Where to Look for Mold in Your Home

9/23/2019 (Permalink)

Mold can grow virtually anywhere—in any room of any house, in any commercial building and in any storage room. That said, some areas are more prone to mold problems than others. Knowing where to look for mold can help you detect, eliminate and prevent the problem.

Here are some common places you will find mold

• Basements: Flooding, leaks, condensation, poor ventilation… The basement tends to be very moist, especially if you have had any flooding down there. Concrete floors in basements are a great place for mold to grow, as are the corners of your walls. The floor being cooler than the humid air causes condensation, which leads to moisture, causing mold.
• Kitchens: Cooking, washing, inefficient exhaust fans…
• Bathrooms: Showering, steam, leaks, inefficient exhaust fans… If you are not cleaning, and allowing your shower to dry often enough, if you are not drying your floors after you step out of the shower, and if you are not allowing air to circulate your washroom during, and after you shower, that can all cause mold to grow. The steam from your shower makes the perfect home for mold; it is so warm, and damp. When you finish showering and close the door behind you, not allowing it to air out, not only will your washroom smell like a wet towel, but it greatly facilitates the growth of mold.
• Attics: Poor ventilation, insufficient air circulation, roof damage…
• Crawlspaces: Leaks, moisture intrusion, poor ventilation… Your crawl space is usually dusty, which feeds the mold, and damp, which the mold needs to survive. So make sure you don’t neglect your crawlspace, every once in a while, go check it out, make sure it is clean, get any dust out of there, and take a good look at the corners, the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.
• Laundry rooms: Washing, inefficient exhaust fans…
• Air Conditioners: Leaks, moisture, poor ventilation… Another place that can cause mold in your home is your air conditioner. They are perfect for helping mold to grow. They cause a difference in temperature, which results in condensation, and they circulate dusty air. Make sure that if you have an air conditioner, you have clean, mold reducing filters, and you check it regularly for any signs of mold. If you see any mold on it, shut it off, put on a mask, to avoid breathing the mold spores in, and clean it thoroughly with a rag or wet vacuum, and mold cleaner.

Despite your best efforts, mold problems aren’t always visible–sometimes they spread behind walls and ceilings or underneath floorboards. This is often the case when there’s a crack in your home’s foundation, a leaky pipe or some other type of water intrusion. That’s why you should also keep an eye out for mold on drywall, carpets, curtains, wallpaper, wood, furniture, food, plants and soil.

If you find mold in your home, give SERVPRO of Easton, Bethlehem & Whitehall a call to make it “Like it never even happened.” 800-455-9453