How To Spot Black Mold
It’s considered generally safe for you to clean off mold in your home all by yourself. But with black mold, it’s a different matter. Black mold is bad news for everyone, and you’re better off passing the job to experienced professionals.
The Dangers of Black Mold
Unlike other types of comparatively safer mold, black mold produces myotoxins. These are poisonous compounds can cause myriad medical issues. You may get headaches, fatigue, rashes, and chronic sneezing and coughing.
It’s not that the other types of mold are completely harmless either. You don’t want to be exposed to any mold for an extended period of time, as it can result in allergic reactions and long-term health problems.
But if you’re allergic to black mold, the problem can become even more serious. It’s also dangerous if you have asthma and are exposed to black mold.
How to Avoid Black Mold
It would be easier to avoid dealing with black mold if you could determine the type of mold you have simply on sight. But the problem is that you can’t.
The name “black mold” is a layman’s term for this particular strain of mold called Stachybotrys chartarum. Like many layman’s terms, it’s quite inaccurate. Yes, indeed, black mold is often black. But it can also have many other colors, including gray, dark green, or even blue. In fact, that white-colored mold may even be “black mold,” which should appeal to your sense of irony.
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In addition, if you do have mold that’s colored black, it may not be the toxic black mold at all. It’s likely one of the less toxic strains that look black but aren’t the black mold you should be afraid of. It tends to have a rather strong musty odor, but it is similar to mildew.
If you hang around hardware stores, you may have found some test kits that may help determine if you have black mold or regular mold at home. But these are like home pregnancy kits—they can help, but they’re not 100% accurate all the time.
The only way you can be completely accurate with your black gold diagnosis is if you have a sample of the mold taken and tested in the appropriate lab. It’s the same with a home pregnancy kit—even if it indicates a woman is pregnant, only a doctor can confirm the fact with any accuracy.
Conclusion
The undeniable fact is that if you have black mold, it must be removed as soon as possible. It poses a risk to the health of everyone in the household that you cannot ignore.
Yes, black mold isn’t prevalent at all, as its growth depends on several specific conditions. So you can play the odds when you try to get rid of the mold growth yourself. But if you want to be sure, you should get an expert to deal with the mold. They’ll know if it is black mold or not, and they’ll know how to get rid of it completely and safely.
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