Can Mold Affect your Productivity and Work Related Goals?

Mold Affecting Productivity

The presence of mold in the home or workspace can be pretty serious as it causes stress and reduces the productivity of the individuals. In addition, mold exposure can have various health problems, and symptoms like nausea and dizziness which can slow productivity and lead to increased time off.

Mold is usually visible around the ceilings and walls of homes and businesses, but it can also be hidden within the air ducts, which may not be visible to the naked eye. In addition, the mold problem can have longer implications on health and work productivity if not addressed immediately. Thus, it is important to have a safe environment with high air quality for a productive lifestyle.

Can Lack Of Energy Keep You From Performing Your Best?

It is well known that tiredness and a lack of energy will keep you from performing your best. Additionally, those side hustlers working after-hours may only be 50% productive if you are coming home to work in a low air quality environment.  How can we check our at-home work space is keeping our energy levels high and performing our best?

Mold Signs

Mold can be hidden in HVAC drip pans, window sills, or tile grout. The musty odor with no visible source can be the first sign of mold. The other signs of unseen, hidden mold is sick building syndrome, which causes symptoms of headaches, dizziness, nausea, or fatigue among multiple persons working in the same environment. If you or your family or office mates notice any of these symptoms while working it is possible there is mold contaminating the work environment.

Mold Effects

Mold can cause health risks leading to asthma symptoms like chest tightness, wheezing, or shortness of breath. The mold allergy symptoms are nasal congestion, runny nose, or sneezing.

Getting sick due to mold exposure is only going to cut your work hours and productivity. Being sick will keep you from reaching your goals in a timely manner.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a mold illness with characteristics of pneumonia and

Effect of Mold on Work Productivity

Mold can create an unhealthy work environment if not treated properly and result in lower productivity. In addition, the time off needed can be increased due to mold-related symptoms. Moreover, dizziness and nausea can slow work productivity through general malaise or increased breaks. Worse, mold exposure  may lower ambition, causing you to lose your mindset necessary for success.

Prevent Mold in the Work Environment

Mold growth can be prevented in the work space, home or office, by the following measures.

Lowering The Humidity Levels

Keeping the humidity levels at your workplace lower, i.e., lower than 50 percent, throughout the day with a dehumidifier or an air conditioner.

However, the natural humidity levels tend to change throughout the day, and one can check the humidity level with a hygrometer at least once a day if you are in a mold prone area.

Free Air Flow

The air in your work environment should flow freely and have proper ventilation to ensure the indoor air quality is not compromised.

Fixing Leaks

Addressing the leaks of your office walls and roofs and fixing them so that lack of moisture prevents mold growth, thus keeping the area in its natural state.

Maintaining the HVAC system of the building.

A preventative maintenance plan can be implemented to prevent breakdowns and keep the leaks in check.

Can Mold Growth Contribute To Difficult Sleep?

Yes, mold growth and increased exposure can cause various symptoms that make getting quality sleep more difficult. Symptoms such as running nose, sinus infection, asthma symptoms, nasal congestion or sneezing can disrupt any body’s beauty sleep.

It is also well known that getting 8 hours of quality sleep is a key contributor to your most successful output. Missing quality REM sleep due to any factor can inhibit your ability to perform your best and thus keeping you short of any financial or productivity goals.

Mold is especially common in the bedroom, behind furniture, and inside dark closest. Leaks from windows, roofs, pipes, and flooded areas can also contribute to mold in the bedroom. For example, mold can form if spilled water is not dried within 48 hours.

Check your bedrooms ventilation to prevent excess humidity and condensation. Minimal air movement can also result in condensation buildup and dampness serving as the perfect ground for mold growth disrupting sleep.

Signs of Mold in Bedrooms

Mold grows for some time before being visible. Thus, you can look for signs of mold in your bedrooms.

• A damp and humid closet
• Condensation near windows
• Signs of water damage, dark wall area, or cracking paint
• An unusual musty odor

Black mold can be visible near the bedroom corners or behind furniture against the wall. Mold can even hide underneath carpets, wallpapers, paneling, or behind walls. Therefore, it is always better to call a professional mold service to get mold removal if you are suspecting or having trouble sleeping. We offer free inspections and the industry’s longest warranty.

Mold Effects on Sleep

Research has shown that mold exposure can compromise sleep. The mold-related sleep problems are insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and snoring. In addition, indoor molds cause allergic rhinitis, which can contribute to various sleeping problems like obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, snoring, and restless sleep.

Sleeping in a moldy area leads to longer mold exposure, and mold spores have a more concentrated time to enter the lungs. These spores contain toxins and affect hormones such as cortisol and melatonin that the brain regulates. Affected hormone levels can cause higher levels of stress causing another drop in production.

Mold can even alter pituitary and thyroid function, leading to metabolic disruption affecting sleep. The lowered metabolic function leads to inflammation and heightened brain activity. The body remains in a heightened arousal state to get rid of the toxins resulting in insomnia and anxiety, and leads to the brain’s inability to shut down. Therefore, mold can interfere with sleep quality and quantity in adults and children.

Does A Cleaner Workspace Or Environment Increase Productivity?

A mold-exposed environment in the workspace can cause various health problems and reduce productivity at work. On the other hand, a cleaner workspace or environment has got numerous benefits.

Reduce Allergies

Mold in the workspace causes various health problems leading to asthma symptoms such as chest tightness, wheezing, or shortness of breath, and allergy symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, or sneezing. Hence, a cleaner and mold-free workspace can help avoid allergies and save time from shortened breaks, leading to enhanced productivity.

Improve Work Productivity

A cleaner workspace provides fresh air and prevents excess allergies and illnesses. In addition, since employees enjoy a healthy life, their efficiency is increased, leading to enhanced productivity at work.

Save Renovation Costs

Mold causes severe damage to office buildings. Thus, keeping mold in check and having a cleaner workspace saves renovation costs, leading to increased productivity.

Treating Problems Early Can Save Big One-Time Expenses Down The Road

Mold around the home and workspace grows before it becomes visible to the naked eye. Therefore, if untreated, the mold can spread to other parts of the home, and the mold remediation process can prove to be much more lengthy and lead to various renovation costs for mold damage.

There is no fixed set price for mold removal and mold remediation. Instead, the cost fluctuates depending on various factors such as the amount of mold, house size, type of mold, potential water damage, and many other variables. Check out our full guide to Mold Removal to learn more.

If the mold-affected area is less than 10 square feet, then you can treat the mold by yourself. However, a professional mold remediation service would be required if the affected area is large. Our Do It Yourself Mold Removal Guide can assist.

Mold damage can lead to the

• crumbling of walls
• collapsing of ceilings
• ruin the wallpaper
• ruin floorboards
• stain carpet
• rot wooden studs

In addition, the higher the delay in treating mold, the larger the damage to the materials, which would mean higher replacement and renovation costs for the depreciated items.

Mold treatment at an early stage involves less cost as the affected area is limited. However, if untreated, it can spread to other parts of the home and can become much worse, leading to increased scope of work for the mold remediation process.

If the mold-affected area is large, the mold remediation process would involve containment, air scrubbing, materials removal, HEPA vacuuming, thorough cleaning, and fogging. Thus, the cost tends to be much higher due to the larger job scope. Hence, treating mold problems in its early stage can save big one-time expenses going forward. Learn more about our Mold Removal Six Step Process.

What Immediate Savings Can Mold Removal, Mold Remediation, Or Air Duct Cleaning Provide?

Mold removal, mold remediation, and air duct cleaning help keep the home or office free from mold by addressing the source. In addition, the mold remediation and air duct cleaning process aim to eliminate mold and ensure immediate savings of costs related to damages, cracks, and allergy treatments.

20-30% Higher Costs

Treating mold early and cleaning your air ducts can save a few hundred dollars going forward. The mold removal and air duct cleaning allow the technicians to spot and repair small damages that would otherwise cost larger amounts if left unchecked.

Efficient air ducts have been shown to lower energy bills by up to 20-30% according to a recent Environmental Protection Agency study.

The mold removal process can save future costs by treating and eliminating the mold and, in turn, safeguarding any building materials.

Costs For Allergy Medicines and Treatments

Mold can cause health risks leading to

• asthma symptoms
• chest tightness
• wheezing
• shortness of breath
• allergy symptoms
• nasal congestion
• runny nose
• sneezing

Consulting a physician or doctor would involve various mold exposure tests such as blood tests, urine tests, and a Visual Contrast Sensitivity Test.

Moreover, the treatments and regimens to bind and remove mycotoxins include

• Chlorella
• bentonite clay
• activated charcoal
• cholestyramine

The whole treatment process can cost a huge sum of money. Hence, treating mold with mold removal and air duct cleaning early would save you from such expenses down the road.

The average American millennial spends $353 per year on allergy medicines and treatments. Value Penguin suggests a lifetime cost of $16,146 for some. If mold removal or air duct cleaning could help reduce either number then that is additional savings that can be invested elsewhere.

Takeaway

The presence of mold in your home and workspace can cause serious health issues, affect sleeping patterns, and reduce work productivity. Hence, it is important to address mold and eliminate it from its source to achieve your highest levels of production. Moreover, mold removal can save renovation and replacement costs of materials and help avoid allergies, thereby saving costs in treatments. Book a free inspection today to have our experts at Pure Air Nation evaluate your productivity zone.