How to Find Mold in Your Home

There are many places that mold and moisture can be hiding inside your home. You may move into a home with no visible mold, only to discover later that you are experiencing mold-related symptoms. The problem is a combination of hidden mold and moisture sources as well as millions or billions of tiny invisible spores in your air from a previous mold tear-out.

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Be your own detective, and call us for help. You are likely aware of some of these areas, but you may need a moisture meter, thermal camera, or an HVAC mold expert to help you with the others.

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-Under the "false bottom" of kitchen or bathroom sinks from a previous sink link. Everything may be dry currently, but it could be hiding under the sink. If an HVAC supply vent is going through this area, it can bring mold and spores into the home.

-April Air Whole House humidifiers. These concentrate moisture inside your ductwork, where organic material builds up. These can create pockets of mold sources that you will never see, but will breath in. These are not recommended by mold experts.

-ERVs, flexible ducts work, and HVAC intake ducts that are not cleaned. These are often not properly filtered for incoming mold spores. Additionally, flexible duct work is not cleanable and mold can form roots inside them over time. ERVs generally have a combination of both of these issues.

-Bathroom ceilings or ceiling where there is a higher than 50% humidity level in your house. Mold spores in your home build up and find areas of high humidity to land on.

-Underneath the bathroom floor due to not changing the wax ring on your toilets every 5-7 years. You will not be able to see this moisture with your eyes. It is between the finished floor and subfloor. You will need a moisture meter to detect it.

-On the floor of finished basements, water can pool up without you noticing. You will need a moisture meter or thermal camera to detect this.

-Floor drains in basements that are touching your AC condensation drains can cause mold to form inside your HVAC system.

-Inside water softeners. Recently, water softener manufacturers started adding citric acid to their products. However, older softeners do not have this mold preventer.

-Behind furniture and toilets that are against a wall

-Inside sink drains. Pull out your bathroom sink drain and clean it. Put it back in, and check in a couple of weeks what it looks like. Is it black or grey? You may have a whole house mold problem. Sink drains, if not properly and regularly sanitized, can be a source of mold.

-Moist basements. If you have re-occuring moisture in your basement, you have an whole house mold issue. You need to find and resolve the moisture source in your basement. We can help with this.

-Anywhere you have had a previous or current water intrusion. Mold needs water or humidity to form. It doesn't go away on its own.

-Basement foundation walls (behind finished surfaces)

-Front loading washing machines

-Dishwashers

-Anywhere there is humid, stagnant air such as an attic, crawlspace, or a building or room without ventilation/air flow