When water gets into your home or business, it creates the perfect environment for mold growth. This growth can cause structural damage and lead to health problems.

What are Mold and Mildew?

Mold is a group of microscopic fungi that have a specific growth form. Mildew is a term used to describe kinds of fungi that have a flat growth form. Mold is a scientific term, while mildew is a common term.

Mold and other fungi are living things, but are neither plants nor animals. They make up their own biological kingdom.

Where Does Mold Come From?

Mold is all around us. Most types of mold are not harmful, and we are usually not even aware of them. Some molds are even beneficial to humans, such as those used to create cheese and penicillin.

When mold reproduces, it releases spores into the air. These spores enter a building through open doors, windows, vents, cracks, and on our clothes and pets. Since most of these mold spores will not become a problem, there is usually no need to worry about it. However, mold does become a problem when our home provides it with ideal growing conditions.

Growing Conditions for Mold

Since mold is alive, it needs certain things to survive. Should a spore find all those needs met in your home or business, it will start to grow and spread.

Moisture

Mold can grow with just the slightest bit of moisture. Common sources of moisture include:

• Leaks
• Floods
• Burst Pipes
• Broken Appliances

If the water source is found quickly and dried out, mold growth can be prevented. Most of the time, water will get into hard-to-see places and will be well established before it is ever discovered.

Energy

Just like people eat food to give our bodies energy to live, mold gets its energy from external sources. Mold can consume a wide variety of materials. In our homes, common food sources for mold are cardboard, carpet, drywall, dust, fabric, insulation, paint, paper, wallpaper, and wood.

Temperature

Each species of mold has a temperature range in which it can live. If the temperature gets too hot or too cold, that species will die. Our homes provide the ideal temperature for certain kinds of mold to flourish.

Kinds of Mold in the Home

There are many kinds of mold that can grow in a building if the conditions are right. Some of these molds can be harmful. Molds that are harmful to our health can be broken into three categories based on their impact on us. These categories are:

• Allergenic Molds: These molds cause sneezing, coughing, and other cold-like symptoms in some people.
  Species: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Mucor, Ulocladium
• Pathogenic Molds: These molds cause infections if the spores enter the human body.
  Species: Aureobasidium
• Toxic Molds: These molds can cause long-term health problems and potentially death.
  Species: Stachybotrys (black mold), Acremonium, Chaetomium

As long as the mold remains, the symptoms will persist and potentially get worse. The only way to stop the health problems is to remove the mold.

Mold Removal

Since not all types of mold are the same, the removal process is not always the same. As a general rule, if the mold infestation is less than 10 square feet, you can take care of it yourself. The first step is to remove the source of water and dry the area out completely.

Once all moisture is removed, you will need to scrub the mold off while using a household cleaner, like vinegar or bleach. If the material cannot be cleaned, then it will need to be disposed of and replaced.

If your attempt at mold removal is unsuccessful or the area is too large, it is time to call in an expert.