The air you breathe has a profound impact on your health. And with Americans estimated to spend more than 90% of our time indoors, it’s the indoor air that will have the greatest benefits, if it is clean—or the greatest risks, if it’s contaminated. And generally speaking, indoor air is much more contaminated than the fresh air of the great outdoors.
Of all the things that might be floating around in your air and getting inhaled into your lungs, one of the most alarming is mold. How does mold get into your air? How does it affect your air quality? What can you do to eliminate the mold? We’ve got answers for you.
How Mold Enters the Air
Mold is a subtype of fungi, a group of living things that also encompasses mushrooms and yeasts. The mold you see growing in a damp and neglected corner of your bathroom or in a forgotten container of leftovers in the back of your refrigerator is the body of the organism. But it’s very easy for mold to contaminate the air. Why? Because that’s how it reproduces.
Molds develop sacs called sporangia. At the end of the life cycle of the mold, the sporangia burst, releasing mold spores. These microscopic particles, much like pollens from plants or the gametes released by some sea creatures, settle somewhere else to form new life. Another mold colony will be born in another damp, dark corner! But in the meantime, your air is full of spores.
How Mold Affects Your Air Quality
In addition to being a vehicle for the formation of new mold growth around your home, the spores themselves are causing problems while they’re in your air. For one thing, some people have mold allergies, and will experience serious symptoms in their respiratory systems, skin, and other systems of their bodies when exposed to mold spores.
Certain molds have such powerful mycotoxins that even people without allergies can suffer serious health effects from them. Symptoms can include not just skin and respiratory irritation but severe fatigue and headaches as well!
Finally, there’s the matter of odor. Now, compared to serious health risks, a bad smell isn’t the biggest concern in the world. But we’d all like our homes to smell fresh, not musty or rotten. And when mold is growing and spores are floating around, there will be a mildew odor as well.
How to Eliminate Mold from Your Air
Luckily, there’s a safe and straightforward solution that can eliminate the mold spores from your air. This will clear up the smells and symptoms, and also prevent unsightly mold from reproducing and taking up residence all around your home. Your air can be purified with nothing but light!
Does this sound too good to be true? Ultraviolet light, at certain wavelengths, can unravel the very DNA of mold spores, leaving them unable to reproduce or cause any trouble. This same technology also targets other pathogens like bacteria and viruses, helping keep your air clean and your family healthy.
Reach out today to find out more about having your home’s HVAC system supplemented with a UV air purifier in Ponchatoula, LA.
When you need it done right, contact Professional Heating & Air.