Identifying The Four Most Common Types Of Indoor Mold
There are several varieties of mold that can grow indoors in Maryland. All indoor molds can be hazardous to your health. It is important to understand the different types of molds that can grow indoors, so you can correctly identify if you have a mold problem. Here is how to identify the four most common types of mold:
Cladosporium
Cladosporium is a mold species often found in basements. Cladosporium can often trigger severe asthma attacks, so it is a very dangerous variety of mold. Indoors, it is often found on flooring, carpeting, acrylic painted walls, behind wallpaper, and in HVAC insulation. It is an olive-green, brown, and black in color and branches out into long branching colonies. Cladosporium molds will usually be fuzzy looking and soft to the touch.
Stachybotrys
Stachybotrys, is also known as black mold, can be extremely toxic for humans and can cause a range of health issues, including, in extreme cases, death. Stachybotrys prefers warm conditions and will grow along any surface there is moisture. It is black and dark blue-green and grows in long streaks. Stachybotrys will look slimy and will smear if touched.
Aspergillus
Aspergillus molds can cause a range of health issues and can even weaken the immune system. Indoors, Aspergillus is found along wallpaper, gypsum board, flooring, carpet, upholstered furniture, HVAC insulations, plastic, wood, and leather. It is white and green and grows in disjointed circular patches. Aspergillus looks soft and feels crumbly to the touch.
Fusarium
Fusarium molds can cause a range of circulatory and nervous system problems. It tends to be found along the floor, in carpets, along mattresses, and in polyurethane foam indoors. It is white and light grey and grows in large splotchy patches. Fusarium is extremely fuzzy looking and very soft to the touch.
These are just the most common of the dozens of different types molds that are found in Maryland basements. Different molds present a different set of health hazards, flourish in different environments, and require different treatments. So if you’ve identified one of these molds, or any other type of mold in your home, you need to call an expert to have a mold remediation immediately. Our certified staff at AA Action Waterproofing has years of experience identifying the different molds found in Maryland homes and can help design a comprehensive strategy to identify the source of the mold and get rid of it forever. So if you think you’ve found mold in your basement, call us today for a free consultation.