Your worst nightmare has come true- you find a suspicious piece growing in your basement. Was it there yesterday and the day before, and you just didn’t notice it? Or has it been growing for a while and has increasingly spread now?
Regardless of the reason, all you need to know is that you have a big problem to deal with. Not only is mold responsible for a surge in respiratory illnesses, including sneezing and coughing, it can also cause asthma and increase anxiety and depression.
Mold can occur after your basement has flooded if it has some water leaks or due to high humidity. In this article, you will learn how to identify mold in your basement.
Learning to Identify Mold
The first step is understanding what mold looks like so that you can get rid of it. While some colonies of mold can be dealt with at home, others are hazardous and must only be left to the professionals. Here are some of the most common fungi that you need to be wary of:
1. Acremonium
These fungi look whitish-gray and pink and have a cotton-velvet type appearance. These are known to cause infections in humans, as well as animals.
Acremonium is likely to grow on window sills, drain pans, or on the inside of humidifiers. They can also grow on wooden flooring that is always wet, as well as furniture and walls.
2. Alternaria
An outdoor mold, Alternaria, can even grow indoors if it is incredibly humid. In fact, this type of mold can grow on potentially anything, from furniture to wiring to airplane fuel.
Alternaria has a hairy appearance and is dark brown or dark green in color. It is known to induce asthmatic attacks in vulnerable adults.
3. Aspergillus
A mold family that is likely to multiply fast, Aspergillus can be white, yellow, green, brown, or even black in color. They are powdery in texture and multiply rapidly.
You can find Aspergillus indoors, as well as outdoors. These can cause allergic reactions and infections in the respiratory system.
4. Aureo basidium
This type of mold looks smooth and can look pink or cream in color when growing, but as it gets older, it starts to look black or dark brown.
This mold grows on damp or wet wood, as well as walls, cushions, window frames, and carpeting.
5. Chaetomium
A common mold that can be found in buildings that have undergone severe water damage, Chaetomium has a cottony texture, and changed from white to grey color over time, and eventually to dark brown or black.
They can be fatal to those individuals with weakened immune systems. In normal circumstances, Chaetomium is responsible for skin, nail, and eye infections.
If you notice any kind of mold growing in your basement, it is best to call a professional to check for leaks, water damage, or humidity levels. Then, you must get your flooring and construction replaced to prevent the regrowth of mold.
