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Mold can grow in many different areas, and as such, people commonly have mold behind backsplashes and mold behind kitchen walls. If you suspect that you have mold in either of these places or in any other areas of your property, it is important that you get it remediated quickly so that it doesn’t cause any further damage to your property or your health.

Health Effects

Different types of mold will have varying effects on your health based on certain factors like the amount of mycotoxins present in that particular strain.

Some symptoms of mold exposure include:

• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Allergies
• Trouble sleeping

If you have or are currently experiencing any of these symptoms, particularly after your property has sustained water damage, it is possible that they may be caused by mold.

What Causes Mold to Grow?

Mold typically requires moisture to grow and spread, so it is often caused by some sort of leak or liquid vulnerability in your home or commercial building. If you are experiencing mold, it is a good idea to purchase a moisture meter so that you can check for water damage.

How Fast Does Mold Grow?

Mold varies in it’s growing speed based off of a few factors like how many spores are present and how much water damage and humidity there is to help the mold grow. In general, mold will begin to develop within 24-48 hours of water exposure and expand over a period of time.

If There Is Mold Behind Your Backsplash And/Or Kitchen Walls Is Your Food Safe to Consume?

Depending on how much mold is in your kitchen, it may not be safe to consume the food that has come in or near contact with it, regardless of if the mold is visible on the food or not. If your property has any sort of mold issue, we suggest that you dispose of all food and beverages that may have been contaminated.

Common Types of Mold

There are many types of mold out there. Here are a few common types that you might find in your home or commercial building:

Alternaria

This type of mold has large spores so it can often get stuck in people’s sinuses and cause allergic reactions. It is generally found on materials like carpet and textiles, but can also be found in damp areas, like near windows.

Aspergillus

This type of mold typically grows in warm climates or around excessively damp areas and household dust. This type of mold is relatively high in mycotoxins and can cause many health effects if you are exposed to it for long periods of time.

Cladosporium

This is a relatively common outdoor mold that can travel indoors through the HVAC system and other airflow areas. It is known to cause allergic reactions, including hay fever, so it should be taken care of right away. Cladosporium commonly grows on clothing, textiles, wood, and other wet places.

Stachybotrys

This type of black mold is toxic and can cause breathing difficulties, memory loss problems, and more. Fortunately, it is not found as often as some of the other types of indoor molds.

How to Know If You Have Mold

In some cases you will be able to visibly see mold, but in other cases, like with mold behind kitchen walls, it may not be that obvious. In that case, we suggest you use the following methods to confirm that you have mold without hiring a mold testing and inspection company:

Purchase a Mold Testing Kit

Mold testing kits are relatively affordable and easy to use. We recommend giving this one from Amazon a try.

Water Damage

If your home or business has affected by water damage, you should check to see if it has been fully dried out. If it has not, there is a good chance that mold could be growing in your property. You can give this moisture meter a try to test your property.

A Musty Smell

For various reasons, including that they produce gasses called microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC), molds have an odor. While some of the gasses they release do not give off any odor, some give off a musty odor that is often associated with mold. If you notice a musty smell in your property, it is possible that this is a result of mold.

Health Issues

If you are experiencing allergies or any of the other health symptoms noted above, it is possible that they are caused by mold growth in your property. You should get a mold testing kit to examine and verify if mold is the root cause.

How to Prevent It from Getting Worse

Although remediating large areas of mold can be difficult and can require professional help, there are some things you can do to keep mold growth at a minimum until the professionals arrive. If there are any areas of your property that are completely infested with mold, it is a good idea to carefully remove the affected areas (while wearing a mask) from the house and put them outside. You should also get rid of any water leaks and dry any existing water damage that may be present.

Temporary Housing

In some cases the mold may be so bad that the restoration contractor you hire may advise you to stay in a hotel or some other temporary housing before they can be remediated the property and bring it back to a safe and livable level. We recommend that you listen to them and find a place to stay while they are doing their job. They suggest this mainly because living in the property while it is infested with mold can cause serious health effects like the ones we mentioned. Even though the cost to rent a hotel may be expensive, it is sometimes possible to get this cost refunded by your insurance company.

The Average Cost of Mold Remediation Behind a Backsplash And/Or Kitchen Walls

This will vary greatly based on the type of mold you have and how large of an area it encompasses, but here is a general price range of how much mold behind a backsplash, kitchen walls, or anywhere else costs on average: $500 – $10,000. To get an accurate estimate for free, we recommend that you call the number on our website. Although this may sound like a decent amount of money, don’t worry as these costs are sometimes covered by your insurance company.

How to Prevent Mold from Coming Back

To lower your chances of having mold grow in your property, it is a good idea to check your property with the moisture meter we recommended above. Also, if your property experiences any water damage in the future, feel free to give the number on our website a call to have a professional dry it out properly so that it prevents mold from growing again.