Mold growing on drywall from a water damage problem.
What Triggers Mold Growth – and What Can I Do About it?
Mold is a common subject of anxious inquiries after your home has experienced extensive water damage. If high humidity levels persist, any area that has experienced a leak is at risk for becoming prime real estate for mold. Here are brief and helpful answers to four frequently asked questions concerning mold growth:
- What is mold? Mold is a fungus that grows in multicellular structures on moist organic materials. Mold spreads by spores that float through the air until they land on a surface that is conducive to growth. Mold may develop in a wide variety of colors, but every type of mold releases more spores into the air that can cause mold to spread throughout a structure.
- What causes mold to grow? Mold feeds off of nutrients in carbon-rich organic matter and thrives and spreads when moisture is present. If either factor is absent, mold growth will be significantly less likely.
- How do you identify mold? You can inspect visible mold and look up similar fungi online, but you are more likely to correctly identify mold if you contact an industrial hygienist, indoor air specialist, or a company that provides residential mold testing and remediation services.
- How do you get rid of mold? Depending on the extent of growth, mold can be contained or physically removed and the surface on which it has grown may either be disposed of or cleaned and thoroughly dried. It is important to maintain dry, low-humidity conditions to prevent mold from returning.
If you spot visible mold in your Santa Clarita, CA home, after water damage or smell a mildew odor, you should contact residential remediation and restoration specialists in your area. Experts can quickly identify and contain mold growth, point out environmental factors such as high humidity, and remove, clean, and disinfect the affected area of your home.
Although black mold is the most common mold growth that most homeowners recognize, there are actually a number of types of mold that proliferate throughout homes. Recognizing the types of mold that may flourish in your home is one of the first steps in mold prevention and remediation.
Mold Removed and Contained during Remediation Process
Do you think you have mold?
These are the most common types of mold growths found in your home:
- Black Mold (Stachybotrys-atra): This is the most common type of mold you’ve likely encountered in your home. Black mold may not even start off black, but may instead be gray or yellow-green before slowly darkening to black over time. This type of mold can cause extensive damage to homes.
- Cladosporium: Cladsporium has a peppery texture, and can be black or green. It’s very particular about its environment and tends to grow on fiberglass or on the backs of toilets. It also likes painted surfaces. Keep an eye out for this particular type of mold in dark crevices and on walls. If you notice allergic reactions with no discernible source, you may have a hidden mold growth breeding Cladosporium.
- Aspergillus: If you’ve ever found mold on your food, it’s likely that fuzzy green and white, earthy-smell mess was aspergillus. While it’s not particularly harmful, it can be pervasive and should definitely not be eaten if you find it on your food. It can also proliferate in air ducts, spreading its spores throughout your home.
Water damage is one of the quickest ways to trigger mold growth, particularly if your home has slow leaks. However, high humidity environments can also cause mold to grow. Humidity may come from your climate or could be caused by steam over stoves or from showers. Minimize water leakage and humidity to minimize the spread of mold in your home.
When in doubt, have a Certified Mold Remediation company inspect your home. Providing a Free Mold Estimate is our way of helping homeowners discover mold and water damages. No need to call the insurance company just yet. If you have a mold problem then we will go over the necessary steps to remove the mold in a manner that is safe for you and your family.