Discovering mold is alarming because of the toxins it introduces into the air quality. These toxins can make you very ill and cause a great deal of damage to your home. Mold thrives in damp places, like your kitchen, basement, and bathrooms. Usually, if you have mold growing in one of these places, you’ll be able to spot it pretty easily.
However, what if the mold is growing in a less obvious place, like inside your air ducts? Having mold inside your air ducts is even worse because the mold spores can pass easily throughout your home as the air moves over it inside the ducts. Meaning that mold is growing elsewhere and your family might have health complications.
Here is what you should watch for:
Ongoing Strong Smell in Your House
When you’ve got an isolated mold incident (i.e., mold growing on a shower curtain), you will generally just have that smell in the room in question (or in the immediate vicinity).
Mold in your ducts means that the mold is traveling to all the corners of your home. As the air passes over the spores, it brings them along for the ride. This means that there will be mildew smell everywhere.
You can See Mold
Count on your eyes to alert you to potential mold growth in your ducts. If there is mold growing inside, staining will appear on the exterior. Also be watchful for foam like substance growing on the exterior of the ducts.
Mold can be a bit scary, as its spores are hard to spot and will still be lowering your air quality. However, once spores have landed and growth starts, you’ll be able to see the evidence.
Frequent Health Problems
Do you or your family members seem to be dealing with a number of ongoing health problems that don’t seem to have a root cause? Are you chronically bothered by nasal congestion, dizziness, skin rashes and respiratory irritation?
It may not be a good or allergies but actually caused by inhaling mold. In some cases, the presence of mold has even been linked to depression. Mold is not something to take lightly.
If you are concerned, in addition to getting your ducts tested for mold, consider having a regular duct cleaning. It is advisable to have this done every 3-5 years. Doing so will greatly improve your indoor air quality in your McKinney, TX home.