You know that it’s important to maintain and protect a building’s walls and structures, be it your business or your home. There are aesthetic reasons, sure, but you also want to avoid your building having severe damage thanks to the elements or old age. In general, it’s better to spend money preventively on upkeep than to risk needing to spend even more money later on costly repairs.

However, there’s another reason why it’s important to make sure your building’s walls, windows and fixtures are stable and in good condition. Leaks and minor building damage can result in greater damage later on, but leaks can also cause unneeded moisture and dirt to enter the building. At that stage, it’s no longer a masonry concern – it’s a health concern, too.

Outdoor allergies

If you have seasonal allergies, this time of year may involve a lot of eye drops and sneezing. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as 60 million Americans have environmental allergies from irritants such as pollen and ragweed. Having openings in the building walls, faulty windows or poorly closing doors can allow these outside allergens inside.

Another type of allergen that can originate from the outside or the inside is mold. Outdoor mold most commonly originates from dead plants and leaves that rot in the springtime after dying in the wintertime.

If you have leaks or damage to your building, outside mold spores can reach inside and cause a variety of mold-related allergies. These can lead to skin conditions, asthma and other respiratory conditions in children, or may cause allergic reactions in adults who already are susceptible to mold.

Indoor mold

While outside mold can reach indoors through leaks or poorly closing windows and doors, inside mold can develop on its own. However, indoor mold is often caused by similar issues with the building as outside mold.

When too much moisture from outside reaches inside the home, mold spores can flourish, causing a variety of allergic reactions depending on the person. These range from respiratory to digestive, and can even cause asthma to develop in children.

Reducing the risk of mold

One of the key ways to reduce either type of mold spore inside the home is through waterproofing. If your building is made of limestone or similar materials, your building is especially vulnerable to allowing too much moisture inside. When you waterproof your masonry with an effective waterproofing agent, you are sealing the surface of the brick or other material against moisture that would otherwise enter the material. If you haven’t had your building’s masonry water sealed in more than five years, then you should get this service done for your building as soon as you can.

Get help from Arrow Masonry and Exteriors

For more information on ways you can help protect your building – as well as the health of your family or workers inside – visit our website. You may also contact us by email, by using our online form, or by calling us at (312) 329-0750 for more information about the services we provide.