Mold: Materials and Environment

Published by: Elizabeth Gormley
Published on: 2010-01-10 15:26:13

Mold is a microscopic organism that exists virtually everywhere.  In nature, mold decomposes organic materials like leaves and wood, and recycles them back into the environment.  It is a necessary, earth-balancing process.  But the fact that mold spores can spread into the home and eat away at everything from ceiling panels to furniture make it quite the undesirable intruder.  Not only is it destructive—it can make you and your family quite sick.  How does it work?  What’s the technical process?  How can you beat this icky invader at its own game?

The cycle is simple: spores, temperature, moisture, and food.  There are many types of mold and they don’t all grow at the same rate.  Most flourish in temperatures ranging from 40 F to 100 F.  Also, the older spores spread more slowly than the younger spores.  In the wintertime, when a home is likely being heated, mold commonly grows on the interior walls of your home, the gypsum board and sheathing.  The key is to limit the moisture level on these areas where mold can lurk undetected.  This often occurs when the exterior sides of these surfaces become too cold. 

Consider adding insulation to the walls or ceiling to regulate the temperature of these panels—and the walls and other building materials.  This will also reduce moisture and general stuffiness inside—and reduce the risk of mold.  In the summertime, the effect reverses.  The interior of your home is being cooled with air conditioning.  The humid outside air meets the cool air inside on the interior side of gypsum board, creating moisture, and possibly mold.  Year-round, good insulation will regulate the temperatures of your home’s layers and foundation, stabilizing it in all climates.

No matter where you live, it is wise to use paperless drywall products because mold thrives on porous materials.  Choose building materials that retain as little water as possible.  The pH of a given material influences the rate at which mold will grow.  For example, some molds thrive in an environment with a pH range from 4 to 7, and not so well in higher acidic or basic levels.  You may want to invest in building materials already treated with antimicrobial chemicals that will inhibit mold growth. 

It’s bad news if you have a moisture-damaged part of the house, like a flooded basement or attic.  However, the silver lining is that there will be a great competition of microorganisms wanting to settle in this nutrient-rich environment, including mold and bacteria.  The competition is actually good because each is likely to inhibit the others’ growth using their own natural processes.  Act quickly with cleanup, while the yucky growths impede one another.  You won’t have to worry about who will win out and spread to other areas of your home.


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