Could mold in our home be causing our coughs?« Back to Previous Page

Yes, mold in your home can absolutely be the cause of your family's persistent coughs. The symptoms you're describing—non-stop coughing, especially in children—are very common reactions to mold exposure. The damp, musty smell confirms active growth, and the fuzzy spots on your clothes are the visible colonies releasing spores into the air you breathe.

In Dubai's climate, this is a frequent issue. The high humidity, combined with stagnant, poorly ventilated spaces like storage rooms, creates an ideal environment for mold. Air conditioning can sometimes help reduce ambient humidity, but enclosed spaces without airflow trap moisture, leading to the problem you've found.

The fastest and safest way to deal with this is a two-step approach. First, stop the exposure immediately. Keep the storage room closed off from the rest of the house and do not attempt to clean the moldy items yourself, as this will disturb the spores and can make the air quality worse. For a situation of this scale with health symptoms already present, professional assessment is strongly recommended. They can identify the moisture source (often condensation or a minor, unnoticed leak) and contain the area to prevent spores from spreading during cleanup.

The affected textiles, like jackets and sweaters, are likely not salvageable and should be carefully bagged and discarded. A proper remediation will involve HEPA vacuuming and antimicrobial cleaning of the room itself. Ultimately, without fixing the underlying moisture issue, the mold will return. A professional inspection can provide a definitive cause and a permanent solution.