You may not have thought about it — or perhaps you’d rather not think about it, but mold is rather common in American homes.
As a result, if you’re a homeowner, you’ll have to learn about the different types of mold that can accumulate. This helps you prepare in advance to protect your home and ensure mold prevention.
This guide will show you the signs of mold as well as the causes of mold and what you can do to protect your home.
Here’s what you need to know:
Table of Contents
Categories for the Types of Mold
Before we tell you about the specific mold that you want to look out for, you want to know about the three categories.
Allergenic molds are the mildest type of mold. These don’t have any toxic material, however, they can cause allergic reactions in some people. The most common illness that comes from allergenic mold is asthma.
The next type of mold is pathogenic mold. These are toxic and can cause serious illness to anyone with pre-existing conditions. Toxigenic molds are the most dangerous and can even kill!
But, fear not! All types of mold can get eliminated, and we’ll now look into what you can do.
Getting Rid of Mold
The best option is to hire a sanitation company to apply fungicides to your home. This will kill all types of mold and ensure that new mold doesn’t grow any time soon.
But you also need to do your own part in mold prevention to guarantee that the problem doesn’t get out of hand before it’s too late. One thing that you don’t want to have is standing water in your home. You’ll also need to try to avoid house floods.
Make sure you check out this guide for the questions to ask to prevent house floods and mold prevention.
Now let’s look at some specific names of mold that you’re likely to deal with.
Chaetomium
This is an allergenic mold that you’ll often find in homes that have had serious water damage.
You’ll recognize this mold as it starts off as a white fuzz before growing into a dark color. This can get created even with a small amount of moisture in your home.
Trichoderma
This is a toxigenic mold that gets caused by damp soil. It’s unfortunately one of the most common types of mold. In fact, there are 89 variations of this type of mold.
It can grow almost anywhere in your home and if there’s sufficient moisture, then that’s where you can expect to see the first signs of mold. As a result, it’s best to hire a sanitation company to inspect your home to check if this mold might grow.
Black Mold
This type of toxigenic mold is often found in your ventilation system. If you have a heater or A/C unit, then you want to keep it clean at all times. Letting dust gather might eventually lead to the formation of mold there.
This type of mold comes when you have poor air quality. Make sure you use your A/C unit often and consider having ceiling fans on at the same time.
You want to have regular air circulation in your home at least once a week for an entire day. This assures that the air remains fresh and can assist in mold prevention. You can also consider keeping your windows open if you need to save on energy usage.
Alternaria
Imagine stepping into your shower to enjoy the relaxing hot water splash on your face.
Well, if you’re not careful, you might come across Alternaria, which is an allergenic mold that often grows in bathrooms. It’s also the most common type of mold from allergenic varieties.
You need to clean your bathroom regularly and that you dry it after use. Standing water can develop easily in bathrooms and can cause this type of mold.
This type of mold can also lead to asthma or even hay fever. This type of mold can even grow on your bathroom items from toilet paper to your shower gel.
Ulocladium
This is another common type of allergenic mold and unfortunately, it’s found in many places.
It can be found in bathrooms, on appliances, on the walls, and even on your carpet. It grows from dampness, so you’ll need to dry these places often.
If your carpet gets wet often, then you might need to take it to a dry cleaner. Or, you can lay it out in the hot sun so it can dry properly. There might be some serious cases when you’ll have to throw your carpets away to avoid the further spread of this mold.
Mucor
There are around 40 variations of Mucor; most are allergenic and one variation is toxigenic.
The mold will either come in a white or gray color. It can grow on carpets, mattresses, and any structures that have been damaged by water.
This type of mold grows fast at room temperature or when the heat is prevalent in your house. It can grow up to an inch thick and can even lead to a blood infection.
As a result, you have to really look out for this mold during the summer.
Aspergillus
This pathogenic mold is mostly found in HVAC systems. They can cause respiratory problems if they continue to grow. If you’re not careful, they can even cause cancer.
You might have to remove your HVAC system altogether to prevent this mold from growing. It can also grow in buildings damaged by water. In such cases, tenants are often told to leave while experts clean the entire building over several weeks.
These Are the Types of Mold
Now you know the types of mold and how to protect your home from them.
Interior basement waterproofing can help prevent mold growth in your home by controlling the moisture levels in your basement. When excess moisture is present, it creates an ideal environment for mold growth, which can be harmful to your health and can also cause structural damage to your home.
Make sure you follow the steps in this guide to ensure mold prevention. In the event that you do get mold, always hire a sanitation expert to implement the fungicide.
Molds can range from causing allergies to being lethal. You want to take action as fast as possible to protect yourself from these types of mold.
You can find more housekeeping advice on our website.
