-
Unexpected Sources of Household Mold
There’s no shortage of literature talking about the importance of avoiding household mold. This is true for patients without any type of chronic illness, but it’s especially important among those of us with respiratory diseases like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).Mold can cause both immediate or long-term damage to your lungs, so proactively avoiding it by knowing where it might hide in your home (unexpectedly) is important. Some people cough or sneeze as a trigger from smelling or inhaling mold spores. Others don’t notice initially, but may end up with chronic lung damage if prolonged exposure to mold occurs. So where might mold live in your home that you might not expect?
Last week, I wrote a column called Eliminating Unexpected Sources of Mold in the Home and highlighted some of those spots where mold might be found. Did you suspect mold might live in any of the spots I mentioned?
Are there any other unexpected sources of mold in your home that you know of? Please share for the greater good of our IPF community and so that we can all be proactive in eliminating further risk to our lungs. We’d love to hear from you!
-
2 Replies
-
Mold is very elusive, you need a mold test to be sure there is no mold. I have remodeled homes and found mold hiding under a sofa and entertainment unit on tile due to pervious owner did not run air all the time in humid beach environment. I have found it in houses due to roof and siding issues hiding behind electrical plate and drywall and found it on drywall due to sprinklers hitting house. testing for mold and also radon can be informative.
-
Thank you for sharing your insider knowledge John @caneelbay1!
In my last home, in Washington state, our master bedroom closet was a small walk-in in the darkest, coldest corner of the house. It was COATED in condensation when we moved in and continued to have that issue until mold grew. Our clothes always smelled dank, some organic fibers (leather shoes, wool sweaters) molded and had to be thrown out.
Our landlady tried cutting a hole in the wall to vent the space, installed a cadet heater, and changed the bathroom fan to a more heavy-duty one, but the only thing that helped was running a dehumidifier in the closet 24/7. It took months for her to buy one for us, which was strange considering how much she was willing to spend on the handyman “repairs”. I was super persistent with her on the issue as I knew the risk of mold to lungs. I wish people were more aware of how damaging it can be.
Log in to reply.