Mold in the House: Causes, Dangers, and Solutions
Mold is not just an aesthetic problem: it can affect your health and damage your home. Understand the causes and discover how to eliminate it effectively.
Health Risks
According to ANSES, exposure to mold can cause:
- • Respiratory allergies
- • Asthma and asthma attacks
- • Eye and skin irritation
- • Chronic headaches
- • Pulmonary infections (immunocompromised)
- • Unexplained fatigue
The 4 Main Causes of Mold
Mold needs three elements to grow: moisture, a temperature between 15°C and 30°C, and organic matter (wallpaper, plaster, wood...). Humidity is the factor you can act upon.
1. Condensation
The most common cause. Warm, moist air condenses on cold surfaces (windows, poorly insulated walls, thermal bridges).
Solution: Improve ventilation
2. Water infiltration
Defective roofing, worn window seals, cracks in walls... Water seeps in and creates damp areas conducive to mold.
Solution: Water repellent treatment
3. Rising damp
Groundwater rises up through walls by capillary action, causing dampness and mold on the lower sections of walls.
Solution: Resin injection
4. Plumbing leaks
Even a small leak can saturate a wall with moisture in a few weeks and encourage mold growth.
Solution: Call a plumber
How to Eliminate Mold?
1. Treat the cause
It is useless to clean mold if you do not treat the source of humidity. It will return within a few weeks.
2. Clean surfaces
Use a mixture of diluted bleach (1 part to 9 parts water) or white vinegar. Wear a mask and gloves. Leave for 15 minutes, then rinse.
3. Purify the air
Ventilate thoroughly during and after cleaning. An air purifier with a HEPA filter can capture airborne spores.
4. Prevent recurrence
Maintain a humidity level between 40% and 60%. Ventilate daily. Use anti-mold paint after treatment.
When to Call a Professional?
- • Affected surface greater than 1 m²
- • Mold that returns despite treatment
- • Persistent health symptoms
- • Mold in ventilation ducts
- • Musty smell without visible mold (inside walls)
Sources et références
Cet article s'appuie sur des sources officielles et vérifiées pour garantir la fiabilité des informations.
- [1]
- [2]Impact sanitaire des moisissures— Santé Publique France
Rédaction ZeroHumi
Équipe éditoriale ZeroHumi
Documentation technique vérifiée à partir des sources citées (ADEME, ANSES, OMS, CSTB, CEREMA)