Mold is a type of fungus that lives almost everywhere there is moisture, oxygen, and organic matter. Mold plays an important role in nature as it helps decompose organic material. However, mold found indoors can cause health problems, as well as structural problems to buildings.

Mold can take on a variety of colors – anywhere from dark black to a lighter green or anything in between. Sometimes it’s very difficult to determine if what is in your home is actually mold, so in some cases, we recommend using an industrial hygienist to test for mold before hiring a mold remediation company. An industrial hygienist can find the hidden mold behind walls or ceilings.

It is important to remove the water as quickly as possible and to dry all affected materials. This includes under cabinets, under walls in adjacent rooms, the subfloor, lower rooms where the water might have gone. Dehumidifiers and air movers can be used to dry these materials.

Both mold and mildew are part of the “fungal” group of organisms. They both produce spores, and mycotoxins and allergens. They are, obviously, very similar. IN GENERAL: mildew grows on living organisms: the mildew on flowers, powdery mildew on grass, etc. Most mold growth is on things that used to be alive. Mold grows on wood and paper and cardboard and wool and silk and leather, etc. Mildew grown on trees, shrubs and many living plants. What you see growing inside your home is probably some type of mold. All molds must have something organic on which to grow. When you see mold growing on something that is not organic (concrete, plastic, glass) then it is actually growing on the DIRT that is on those materials. Dirt contains enough organic material to support mold growth.

There are a multitude of different molds that can be found in a home. When you discover mold the “name” of the mold is much less significant than the fact that you have growing mold at all. All mold produce allergyns and mycotoxins; some very weak, some quite potent.

Removing mold efficiently is harder than most people think. First, you have to wear protective clothing to reduce exposure to mold. Then, you need to isolate the mold, so that it doesn’t spread to other rooms. After that, fix the water problem and dry the affected surface. To clean up mold, scrub a mixture of household detergent and water on the surface (don’t use bleach).