Different types of household mold – Explained

For the most part, mold is everywhere so, whether you can identify it or not, chances are your home has mold lurking out of eyesight. Mold is something that occurs naturally, although the kind of mold that grows in your home or business can determine the extent of the issue. Mold spores migrate through the air, entering buildings through openings like windows, doors and HVAC systems. Spores can also be brought into a location on pets, clothing and shoes. It is virtually impossible for you to prevent mold entering your home. You need to take action as mold begins growing in your home. Having an expert to speak with who will tell you the strain of mold present is invaluable. Add to that an expert who will develop the best way to treat it then perform the removal process, and you have Paul Davis. We provide professional commercial and residential abatement services for all sorts of disasters, including mold.

Indoor Mold Remediation and Abatement Services

With a Paul Davis inspection of your residential or commercial property for mold, you have a licensed professional that is experienced in this area. Detecting and identifying mold is step one in what can be a long project. When it comes to treating mold safely, it is best working with a company which specializes in all aspects of the process. Paul Davis offers mold removal and remediation services in addition to basic mold inspections. Mold causes damage to your residence along with major health issues to your family. Unlike most allergens, mold can adversely affect the health of an individual regardless if they have allergies or not. Mold spreads through any surface it grows in, this means the longer it remains without treatment in your home, the worse its effects are. Paul Davis can accurately identify the strains of mold growing in your house and effectively handle treating it.

Properties of Mold

There are 3 basic species of mold:

  • Allergenic: These produce and cause allergic reactions.
  • Pathogenic: Molds that cause health issues in people which suffer with acute illnesses.
  • Toxigenic: These molds can produce toxic microbes.

With the variety of molds that can reside in properties, having an expert to investigate and diagnosis the extent of their spread is key to eradicating it. An expert with Paul Davis can aid with making your house healthy and free from the most damaging molds.

A few common molds are:

  • Penicillium – This mold most commonly feeds on wallpaper, wallpaper glue, decaying fabrics, carpets and fiberglass insulation. It will cause hay-fever type reactions and induces asthma attacks.
  • Aspergillus – This is a warm weather mold which thrives indoors and outdoors. Aspergillus can be located in areas of extreme dampness and extensive water damage, as well as organic matter that is breaking down. Aspergillus can also found in dust and produces mycotoxins.
  • Alternaria – Alternaria is often located in soil, showers, window frames, carpets and textiles. This large spore mold takes traction in the mouth, nose and respiratory tract.
  • Cladosporium – Cladosporium is the most commonly identified outdoor fungus easily enters homes. It spreads in overtly moist, porous environments like wood and textiles. Both the indoor and outdoor kinds bring about asthma attacks along with inducing hay-fever like reactions.
  • Stachybotrys – Being the least rampant household mold is fortunate, as it’s among the more insidious. Stachybotrys requires excessive damp to thrive, and causes breathing issues, symptoms reminiscent of the flu, hearing and memory loss, and bleeding in the lungs.
  • Acremonium – This toxic mold thrives in areas of condensation like humidifiers, drain pans, window sealants and cooling coils. It’s a powdery mold that thrives in an array of colors like pink, white, grey or orange.
  • Aureobasidium – This mold is most often found growing behind painted wood surfaces and wallpaper. It begins light brown or pink in color then darkens to dark brown-black the longer it’s around. This is a highly allergic responsive mold, causing skin rashes and eye infections.
  • Chaetomium – Chaetomium can be located in houses after flooding or leaking and in chronically wet conditions. It has a cottony texture, changes colors from white to grey or brown as it ages and has a musty odor. Chaetomium is known to produce mycotoxins which affect the immune system, causing nail and skin infections.
  • Cladosporium – Cladosporium thrives in cold and warm environments and spreads rapidly on upholstery, fabrics, carpets and under floorboards. It reacts adversely with wet tissues like the eyes, nose, mouth and throat.
  • Fusarium – Capable of thriving and spreading in cold weather, this mold is coral or pink in color and is most commonly located in soft goods. A reddish strain is found in organic products like house plants, and both kinds can move rapidly through a home. Symptoms from this mold begin as skin infections, sore throat and runny eyes then progresses to brain abscesses and bone infections.
  • Trichoderma – Trichoderma is a highly allergic mold with 5 subspecies. This rapid growth mold has a wool like texture that is mostly green and white. It thrives in moist and consistently damp locations like HVAC systems, textiles and wood. Along with health symptoms associated with other mycotoxins, Trichoderma also destroys the surfaces it inhabits, causing decay and structures to crumble.
  • Ulocladium – Ulocladium is nearly always located in bathrooms and kitchens. It is one of the black molds that contributes to respiratory illnesses and asthma.

Reach Out to Paul Davis for a Reliable Mold Inspection

When you may know or suspect there is mold in your home call the professionals with Paul Davis. Our professional team will provide a detailed inspection as well as perform the remediation servicing required to remove dangerous mold from your property. Paul Davis is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.