How to Find Mold in Your House

Keep your home clean and mold-free.

Your family's health can depend on you keeping your home clean. Along with all the obvious advantages of cleanliness, another major reason is to remove or better yet prevent mold growth. Potentially dangerous mycotoxins produced by molds can trigger serious health issues in many people. In addition to being a health hazard, mold is unsightly. It's not always easy to spot, however, and tends to grow in hidden areas. So before you can remove all the mold in your house, you'll have to find it.

Instructions

1. Inspect your basement for mold, if you have one. Mold thrives in moist areas, and basements are most likely moist environments, particularly if your laundry room is there. Check the walls of your basement for mold, especially if they're painted. Many paints used in basements support mold more easily than that in other areas. Inspect the area around your water heater closely, too, wherever it may be.

2. Check out the bathrooms in your home. Pay attention to how the air smells. A damp, musty smell indicates that you may have a mold problem. Inspect the walls and areas around plumbing fixtures, such under the sink, around the bathtub and toilet. If these fixtures are leaking, they could be contributing to making your bathroom a breeding ground for mold.

3. Lift up a small portion of the carpeting in your home if possible. Inspect the underside of the carpet for mold growth. This is especially important in rooms with higher moisture, such as the basement, laundry area and bathroom.

4. Examine all the windows in your home carefully. Windows can accumulate moisture, and therefore can be an excellent place for mold to form. Carefully inspect along the edges of the window frame and across the window sill for mold.

5. Pay close attention to areas of your home that seem to be deteriorating. You may find peeling paint on your walls, window sills and trim, or rotting areas on your siding, windows or roof. These are all possible signs that you have a mold problem.

References

• HGTV: Find Source of Mold in Your Home

Resources

• CDC: Facts about Stachybotrys chartarum and Other Molds
• Mold-help: Stachybotrys Chartarum