It's normal to find black mold in a homes indoor air and surfaces like clothes, the, and furniture. Many times mold spores discovered inside are probably from somewhere other than inside the home. Regular cleaning helps to keep mold levels low. Scrubbing small spots of visible mold, like the black mold around your tub, is obligatory to keep mold in check.

When you should be more worried is when your home has a large-scale area of black mold growing. Such problems are likely to happen when there's been a continuing water leak, flood, or excessively high levels of moisture in the home. Indoor mold growth can lead to very high levels of airborne mold spores, which, in turn, may trigger the propagation of mold growth from the primary source to more areas of the house having heavy moisture levels.

Large levels of black mold growth will destroy your house and furnishings such as carpeting, sofas and your cabinets. Over time, unstopped mold growth may even instigate unseen damage to structural elements of your house. While there is no easy way to get rid of all mold and mold spores on the inside of your home, keeping your house clean and dry can help avert major mold spore growth and possible damages it can cause.

The possibility of damage to your home and property is not the only reason to be concerned about mold. Although most people are exposed to small quantities of mold or their spores on a daily basis without noticeable damage, black mold is an unsanitary condition that may present potential health risks to certain people.

Possible unfavorable health effects caused by mold spores can include allergic, annoying, or poisonous effects, and even infections, allergy problems being the most prevalent. Symptoms reported by affected people include: breathing problems, like wheezing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath, sneezing and/or nasal congestion, eye and/or throat irritation, headaches and overall tiredness.

Here are a some tips to keep moisture from becoming a breeding ground in your home for black mold:

• Make sure that bathrooms, washers and any other wetness-creating sources are vented outside of the house


• Do not block any of your home's central unit vents


• Put moisture removal units in your basements and crawlspaces


• Turn on your kitchen's exhaust fan when preparing meals


• Install insulating materials on cold surfaces including piping, air vents or crawlspace walls to limit the possible condensation


• Place moisture sensors in potential water back-up and overflow areas to alert you when a leak occurs

For more information about mold or black mold symptoms