Types of Mold, And How to Fight it All in Your Home

Jul 6, 2022 | Mold

Mold is a fungus that can be found both indoors and outdoors. It thrives in moist environments and can grow on a variety of surfaces, including wood, paper, fabric, and food. Mold can cause a variety of health problems, so it’s important to learn how to identify it and fight back against its growth. Let’s discuss the different types of mold, how it grows in your home, and what you can do to get rid of it!

Types of Mold

There are three main types of mold: black mold, white mold, and green mold. Black mold is the most dangerous type of mold and can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory issues, skin irritation, and headaches. White mold is less dangerous but can still cause health problems if it’s inhaled or ingested. Green mold is the least dangerous type of mold and is often found on food.

How Green Mold Grows and Types of Green Mold

Green mold grows and thrives where it’s damp, humid, and there is poor ventilation. It spreads throughout the home as spores grow on bread, fruit, vegetables, and other surfaces that offer friendly growth conditions. Green molds are fuzzy and powdery. Common types of green mold are Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium.

  • Penicillium has antibacterial properties and usually has a blue hue in the green. Just because it has antibacterial properties doesn’t mean you should make a home remedy out of green mold growing in your home. Penicillium can emit mycotoxins that are harmful to people and pets.
  • Aspergillus is the green mold that usually grows on bread. You can also find it in damp, humid basements that are moisture-rich, but nutrient-poor.
  • Cladosporium is an olive-green mold that grows on plants, but can also creep on walls, cabinets, and carpets.

Green mold CAN cause health problems, just like other molds. Let’s take a look at them.

How White Mold Grows

White mold, like green mold, grows because of high moisture levels. Combined with a food source, and the just-right temperature (between 2 and 40 degrees Celsius) white mold can grow and spread. As it grows, it eats the thing it’s growing on. If it’s old bread, that’s one thing. If it’s wood structure beams or drywall, that’s a bigger problem. It can lead to expensive damage in your home.

White mold can attack almost anything – basements, furniture, crawl spaces, attics, and more. In addition to being destructive to your home, it can also cause health problems and exacerbate asthma, so remediation is necessary.

How Black Mold Grows and Types of Black Mold

There are many types of black mold. Some are more dangerous than others. The most common black mold is Cladosporium, which isn’t particularly dangerous and doesn’t have toxic side effects. It’s common in and out of the home, as are other types of black mold like:

  • Alternaria
  • Aureobasidium
  • Dresclera
  • Pithomyces
  • Stemphylium
  • Ulocladium

These black molds don’t produce mycotoxins, but some can cause allergy symptoms and can irritate asthmatic individuals.

Stachybotrys chartarum is commonly known as black toxic mold, and it is highly dangerous. Dark black or dark green, it can be found in attics and other parts of the home. This type of mold releases mycotoxins in mold spores. Released into the air, they can be inhaled and can cause danger to human health. For this type of mold to grow, the material involved would need to be wet for at least 72 hours and have consistent moisture to continue growing.

Bathroom exhaust fans, flooded areas, and blocked attic vents can harbor toxic black mold.

How to Fight All the Mold and Protect Your Home

Let’s talk about how to protect your home from mold, how to fight it if it occurs, and how to prevent it from coming back.

To avoid mold:

  • Identify potential problem areas and correct them
  • Dry wet areas right away
  • Properly ventilate all parts of your home
  • Put mold-resistant products in your home
  • Monitor indoor humidity
  • Direct water away from the home
  • Keep roof gutters clean and in good shape
  • Improve your home’s airflow
  • Clean your household plants

Look out for more tips on this in an upcoming blog post!

But what if mold gets into your home? Follow these steps to get it out:

  • Open windows
  • Follow instructions on cleaning products (don’t mix bleach with ammonia)
  • Wear protective gear like rubber gloves, eye protection, boots, etc.
  • Clean all areas thoroughly
  • Let them dry completely

Or hire a professional (we highly recommend this)

If you’ve had mold, had it cleaned away, and want to keep it away, follow all the instructions for preventing mold, focusing especially on the areas that previously invited mold to grow.

Your home is your safe place. Keep it free of nasty mold and call us if you need help!