Identifying Black Mold On Basement Flooring

The centers for disease control and prevention cdc has an informational booklet as well as information on their website about black mold.

Identifying black mold on basement flooring.

If it s black mold growth it is easy to identify. Basement mold comes in a variety of colors that range from light gray to black. Create a cleaning solution that s one part bleach to four parts water and apply it to the concrete. Efflorescence can look very similar to white mold growth.

Flooring and walls near basement windows are also highly likely to have black mold problems. But if it s white mold growth things can get confusing. Mildew may begin as white then turn brown or gray. It can be caused by leaking pipes poor drainage or lack of ventilation.

Black mold on concrete in basement. Black mold can also take over the basement floor. First there is color. Mold tends to have a higher profile and can even become fuzzy while mildew is always flat.

Basement mold can be identified by a number of traits. First is it really mold growth. Mold can even be blue green orange red or pink on occasion. While mold and mildew are both fungi that need water oxygen and food in order to live and survive they differ in a number of ways.

While black gray and various shades of brown are probably most common mold can also be white or yellow as you can see below. To eliminate it fill a spray bottle with water and spray the floor then scrub the floor with a stick scrub brush as much as possible. For black mold on concrete in a basement start by ventilating the area well. How to identify black mold.

Because all mold should be treated the same it is not as important to identify what. For nontoxic species of mold and less severe mold growth there are many diy solutions for the prevention and control of mold in the basement. If the mold is closer to black it is either the stachybotrys or cladosporium molds. Identifying mold growth on concrete can be a bit tricky.

There are more than 300 different strains of mold sometimes found in homes in the united states and they span the rainbow. The black mold photo above shows how dense black mold may be hidden from view behind wall baseboard trim removed for this picture in a building that has suffered wet floors. Black mold growth on furniture is obvious in these two photographs above of a mold on a leatherette surface left and on an upholstered chair second photo. Because you ll be using bleach indoors open a window and escape the fumes when possible.

Mold exhibits darker colors such as deep green and black. After removing any mold covered debris such as dry wall insulation carpet or sub flooring hard surfaces can be treated with commercial products containing ammonia and bleach.