4 Dangerous Types of Mold in Your Home

Mold is common and can be found growing almost everywhere indoors and outdoors throughout the U.S. Mold growing outdoors is natural and plays an important role in a healthy ecosystem. Mold found growing indoors, however, can be a huge problem – to your own health and the structural integrity of your home.

The most common types of mold found growing indoors in the U.S. are listed below. Each of these types of mold can negatively affect the air quality found in your home.

• Cladosporium grows on moist acrylic-painted walls, wood, carpets, wallpaper, or other damp organic matter. There are 40 different kinds of Cladosporium and they come in many different colors, including green, brown, gray, and black.
• Penicillium is a different type of mold you may have learned about in science class or found in your own refrigerator on spoiled food. It causes food and other perishable items to spoil. Penicillium can also be found growing on walls, wallpaper, floors, and carpet. It can be blue, yellow, green, or white.
• Alternaria mold often grows on iron, tiles, bricks, plaster, wallpaper, paper, and canvas. There are 50 different types of Alternaria mold, which is a common cause of allergies. Alternaria grows in dark gray spots.

Beware of This Toxic Mold

The fourth most common and most toxic type of mold found growing indoors is Stachybotrys chartarum. Often called “black mold,” it is a dangerous, toxic mold. Luckily, this type of mold growth indoors is rare. It is most often caused by long-term moisture in a home. For example, a home that has been empty for months without good air circulation or that has a leaky pipe could have toxic black mold.

It is very difficult to identify the difference between black mold and many of the other common types of mold that grow indoors. Toxic black mold is greenish-black in color and can produce a musty or rotten smell, what we think of as a “musty-smelling basement.” It can be found on water-damaged materials that have been damp for longer than 24 hours.

Because it’s difficult to tell the difference between black mold and other types, the Centers for Disease Control recommends removing all mold immediately.