Is mould really just a cosmetic problem?
Posted on 8th June 2022 at 14:51
Unless you are about to tuck into a giant slab of stilton cheese, mould isn’t an appetising thought. It looks unsightly, it brings a nasty fragrance with it. If you have an area bespeckled with black mould, ignoring it isn’t going to make it go away.
You probably have that friend, the “sort of” handy one who comes around and does your little bits of DIY. They might add a lock to your shed door or paint your skirting board. So, you show them this freckled area of damp and they tell you with confident authority that “it won’t hurt you, it’s only a cosmetic problem.”
Well, that’s alright then, isn’t it?
Well, if you are reading this article now, please feel free to forward it to your handy friend. You see, it could quite easily be more than just a cosmetic problem.
You should meet our friend Stachybotrys Chartarum
If you have damp in your house, you could find that it leads to black mould. The spores of Stachybotrys Chartarum are actually rather toxic to humans. If you inhale, or otherwise ingest, the spores of black mould this could lead to a variety of unwanted health issues.
Letting black mould grow in your house can be risky.
Black mould causes chronic coughing and other respiratory issues as well as serious lung damage, sickness, and allergic reactions. Children who are susceptible to asthma attacks are at serious risk of an asthma attack if the mould is allowed to grow in your homes.
The good news is that, in most cases, the black mould infestation can be easily reversed. Sometimes it just needs an extractor fan fitted for the problem to be resolved.
You also run the risk of structural damage
Damp and mould have a way of eating at your building. You could end up with some severely costly issues if damp and mould are left to grow. There are two ways that damp causes structural damage:
• Damage because of your timber is susceptible to wet rot. Over time, if the timber in your property is exposed to excess moisture, rot can eat at it and cause massive structural damage.
• Water damage to your masonry is also problematic. Brick and mortar are both porous materials, which means your property can have water travelling through it. Where ordinarily this isn’t an issue, prolonged exposure causes structural damage.
So as long as your property doesn’t have wood or brick work you will be fine, right?
Most homes are, in fact, very vulnerable to damp. And if a house is vulnerable to damp, so is the health of both the occupants and the building itself. And whilst most problems are fixable, the longer you leave it, the more problems there are. That means the more expensive it is to bring your house back to life.
What shall we say to your handy friend?
Your handy friend meant well. They are probably a good egg with a handy knowledge of how things work and are put together. But all in all, it is like with anything else, you need the experts to be able properly diagnose and treat the issues.
Just as you wouldn’t go to your friend for handy tips and how to set your broken leg, you should really seek the experts to be able to protect your house’s integrity. In fact, your own safety good be at stake.
If you would like us to come and look at a possible damp infestation, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01327 652 920, or email us on info@srgillbuilders.co.uk.
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