With all of this rain, we have to be on the lookout for the little things. Watch out for the small leaks. It takes no time for a small leak to become a big problem. Just a little rain behind the walls can support a whole lot of mold. Likewise, a little rainwater or plumbing water caught soemwhere inside your house can lead to high humidity, especially if you have a new, well-buit home with an excellent vapor barrier. That barrier will keep the moisture in as well as out. If you start experiencing hayfever, it may well be a mold allergy you’ve developed. Exposure to allergens is one of the causal factors.
Stachybotrys chartarum in particular can be a problem, but it is not by any means the only mold that can cause allergic reactions.
So here’s the order of operations:
Find the water.
Dry it up.
Find the leak.
Stop the leak.
Repair the damage.
If you have extreme allergic reactions or a sick child or elderly person in your household, or if you are renting, you may consider having a mold assessment done. On one hand, it may help the doctor if he can pinpoint a response to a particular mold. And if you are renting (or might be looking at suing some contractor for a bad repair job), the mold assessment can help you create a before/after that could help if you end up having a mold litigation situation.
If you’re in California, you might want to give us a call and see about getting an assessment from Byebyemold.