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What are mold mites? First discovered in1781, mold mites are tiny little arthropods, (arthropod family members include lobsters, crabs, spiders, and many other insects that have an exoskeleton)that thrive on mold as their primary food source. Besides mold, these little mites will also consume yeast. Since they also eat yeast, they may get into your pantry and attack products that are high in fat and protein. Mold mites are almost, but not quite, invisible to the human eye, they are that small. There are lots of different types of mites in the world, but most of them, like the more common dust mites, are much larger than mold mites.
Are Mold Mites a Health Concern?
Mold mites don’t bite humans like bed bugs or other insects might do. So you may think that other than having a bunch of tiny “bugs” in your home, mold mites would be an irritation but no threat to your health other than the stress of having them. That’s where you could be wrong.
These tiny little insects can cause allergic reactions, very similar to the milder reactions caused by mold and mold spores. Symptoms like sneezing, coughing, or a scratchy throat and watery eyes are common. This is because long hairs that are used for sensory perception cover the mold mites’ bodies. These hairs will fall out and can become airborne. Once airborne you could inhale them and that’s when allergic reactions could start and your health could begin to suffer for it.
How Do You Find Mold Mites?
You will not have these mites in your home if you never have a mold problem. If you do have an area of mold, if you look very closely, you may see a small area on the mold that is white or tan colored and that may seem to shift slightly. These are the mold mites moving around on the mold. If you use a flashlight along with a high-powered magnifying glass, you may be able to distinguish these little creatures. They are only 0.3mm in length, or about 3 times the thickness of a human hair when the hair is viewed end-on.
Many times you may see what you think is a collection of brownish-colored “dust” near or under an area where mold mites are feeding. This dust is actually a collection of live and dead mold mites. You can vacuum this “dust” up but it keeps coming back. Sometimes you may see these as a small speckling of tiny dots on a wall. Both of these signs may be indications of a mold mite infestation.
Treating a Mold Mite Infestation
Identifying that you have mold mites is the first step. If you ‘re not sure what you are dealing with, how can you take the next step? Once it is determined that it is a mold mite problem, the next step is to remove the mites’ food source. This source could be contaminated food products, but most of the time it is mold that they are living on. To starve out the mold mites you must get rid of any mold in your home.
Mold removal involves many steps, the first of which is personal protection. Before attempting to remove any mold you need to suit up. That would include donning gloves, disposable coveralls with a hood and foot covers, and a N-95 respirator or facemask.
Next the area affected by the mold needs to be isolated from any other areas of your home. This can be done by closing doors, or better yet, setting up a containment chamber. You should set up containment chambers by enclosing the mold-affected areas with 6-mil plastic (zip walls work well for this). You should also use HEPA air scrubbing machines to help clean the air during mold removal due to the fact that mold spores, when disturbed, can easily become airborne and be spread to other unaffected areas or be inhaled by workers. One air scrubber should be placed inside the contained area and one should be located outside the area, near to where workers enter and exit the containment chamber.
Never use chlorine bleach on porous materials when trying to remove any type of mold. Bleach is 96% water and only 4% chlorine. The chlorine won’t penetrate but the water in the bleach will. If the mold has grown deep into the porous materials, all you will have done is water the mold; not exactly the end result you had in mind.
All porous materials affected by mold must bagged and removed from the home. The bagging must take place while the materials are still in the containment chamber. Any items or materials remaining inside the contained area need to be cleaned with a disinfectant and dried before the containment can be taken down.
Once the mold is gone, the mold mites’ food source will be gone. They will either be cleaned out along with the mold when it was removed or they will die off shortly afterwards. To keep mold mites from returning, keep excess moisture away so that mold does not return: with no mold there will be no mold mites.
When Dealing With Mold Seek Professional Help
Remediating mold on your own can create many problems if the task is not done properly. The safety of your family will be at stake. The chances of spreading the mold or sensitive individuals coming into contact with mold or mold spores are greatly enhanced if you don’t know what you are doing.
If you discover that mold is affecting your home you need to call Water Mold Fire Restoration at 800-905-0277 as soon as the problem is discovered. Our Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) nationally certified mold remediation technicians can handle any size mold problem, both large and small. We answer our phones 24/7, even on holidays and during disasters. We can be onsite within one hour of your call. If you would rather contact us by email you can do so at help@watermoldfire.net. Our initial inspection and remediation estimate will cost you absolutely nothing.
