As more and more people become aware of the health hazards of mould, the more conscious people become around the potential for their home to be harbouring toxigenic mould – and for it to make them sick.
In the event you can see patches of mould growing on your walls or ceilings, of course you can be sure you have a moisture issue and likely a pathogenic mould problem as well, but what happens if you can’t see mould? Does that mean your house is fine…?
The short answer is, no.
Contrary to popular belief, just because you can’t see any mould doesn’t mean your home is mould-free. Reason being is that mould is actually very, very easy to miss. For example:
- mould is microscopic, making it too small to see with the naked eye until its growth is significant
- mould can be all sorts of colours for example white powdery aspergillus on your walls and ceilings won’t stand out to you under normal circumstances
- mould grows where there is moisture which is not always where you inhabit the house e.g. if you have a roof leak it’ll be proliferating the ceiling cavities where you can’t see it (same goes for in wall cavities, and under flooring) – as well as under carpet, inside mattresses ad soft furnishings
Given the particulate matter, VOCs and mycotoxins can easily travel with air movement throughout the home making the occupants sick – and no visible mould will be seen – how else can you tell if your house has a mould problem?
Here are some of the telltale signs there might be a moisture issue (and therefore a mould problem).
Visible Water Damage in the Property
Aside from obviously visible mould, there can be other signs of water damage to property that may give away a mould issue.
Staining, spotting and/or texture on ceiling, wall and floor coverings
- Are there any water stains or darker/lighter patches compared to the rest of the materials i.e. walls, ceilings, carpets
- Are there strange stains or marks appearing on building materials (ask yourself, is this what it looked like when it was brand new?
- Is there de-lamination of carpets, peeling paint, lichen (or even mushrooms!)
INSPECTION TIP: Shining a torch along the wall can highlight any imperfections, peeling or bubbling paint/wallpaper as well as staining and/or visible mould growth. Shining a torch at the ceiling can identify any spotting and staining that may arise from roof leaks, thermal bridges, condensation or plumbing leaks.
Warping or cupping of timber
- Looking at timber: is there any warping, buckling, swelling or lifting
- Looking at walls and ceilings: are there any water stains, darker patches, mottled patches, bubbling under paint or wallpaper
Dampness
- Does it feel damp, or dank, inside the home or a specific room or area?
- Is there ‘stuffiness’ anywhere?
- Do wet towels take a long time to dry?
- Does your skin feel sticky in the room/home?
- Is there visible moisture e.g. are there water beads or steam on mirrors, windows or tiles?
- Does the air feel thick/heavy?
- If you have a moisture meter, are there areas that appear to be holding more moisture than others?
Visible Mould on Possessions
This one is a more obvious one. Even if you don’t see visible mould on floors, walls or ceilings – if you’re finding mould (or signs of mould) on your possessions this could indicate the property has a moisture issue (or that your possessions have come from a previously mouldy place).
Clothing
- Are there strange stains, colour differences, powdery substances or actual mould growing on clothing?
- Particularly check stored clothing and natural fibres like silk, cotton and leather
- Suspect mould if rashes or allergy symptoms occur (i.e. sneezing, watery eyes) when handling clothing, particularly if it has been stored or untouched for some time.
- Be wary if elastic starts to perish quickly on undergarments and swimsuits
Bags and shoes
- In addition to visible mould look for discolouration or powdery substances, or unusually stains or marks
Elevated Humidity
Not many people know how essential it is to keep an eye on the relative humidity inside their homes, or when they need to act to adjust it – but if you notice a sensor is indicating an RH of 65% or more for 2+ consecutive days there’s likely going to be an issue with environmental moisture which can lead to mould growth.
Air Quality
Whilst there are instruments that measure how good the air quality inside a hime actually is, if the air quality is bad you’ll likely have some idea that it is.
Clean air should smell fresh and like nothing at all, so anything other than an odourless space indicates the possibility of poor air quality. Absolutely any odour needs to be investigated – but smells caused by mould (VOCs) can be:
- musty (classic mould smell)
- earthy
- like wet dog
- like rotting leaves
- like dirty socks
- like vomit
- acetone
- alcohol
- pungent
- vinegary
- mushroomy
- even marijuana-like
Property History
It’s not always possible to get a history of what’s happened in a home but online research, a building or mould inspection, and even asking the neighbours as well as previous owners/tenants will reveal if there have been major water events or moisture issues in the property.
Flooding
- Has there been any extreme weather events that resulted in flooding of the area
- Where does water go (or pool) in heavy rain
- Has the neighbour’s pool, nearby body of water ever overflowed
Leaks
- Has the roof ever leaked during rainfall or a storm?
- Has a pipe ever burst?
- Are there braided water hoses and, if so, how old are they?
- How old is the bathroom?
- Has the home been renovated?
- Is the property in a tropical or sub tropical climate?
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Health Issues
Human health issues
Looking at your health history you can sometimes see that issues started when you moved into a certain place (or perhaps dissipated after you left property) so consider the following:
- Did the symptoms start after a move to a new home, city, school or workplace .
- Are symptoms better or worse for a certain room, building or time of day
- Do symptoms disappear when on holiday, only to recur on a return to home
NOT SURE WHAT SYMPTOMS MOULD CAN CAUSE?
Pet health issues
One thing I’ve noticed is very common is pets suffering in a water damaged building, often before their owners.
- Check pets for health issues, especially allergies (skin and respiratory), gut issues, autoimmune issues and cancer
- Any issues with the liver or kidneys should raise questions
- Younger animals are more at risk of early death
- Pet death
- Pets commonly become very ill and die when exposed to a water-damaged building (WDB)
- Animals may run away to avoid a water-damaged building (WDB)
- Watch for illness patterns between human and pet occupants
