Mold: The Nuisance Behind Your Walls
Imagine this, you have a nice Broken Arrow home in a nice neighborhood with nice schools, you try to sell it thinking it is going to be a piece of cake only to find out that there might be a potential nuisance hiding behind your walls. There is no predicting this nuisance as it could manifest itself anytime and scare your potential buyers away. Just picture this, a potential buyer is inspecting your home, the inspector tries to check out a corner of your master bedroom only to be confronted with this nuisance. The nuisance has a reputation for harming families and stealing money. Imagine how difficult it will be to sell that house. The nuisance is none other than mold.
If you discover the existence of mold in your house, you might want to consider getting rid of it for your health. And if you don’t have the funds to get rid of it then you should consider selling the property to a home investors in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Finding a buyer for a mold infested house is like trying to sell a house with a ticking time bomb.
Another option is to tear out the walls and treat the mold yourself. This can be a burdensome process and you may want to hire it out. The cost of remediation would eat at your profit, so hiring a Broken Arrow house buying company may be less of a headache if you don’t wan to deal with it.
How did this nuisance get here?
Mold is a fungus that is found in moist areas. For mold to grow, three conditions must exist, organic food matter, moisture and the right temperature. Unfortunately, these three conditions can be found anywhere. Anything can be organic matter, from food to wall paint. And any human-friendly temperature can be the right temperature, so mold can pretty much survive in any temperature, even your refrigerator. And even moisture can come from anywhere, could be a small pipe leak or even a flood.
Types of mold
To understand the possible effects of mold on your health and quality of life, you need to know the three categories of mold.
- Allergenic molds
- Pathogenic molds
- Toxigenic molds
The three major mold categories have different effects on human health. The effects could be something as simple as a rash, to cases that are considered downright life-threatening. Note that, your health history can also affect your reaction to mold. And the amount of mold is also another factor.
To acquire a better understanding of the possible health issues that can be caused by mold, we need to analyze the three major types of mold.
Allergenic Molds
Most of the molds you see around are allergenic. Allergenic molds are considered “the best of them all”, since they cause the least harm.
Allergenic molds cause itchiness or watery eyes, congestion, and rashes. However, if you have other allergies, you may also experience difficulty in breathing. That is not to say that allergenic molds cannot have a serious effect on your health, ranging from abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, mental confusion, cramps, swelling and difficulty in breathing.
These reactions are often confused for seasonal allergies because their symptoms are similar. So, if you find yourself experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, you might want to check to be sure that you’re not reacting to mold.
Pathogenic Molds
Pathogenic molds are however not as friendly as the allergenic molds. Reaction to this mold is divided into three different categories: superficial, subcutaneous and systemic.
- Superficial
- The superficial reaction is a common pathogenic reaction of humans to mold. These reactions could come as nail infections, athlete’s foot or skin infections.
- Subcutaneous
- The subcutaneous reactions are very serious, even more than the superficial since they can be found underneath the skin.
- Systemic
- These are the most severe of the three reactions and can be quite life threatening. Here, the mold attacks the lungs, liver, kidneys and other organs.
Toxigenic Molds
Like their name implies, the daily job of toxic mold is toxin production. Ingesting or inhaling toxins produced by these molds can cause skin rash, fatigue, fever, nausea, suppressed or weakened immune, hormone disorders, mucous membrane irritation, chronic liver damage, nervous immune system or even cancer.
Hypersensitive pneumonitis is another severe condition caused by mold exposure. Hypersensitive pneumonitis can be described as a chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of fungal antigens.
Black mold, also called Stachybotrys chartarum, is a notorious toxic mold. This particular mold is not toxic, but produces toxins known as mycotoxins. This mold derives its name from its color which could be black or dark green. With the right conditions, this mold can go from a small dot on your wall to infesting an entire wall. Mycotoxins are extremely toxic, so they must be properly treated, which means wearing the right safety uniforms amongst others.
How do I remove this nuisance?
Now that you’re aware of the dangers posed by mold, the next step is to learn how to get rid of it. Getting rid of mold could be harmful for your health if done without the proper guidance and safety measures. So, you should get it looked at if you don’t want to mess with it. Another option is just selling right to an a local Broken Arrow house investor. Molds can be very harmful and can ruin your chances of getting a buyer for your property. The more time the mold spends in your house, the worse it can become and the more money you lose.
How to get rid of molds
There are six rules that you need to abide by to keep molds away from your property. They include:
- Let in as much fresh air as you can (and if this is not be possible, ensure that your air vents are functioning properly).
- Stop all obvious leaks and be sure to fix any leaking pipe once you notice it.
- Check for possible mold signs when you clean.
- Make sure your clothes and furniture are properly dried before bringing them into the house.
- Pay particular attention to attics and basements since they’re always left unattended.
- Pay special attention to bathrooms and kitchen because they’re mold-prone areas.
You can also read A Brief Guide To Mold, if you need more information on how to prevent mold. This guide is quite informative since it was written by mold experts!
Best way to sell a house with mold in it
If you notice the presence of mold in your home, you can either sell the home to a home investor or get rid of the mold. We are known for buying homes in all types of conditions within the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, and have an excellent Google review rating. We will give you a fair cash offer fast and you can be sure our service is top-notch.
