What Musty Smells Mean

After being gone for a few days, you come home and there’s a musty smell in the house. If you are anything like most people, you think….why didn’t I smell that before? Or…the house must need to be aired out. Well, you are right that the house needs to be aired out, but it is also the first sign of something significantly more important – MOLD.

Oftentimes we are unable to smell mold amongst our day to day living circumstances because we adapt to the smells of our homes. Not to mention there are constantly new odors being released into our homes when we cook, get ready to start our day, take a shower, or clean. These smells “cover-up” the deep rooted scents that travel through our home all the time. The good news is this break may potentially save you and your loved ones’ lives.

So how does mold come into your home? Everywhere there is air. Mold spores are naked to the human eye and can travel through any means. Maybe they hitch a ride on your pets, children, friends, or yourself. They may fly in through an open window or attach themselves to that bouquet of flowers. Once into your home, they circulate through your air ducts. Every home has the potential for mold to develop.

So how do they grow? They need two things, the first is moisture. Once the spores are inside of your home, they look for moisture. This moisture maybe the wall of your bathroom where steam has caused condensation, it may be a cold water pipe that accumulates condensation, it may be behind the kitchen sink faucets where water was dripped turning the faucets off. Come to think of it, most of the time when we cook, boil water, or bake we create moisture that settles any and everywhere within our home. We do a lot within our homes to make a nice cozy home for mold, don’t we?

The second is food. What do mold spores feed on? They feed on wood, dry-wall, insulation, paper, and cardboard are the most prominent. However, there are also the thin films that cover hard surface such as counters and metal. Let’s not forget materials such as leather, carpet backing, and wallpaper adhesives. The biggest haven for mold is dust which hides in your most dark, hidden places such as your air ducts.

So, I have mold…it’s natural, what’s the big deal? According to the EPA, it can cause many different health problems. They produce, “allergens, irritants, and potentially toxic substances” (http://www.epa.gov/iedmold1/moldbasics.html ). Mold spores themselves aren’t really a big deal until the first warning sign, the odor. This means they found a nice, wet surface to grow and fester on.

Cleaning your air ducts is an important part of preventing mold for two reasons. It cleans out any mold that may be forming AND it reduces the spores are that are stashing away until they find that nice wet spot.