Terribly ugly! I said to my wife.
But I was not referring to her. The subject was our apartment which we owned, and lived in for the past ten years. We loved the environment here in this suburb, just 20 minutes drive from downtown Kuala Lumpur. The air was fresh; with a beautiful forest reserve located not five minutes away from our home.
But our dream apartment looks dilapidated now, like a haunted building, no thanks to mold presence.
I dont plan on shifting. So whats next?
Research, of course. As I look up resources in the libraries and Internet, I come to see mold in a different light. Still dislike it though, but I dont hate it as much as before.
Mold is fungi (plural for fungus). It is just a group of microscopic organisms.
They are everywhere and we dread them. But we also know that micro-organisms breakdown garbage to recycle the nutrients. Hence, we need mold to destroy the garbage we produce every day.
How does mold reproduce? Mold, like any living organisms, needs water, air, food and the right temperature to spread. Mold can be found on damp rotting leaves, heaps of rubbish, grass and wood. Wherever conditions are suitable for mold development, we will find them there. It is a known fact that molds also destroy plants by growing on them.
Mold growth is a natural thing. But it is unnatural for mold to grow in our homes.
Spores, produced by mold, create mold allergy and other sicknesses. Mold itself cannot cause that.
When spores in the air land on a surface that can provide water, air and food, mold reproduces and grows.
And thats exactly what happened to our homes. Spores simply drift in through open doors and windows. Sometimes we unknowingly bring home spores that settle on our clothes and shoes.
However, the good news is we can stop mold growth by removing the conditions it needs to germinate.
It i s cheaper to prevent mold growth than to remove mold that has already grown in our homes.
Look out for Mold Allergy. Mold is commonly an allergen. If you suspected any symptoms to be related to mold, your doctor may run a simple allergy scratch test to confirm whether you are indeed sensitive to mold.
People react to molds differently. Some would have stuffy or runny nose, some itchy eyes, some infected skin. These are called allergic response. It is the way our bodies fight off the invading mold molecules. Nevertheless, prolonged exposure to mold can bring about mold allergies and sensitivity in healthy people.
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