14 Common Places to Find Mold in Your House
Basement
Your basement is likely the most common place where you will see mold. Basements suffer from little ventilation, seepage, and even broken pipes, which means water is very common in these areas. If you want to stop mold in your household, you should start by maintaining a dry basement.
How to Eliminate Mold in Basements
One of the best ways to not have mold in a basement is with a dehumidifier. These machines remove moisture from the air, a key for mold. You’ll also want to constantly check your basement for potential seepage or leaky pipes.
Bathrooms
Between the shower, toilet, and sink, the bathroom is one of the most common locations for mold and mildew. These areas have lots of moisture sources, and can quickly become moldy, which you may see on the shower curtain, as well as behind the sink or toilet. Mold can also grow on the surface of the tub or shower.
How to Keep Mold from Bathrooms
Whenever water has dripped on the floor of the bathroom, dry the surfaces as soon as possible. You’ll also want to run the bathroom ventilation fan to pull moisture from the living space.
Kitchen
With water from the sink, as well as organic matter from food, mold has plenty of chances to grow in a kitchen. Puddles left from the faucet are common sources of mold, and many homeowners find mold growing underneath the sink.
How to Control Mold in Kitchens
Keeping the kitchen dry is job #1 to control mold. You can also paint the walls with a mold-resistant paint, and avoid having carpets and rugs on the kitchen floor, especially in front of the sink. Check under the sink regularly to make sure there is no dripping, and keep the refrigerator clean and organized while throwing out old food, which can contain mold.
Attics
Mold is also common in that attic, largely because mold has a place where it can hide and grow on building materials. After all, when was the last time you looked in the attic for mold?Mold in the attic can get into your ventilation system, spreading mold throughout the rest of your home. A mold inspection may be needed to ensure you don’t have a problem in the attic.
How to Prevent Mold in Attics
It's important to repair any roofing issues as soon as possible, and use the proper insulation for your home. You should also keep the soffit vents clear, which will allow for better air flow and reduce the chances of moisture.
Crawl Space
Not all homes have crawl spaces, but like the basement, this area can become a space where mold finds a home and stubbornly refuses to leave. Water can run into the crawl space, which often has a dirt floor, creating the perfect environment for mold and mildew.
How to Manage Mold in Crawl Spaces
There are dehumidifiers made specifically for a crawl space. These machines help eliminate high humidity levels that often create issues for crawl spaces. There usually needs to be a complete seal from outdoor moisture, including a hard plastic on the floor. Good ventilation is also a reliable way to prevent toxic mold in the crawl space.
Laundry Rooms
The washing machine and sink create moisture that can cause mold in the laundry room, and wet clothes often contribute to the overall wetness of the area. Laundry rooms are often considered a clean space, but when the relative humidity is too high, mold is often a problem, especially when clothes are not dried fast enough.
How to Prevent Mold in Laundry Rooms
Avoid large piles of wet laundry and you will do a lot towards reducing the chances of mold in your laundry room. Maintain the washer and dryer, and clean any spills and drips as quickly as possible. Check under the washing machine to ensure there are no leaks, and clean the appliances to remove excess moisture and grime, which will reduce the chances of a mold infestation.
Underneath Flooring
Some mold is easy to spot, while other mold remains hidden. Mold is incredibly resourceful and can actually grow underneath flooring, where it can stay unnoticed for decades. Mold growth under flooring is especially common if you have experienced water damage in the past years.
Underneath Flooring Maintenance
To limit mold exposure under flooring, maintain a clean, dry home. If you have any damage from flooding, seepage, or broken pipes, you may need to completely remove and replace the materials. Clean all spills on the floor as quickly as possible, and always keep good ventilation in the home to reduce the chances of mold exposure.
Air Conditioners
Because air conditioners cause a change in temperatures, they also cause condensation. This condensation can lead to puddles of water inside or around the air conditioner, which means they can be common places for mold.
How to Prevent Mold in Air Conditioners
Mold inside an air conditioner can be difficult to clean, so prevention is often the best strategy. Use mold-reducing filters, and check the machine regularly for any signs of mold. If you spot mold in the air conditioner, shutoff and unplug the machine and clean it thoroughly with a rag and cleaning solution.
Dehumidifiers
This might seem somewhat ironic: an appliance that is meant to prevent mold growth can actually be one of the most common places for mold in a home. Strange as it might sound, the dehumidifier, when not properly cleaned and maintained, can be hold mold, as the water reservoir or hose can harbor mold growth and cause a mold infestation.
How to Control Mold in Dehumidifiers
Cleaning is the top priority for preventing mold in your dehumidifier. These appliances have reservoirs that hold water, and this reservoir needs to emptied, cleaned, and sanitized regularly. If your dehumidifier uses a hose, you should rinse and clean it with warm soapy water as well. Dehumidifiers also have filters that can trap mold spores; these should be cleaned or replaced according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Window Sills
When it rains, window sills can collect moisture, creating the perfect location for a colony of mold. This mold can not only grow on the window sill, but in some cases it could find its way to the structural lumber and building materials behind the window, causing significant damage.
How to Prevent Mold in Window Sills
Make sure the window sill is dried after a rain storm and you will do a lot to help prevent mold growth. Keep the windows completely shut to ensure rain can’t work its way inside, reducing the chances of water damage and mold. Consider cleaning the windows once a year to prevent significant growth of mold and mildew.
Vents
If you have humid air in your home, that humidity is running through your ventilation system. This means your vents could furnish mold; when the heating or air conditioning is running, spores from this mold are easily distributed throughout the entire home.
How to Prevent Mold in Vents
For this project, you may have to call in a mold remediation professional. There are expert technicians who can thoroughly and safely sanitize your vents, giving your home cleaner, healthier air. If you don’t want the expense of a professional service, there are chemicals made specifically for removing mold that can be used in your system, although they may not be as effective as a professional team. Mold in this location can be tough to spot, so you may need a mold inspection.
Plants
Indoor plants are excellent for creating a pleasant interior. Unfortunately, they are also a source of mold in the home and may need to be cleaned. Plants have the organic matter mold needs, but the soil used in potting can also hold the fungus.
How to Prevent Mold on Plants
Over-watering is a common reason for excessive mold on a plant, so avoid giving the plant so much water that there is a standing puddle. You should also keep the plant in light, which will help limit the growth of the fungus. All of this is, of course, depends on what the plant needs; if it is a low-light plant, you’ll have to rely on other measures, such as cleaning and ventilation.
Fireplaces and Chimneys
Fireplaces and chimneys are damp and cool when not being used, making them a welcoming location for a variety of molds. The bricks that are used in fireplaces are also porous, which means mold can spread quickly and hold fast.
How to Prevent Mold in Fireplaces and Chimneys
Cleaning is again the most important step, but this is extremely hard with a chimney. Controlling the humidity levels in your home will help, as the air flowing into the chimney won’t be saturated with moisture.
Garage
Even if your garage is closed from the elements all day and night, water from your vehicle can drip to the floor, creating open puddles and giving mold a fresh opportunity. Rain water from a vehicle, as well as water leaks, invite mold into your garage, and if your garage is cluttered with storage, you may find mold in a few surprising places.
How to Manage Mold in Garages
Mold can be prevented in your garage by constantly checking behind stored items, cleaning and sweeping the floor regularly, maintaining ventilation during dry days, and ensuring puddles of water are removed quickly.
