to come.

The key to keeping any type of mildew away from your walls and furniture is in maintaining dryness inside of your home. No moisture=no moldy issues! It’s as simple as that. So, keep your spaces properly ventilated, tend to leaks as quickly as possible, and don’t forget to upgrade your isolation if need be.

 The bottom line

The speed at which mold can spread throughout your entire home mainly depends on the amounts of moisture and organic materials present in every area of your space. Your bathrooms, attics, crawlspaces, and basements are usually where it all starts since these places are often left without proper ventilation and/or isolation. Once it starts growing it can spread to the other parts of your home in a matter of hours, so in this case, never hesitate to call Elite Moisture Solutions!