How Does Spray Foam Insulation Prevent Mold?

Most people realize that mold and moisture can cause serious building and health problems in your home.  According to the New York Times, mold can lead to health problems that include:

• Itchy eyes

• Sneezing & coughing

• Allergic reactions

• Asthma attacks

• Permanent lung damage

Obviously, nobody wants to risk their health, or that of family members.  What's worse is that if your home goes unprotected against mold for too long, the removal process can cost thousands of dollars.  You don't even have to see the mold growing to be affected by it.

How does mold get into your home in the first place? 

When warm air inside your home mixes with cold dry air outside, it forms dew (that annoying stuff on the grass that gets on your shoes).  But unlike morning dew that evaporates when the sun comes out, the dew in your attic and walls can eventually turn into mold.  Now the wood in your home is under attack from water, and unhealthy mold can begin to form.

So how does spray foam insulation keep my home safe?

Spray foam insulation can create an airtight seal in your attic or walls.  This keeps the cold and warm air from mixing, and moisture from forming in your home.  Get rid of the moisture, and you prevent mold.

Best of all, spray foam insulation itself doesn't get moldy.  Spray foam, like a ball-point pen, is made of "inert" materials.  "Inert" just means that the material doesn't change or quickly break down.  Wood can rot, metal can rust, bread gets stale.  But materials that are inert (like a frisbee, or spray foam) don't break down.  This means you don't have to worry about spray foam ever being food for mold once it is sprayed into your home.