Are you concerned about black mold in your house? In this article you will learn three facts about mold that may surprise you - and make you feel better.
Copyright (c) 2008 Jon Dacken
Is there mold in your home?
Are you terrified of mold? Especially black mold? If you inhale mold spores are you concerned that you will become ill or die within a few weeks?
If these statements describe how you feel about mold, here are three interesting facts you need to know:
Fact #1
Every time you step outside you are inhaling mold spores, usually more than you would inside.
Fact #2
Eliminating mold entirely from your home is both unnecessary and almost impossible to achieve.
Fact #3
Most common molds are black.
Unless you live in a sterile bubble with a very special air filtration system, I guarantee there is mold in your house. It's impossible not to have mold.
How can this be true?
It's true because of a simple fact of nature. You can save yourself countless hours of worry and hundreds of dollars in mold testing and cleaning once you understand this simple fact.
What is this simple fact? Mold exists everywhere in nature!
Not all mold is bad. Without mold human life would be much more difficult.
It's what makes bread dough rise and beer ferment. Mold has also saved thousands of lives. In 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered that Penicillium notatum, a type of mold, killed bacteria. Penicillin came from his discovery. Penicillin has saved more sick and injured folks than any single invention in history. Penicillin was so valuable during the second world war that it was filtered from urine and reused.
You cannot go anywhere in nature and not have mold in the air. It is part of Mother Nature's plan. It doesn't matter if you are in a city or the middle of the wilderness. Mold is there also.
A few years ago I backpacked Isle Royal walking about 55 miles in 9 days. Isle Royal is an island in Lake Superior. It's a national park and very remote. There are no roads, cars, telephones, houses, electricity, running water, or sewer systems where I was. You have to travel a few hours by boat to get there. Many locations were too remote to even make a campfire. I never saw another human the entire trip, but I did see a lot of fresh wolf tracks every morning.
But there was mold everywhere. On the ground and in the air.
It is just part of nature.
So how do I know there is mold in your house? Because mold is in the air outdoors. And the air inside your house comes from outdoors. The mold doesn't disappear when the air moves inside. Furnace and air conditioning filters remove very little mold if any.
Now here is the question you really need to ask: Is the mold in your house a problem? You don't care about mold if it isn't a problem. But if it is a problem, you need to know about it. Normal mold concentrations are ok. But abnormal concentrations can cause problems.
Fortunately there are some simple, free tests you can do yourself to help you decide if you have a problem. All you need to invest are a few minutes of your time. They're easy to do and well worth your effort.
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