Did you know that many spaceships — including the International Space Station — have mold growing in them? How did it get into an airtight environment like that? Is there any way to prevent mold in space?
Mold showing up even as far away as space can teach us a few important lessons about mold. We’re hear to tell you about them! We’re Cleaner Guys, a professional mold removal company with more than 20 years of experience. A big part of our mission is to educate more people about mold, its pervasiveness, and its dangers.
Read on to learn the 3 lessons a professional mold cleaning company would draw from learning that there’s mold in space.
Table of Contents
- The 3 Lessons We Can Learn from Finding Mold in Space
- Can You Prevent Mold in Space?
- Can You Prevent Mold in Your House?
- Why Is Mold So Dangerous?
- Key Takeaways
The 3 Lessons We Can Learn from Finding Mold in Space
Learning that mold makes its way all the way out to space can be shocking! But it has actually been happening since the earliest days of manned space travel! There is some documentation of minor mold found on the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, the Skylab of the 1970s, and nearly every other space mission since then.
It’s actually very easy for a few mold spores to get into a spaceship before it launches from Earth — mold spores are floating around in most of the air we live in, and can settle on any surface. In the Skylab mold infestation incident of the 1970s, the source of the mold was traced back to some astronaut underwear that was contaminated with some mold spores!
Once mold spores are in the spacecraft, they only need the smallest bit of moisture to plant themselves, grow, and spread. 3 main factors encourage mold spores to grow and spread: excess moisture, still and stagnant air, and inadequate cleaning.
Lesson 1: Excess Moisture and Humidity
The number one thing that causes mold growth is moisture. It cannot grow without it! Mold spores are floating around in our air all the time, but they do not land and grow in an indoor space unless there is moisture to sustain them.
One of the biggest culprits of moisture that many people do not recognize is humidity. And high humidity is one of the primary reasons mold likes to grow in spacecraft! A spaceship is a completely sealed and airtight space. This means as humans create moisture through sweating, breathing, cooking, and bathing, the moisture has nowhere to go, and builds up inside the spaceship. This heavy moisture is the perfect breeding ground for mold. But mold needs more than just moisture — it also needs stagnant air.
Lesson 2: Air Movement
If there is a lot of air movement in an indoor space, mold is much less likely to grow, even if there is a lot of moisture! That’s because a lot of air circulation and movement pushes the mold spores around, making it harder for them to settle on surfaces.
The second ingredient for mold in space is the fact that there isn’t a lot of air movement in an airtight sealed spaceship. Engineers have added air-conditioning units to spaceships, and that helps create air movement. But unfortunately, they often break, and can’t be repaired until the spacecraft returns to Earth or another mission is sent up to it.
Lesson 3: Cleanliness
Unfortunately, we cannot yet prevent all humidity buildup or create consistent and adequate air movement in an airtight spacecraft. So the best thing we can do to prevent mold in space is to keep everything as clean as possible. Remember, like the Skylab of the 1970s, a single item contaminated with mold spores can cause an infestation. Vigilance in cleaning is the only way forward right now.
Can You Prevent Mold in Space
Unfortunately, right now the best way to prevent mold in spaceships is rigorous cleaning and use of materials that are inhospitable to mold, like plastics and metals.
According to Science.org, it has been found that mold spores can survive 200 times more radiation than humans, and can even survive in the vacuum of space for some time! So once they’re in the spaceship, there’s no easy way to get them out.
However, since mold in our spacecraft is a serious concern for the health of our astronauts, we have engineers and scientists working all the time to try to figure out how to mitigate the problem of mold in space.
The good news is, it’s a lot easier than this to prevent mold on Earth!
Can You Prevent Mold in Your House?
Yes, you can do a lot of things to prevent mold in your house! Since mold requires excess moisture to grow, you can keep on sharp alert for leaks, plumbing failures, and other such sources of unexpected moisture in your home. You can also use fans, air conditioning, and other methods to keep the air in your home circulating, which helps prevent mold spores from settling. Below is a list of just a few of our top tips for preventing mold in your house:
Cleaner Guys’ Top 3 Tips for Preventing Mold
- Check your whole house for leaks every month or two. It may seem arduous, but it doesn’t take long, and the benefits are astronomical! Most of the worst mold infestations we have to clean up here at Cleaner Guys are from a small leak in an invisible place that dripped water unnoticed for a long time. You can prevent that!
- Open a window or turn on a fan when you shower. Bathrooms with showers are by far the most humid rooms in the house, and they get humid almost every day, when you take your nice hot showers! Mitigate the rising humidity by opening a window to let it out, or turning on a fan to help the air circulate.
- Keep your indoor humidity low. Many modern thermostats tell you the humidity of your home as well as its temperature, but if yours doesn’t, we recommend you invest in a hygrometer. If the humidity in your home is regularly above 50% (which is the limit recommended by the CDC), invest in a dehumidifier for every room that is typically above 50% humidity.
These are just a few of our top recommendations for preventing mold! If you want to see all of our hot tips for preventing mold, click the links below and open these articles in new tabs to read all about it!
Top 5 Ways to Prevent Mold in an Apartment ➜
How to Prevent Mold in the Laundry Room – One of Mold’s Favorite Places! ➜
Top 10 Ways to Prevent Mold in Your Garage ➜
Our Best Tips for How to Prevent Mold in the Bathroom ➜
Why Is Mold So Dangerous?
Why all this work to prevent mold, both in space and at home? Is it really that dangerous? Yes, unfortunately, it is really that serious.
When mold takes root and begins to spread, it begins releasing tons of spores, which anyone nearby will inhale. These mold spores cause mold sickness in most people, because it is a foreign and invasive contaminant in your body. Mold sickness symptoms can range in severity from person to person. Symptoms can include headaches, incessant coughing, persistent congestion or runny nose, irritated or itchy eyes, trouble sleeping, and much more severe allergic reactions.
The worst part is, as long as the mold grows freely, these symptoms almost certainly won’t go away. Imagine dealing with these kinds of symptoms for months or years because you didn’t take care of the mold that was causing them!
Besides mold sickness, mold has also been linked by several studies to an increased risk of mental illness and chronic diseases, up to and including Alzheimer’s disease. Mold can also weaken the very structure of the building if it eats through too much drywall and wood!
Mold is a very serious and dangerous issue, and should be treated as such.
Key Takeaways
Mold is consistently found in spacecraft because of the high humidity and lack of air movement inherent in those airtight spaces. However, there is a lot you can do to prevent dangerous mold growth in your own home! These actions include promoting air circulation, keeping indoor humidity low, and keeping an eye out for leaks and other sources of excess moisture. Stay on top of the health of your home, and you’re much less likely to need to deal with mold growth!
If you ever end up needing mold removal in Western Washington State, consider Cleaner Guys as a high-quality, well-trusted option! We’re proud to boast award-winning customer service, lower prices than others, and top-notch workmanship. Contact us today through the menu at the top of your screen!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
