While you might not like mold, it is important to understand its purpose. This helps you understand where to locate it in your home, and keep mold out of the common household. Having mold in your house because it can be dangerous. There are many health problems that are caused by mold which can easily be avoided with the right knowledge. Knowing these common places to find mold in your home can help you to prevent any problems, which can also save you thousands of dollars from mold damage. After reading this article, you will understand everything you need to know about where mold can grow, which can help you detect the early warning signs of mold growth.
Common Hotspots for Mold Growth in Your Home
| Basements | Basements are prone to floods, leaks, condensation, and poor ventilation. |
| Kitchens | Kitchens are where you do most of your cooking and washing and if you have inefficient exhaust fans it can lead to mold generation. |
| Bathrooms | Bathrooms are where you shower and wash, where steam is ever-present and leaks can come in from outside or from the roof. When all of this is mixed with inefficient exhaust fans it becomes a serious problem. |
| Attics | Attics are prone to poor ventilation and insufficient air circulation especially if you keep the few Windows you have shut. If there is damage to your roof the attic is where most of the negative ramifications will manifest. |
| HVAC & Crawlspaces | Crawl spaces are prone to poor ventilation, regular leaks, and moisture intrusion. |
| Laundry Rooms | One of the biggest issues is that no matter your efforts mold problems might not be something you see with your eyes. They can spread behind your walls or under your ceilings, or beneath your floorboards. This is usually what happens if you have a crack in your foundation, if you have some form of water intrusion, or a leaky pipe. |
1. Basements
Why Does Mold grow in Your Basement?
Basements are one of the first places that mold grows because they tend to be very moist, especially if you have ever had flooding or your basement has the small ventilation windows that look outside. Most of the time, basements are level with the ground outside which means if there is any rainfall heavier than normal, water accumulates and might drip down if not inside your basement.How to Prevent Mold Growth in Your Basement
Two of the main ways mold growth in your basement begins are because of window sills and concrete basements.Window Sills
Window sills provide a way for moisture to get into your basement by condensing through window sills. If you have a period of heavy rain and your basement is close to level with the ground, you will likely have water that can find its way in through the window sill.Concrete Basements
Concrete basements are one of the most common places that mold can grow in your house.Small Corners
In basements, the floor is usually much colder than the rest of your house. The basement is where humid air that floods down from the warmer parts of your home into the basement will create condensation. This condensation creates excess moisture in the air, sometimes resulting in mold growth.2. Crawlspaces
You might not go inside any crawl spaces in your home because they're dark, they probably smell, and they're probably full of insects. But these factors are what make crawlspaces are one of the best places for mold to grow in your home. Mold can easily grow easily in crawlspaces because they are hard to see in, and you will not likely ever want to be in one. On top of that, you cannot easily detect the smell of mold because there is poor air flow in crawlspaces. Crawlspaces are also dangerous, and require the right tools and experience to detect and remove any mold. We often recommend hiring a professional service to remove mold from your home, in order to make sure the mold does not return,and your family is safe.3. Bathrooms
Bathrooms are at a very high risk of mold. There are a few main reasons why that you should understand in order to be able to prevent mold growth in your bathroom.Why Does Mold Grow in Bathrooms?
The 3 main places you will find mold in bathrooms are:- Carpets
- Frequent showers
- Wrong Type of Paint
- Cracks in Tile Floor
Carpets
Many homes have a shower mat to stand on when But these can become a haven for mold spores especially if they never get a chance to fully dry.Frequent Showers
Showers create a lot of moisture. The more frequently the people in a home shower, the more moisture and the less time there is for it to escape from your bathroom. One of the best ways to prevent mold growth in your bathroom is to always leave the door wide open after you shower so that the air can leave the small space, taking away the moisture. If you close the door behind you when you leave, you are closing in all of that warm humid air, and not reducing the amount of moisture, creating the perfect environment for mold growth.Wrong Type of Paint
Some paints are waterproof, or water resistant. This makes a large difference in your home when it comes to reducing your chances of having mold in your bathroom. Without the right type of paint, your bathroom can be exposed to a large amount of moisture, which is a factor that can to bathroom mold growth.Cracks in Tile Floors
Because of the high amount of moisture in bathrooms, cracks in a tile floor can lead to mold growth very quickly. If you have had a crack in your bathroom floor4. Laundry Rooms
The same rules of the bathroom apply to the laundry room. It is important that you make sure your dryers are moving the moist air outside, and not back into your house.How to Prevent Mold Growth in Laundry Rooms
Sometimes mold grows in laundry rooms because the door is kept closed, not allowing moisture to be removed. If you have a laundry room that is sectioned off on its own, you will want to keep the door open sometimes in order to let the air get to it.5. HVAC (Air Conditioning)
Your air conditioning unit and HVAC throughout your house is one of the best places for mold growth because your it- Circulates dusty air
- Can hold in moisture
- Can get very cold and damp
- Is not often visited
How to Prevent Mold Growth in Your Air Conditioning (HVAC)
There are a few easy tips to prevent mold growth in your air conditioning that you should know.Check Your AC Regularly
It is important that you check on your air conditioner regularly to see that the mold reducing filters are used and that the system itself is clean. If you notice any mold in your system it is important that you turn off the air conditioner entirely and clean it thoroughly with a mask on, a mold cleaner, and a rag or a wet vacuum.Turn Your Air Conditioning Off
If you leave your air conditioning turned on, you will only further circulate the mold spores in the air and breathe them in regularly. Crawlspaces include your ductwork. You need to give you air conditioning time off to keep the moisture out of your house, and also let some air get to your system. Air that is taken out of your house contain moisture, which has the potential to just accumulate and cause mold growth inside your air duct system.6. Damaged Insulation
If there has been damage to your insulation this problem only gets worse and the air flow rate is inhibited which can cause a chain reaction whereby mold spores grow more frequently. For this reason, hiring a mold removal professional company to perform a regular mold check in these areas of your home should be something that is considered every few years on the home maintenance list. Preventative maintenance is much less expensive than permanent mold damage.7. Carpet
Carpeted areas are where dirt gets held and this type of dirt might contain the elements of detritus that provide nutrients for mold growth. This can be especially problematic if the carpeted area parallels foot traffic where your shoes bring in content from outside.Why Does Mold Grow in Carpets?
During the hotter months that dirt combines with humid temperatures and all it takes is a single flood or spill or leak to provide the perfect environment for mold to grow. If your HVAC system has bad air flow this could result in mold growth within your carpet. If your carpet is heavily trafficked it increases the number of dirt particulates which are brought in from outside and this of course increases the nutrients you are providing for mold growth.How to Prevent Mold Growth in Carpets
Regularly vacuuming these areas to remove any of the debris you bring in is just the first step. Beyond that it is important that you get rid of any moisture in your carpet. If you have a rug of some kind it is best to expose it to sunlight regularly, take it outside and let it sit in the sun. If you have carpeted floors make sure that you dry the floors with fans or dehumidifiers if any water spills immediately. It is easy enough to ignore something like a tiny water leak from your window, dripping onto the carpet below but all it takes is one small area of the carpet for mold to grow.8. Interiors of Your Walls and Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a less than common area to look for mold growth. But the harsh reality is that the interior of your walls are the most common places for mold growth. Most of the time a lack of airflow means that moisture is brought into your home and it condenses on the surfaces of your walls and if they aren't properly ventilated and dried, your wall interior becomes a place where mold thrives. Often times, when old wallpaper is removed, mold is exposed. It is important that you keep your walls dry and that you make sure there aren't any leaks in your home long before the winter months set in. If you allow a tiny leak to go unfixed throughout the winter it could result in massive, expensive damage to your home. Even the smallest of weeks should be plugged as soon as you notice them.9. Under the Floor
Mold will also grow under your floor, in your ceiling, behind your bathroom tile, and behind your walls. If you've ever had water damage, then you are at a higher risk for mold growth in all of these places that are not visible to the naked eye, and you won't even know what's happening.How Can I Detect Mold Under the Floor?
There are things you can do called the doormat test prior to hiring a professional. If you think that there is moisture under the floor or behind your wall, take a dry doormat and place it on the floor, or tape it to the wall. Leave it there for one or two days. When you remove it, if the bottom of the doormat, the part that was on the floor or against the wall is damp, that means there is condensation and moisture is in your walls or your floors. If this is the case, it is important to call in professionals to rectify the situation before it gets worse.Less Common Areas Mold Grows in Your House
It is important that you keep an eye out for mold in areas like:- Wallpaper
- Carpets
- Curtains
- Drywall
- Furniture
- Wood
- Plants
- Food