Common Areas Where Mold Can Hide in Your Home
Many times, people thinkthey have a "minor" or "small" mold problem and more times than not it turns out to be anything but small or minor.
So with that in mind, here are some common areas of a home where there may be mold and some photos showing what to look for.
This is a great example of problems relating to a foundation wall leaking or in this case a moisture infiltration problem.
Note the black mold on the framing as well as on the foundation blocks.
Another area that gets overlooked is on the floor joists andsheathing for the floor above the basement.
Check out the cloudy and spotty areas on the wood- that's mold! The underside of stairs gets overlooked all the time.
Note the green mold on the bottom of the tread and the center stringer and the mold on the outside stringer in the circle.
Always look at the door frames as well as the door itself.
In this photo there is mold on the door frame and the door.
This door and frame would be removed as part of remediation since the mold will be inside the door frame.
Mold commonly grows on the foundation walls.
Note the black spots on the wall.
Another missed location is below kitchen sinks and bath vanities.
Many times leaks go unnoticed and mold grows as in this photo.
Mold is very common in improperly vented attics and where roof leaks are not identified.
This photo shows mold growth on the roof sheathing and the trusses as a result of the roof ridge vent being improperly installed.
Although the attic is separate from the living space.
This situation will create mold growth in the living space as well if you have high moisture or leaks in the living space.
Crawl spaces more times than not will have mold, especially if there is no vapor barrier over the soil.
These areas tend to be high in moisture.
Keep inmind that the air that is in the crawl space goes into the home through any opening in the floors and walls above and also through what is called the stack effect.
Note the mold at the top of the photo on the floor joists.
These are a few of the areas that get overlooked.
Keep in mind that mold is a microscopic organism and can literally end up anywhere there is high moisture and a food source.
So with that in mind, here are some common areas of a home where there may be mold and some photos showing what to look for.
This is a great example of problems relating to a foundation wall leaking or in this case a moisture infiltration problem.
Note the black mold on the framing as well as on the foundation blocks.
Another area that gets overlooked is on the floor joists andsheathing for the floor above the basement.
Check out the cloudy and spotty areas on the wood- that's mold! The underside of stairs gets overlooked all the time.
Note the green mold on the bottom of the tread and the center stringer and the mold on the outside stringer in the circle.
Always look at the door frames as well as the door itself.
In this photo there is mold on the door frame and the door.
This door and frame would be removed as part of remediation since the mold will be inside the door frame.
Mold commonly grows on the foundation walls.
Note the black spots on the wall.
Another missed location is below kitchen sinks and bath vanities.
Many times leaks go unnoticed and mold grows as in this photo.
Mold is very common in improperly vented attics and where roof leaks are not identified.
This photo shows mold growth on the roof sheathing and the trusses as a result of the roof ridge vent being improperly installed.
Although the attic is separate from the living space.
This situation will create mold growth in the living space as well if you have high moisture or leaks in the living space.
Crawl spaces more times than not will have mold, especially if there is no vapor barrier over the soil.
These areas tend to be high in moisture.
Keep inmind that the air that is in the crawl space goes into the home through any opening in the floors and walls above and also through what is called the stack effect.
Note the mold at the top of the photo on the floor joists.
These are a few of the areas that get overlooked.
Keep in mind that mold is a microscopic organism and can literally end up anywhere there is high moisture and a food source.
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