Keeping Your City A Little Cleaner

The difference between mold and mildew can often be hard to understand, leading many homeowners to mistake one for the other. In fact, mold and mildew refer to relatively broad categories of fungi, so each term doesn't refer to only a single species. Since there are many types of mold and mildew, it can be hard to know whether you're dealing with a harmful or relatively benign version.

While most people associate mildew with the growth in showers, mildew can form nearly anywhere in your home. Like molds, these fungi only need a good food source, appropriate temperatures, and access to moisture. Once these conditions are present, mildew colonies may form anywhere their spores land. You can usually recognize mildew over mold since it will appear flat rather than fuzzy.

Is Mildew Harmful to Your Health?

The health effects of mildew and mold can be relatively hard to describe. The bottom line is mold and mildew may be relatively harmless or incredibly harmful. The species called "black molds" can pose the greatest danger to healthy individuals. Still, other forms of mold and mildew can trigger unpleasant symptoms and allergic reactions.

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to prevent all mold and mildew growth in your home. Mildew can quickly take hold in persistently damp areas, such as shower tiles or doors. In most cases, these mildew colonies pose very little threat as long as you clean regularly and ensure you don't leave any large areas behind.

However, larger mildew colonies are more concerning. In particular, mildew colonies outside of persistently damp areas may indicate a larger problem. If you're noticing mildew growing on walls, under sinks, or in other areas that don't experience frequent dampness, it may be present in sufficient quantities to cause health concerns.

Do You Need a Professional to Remove Mildew?

Mildew in showers or tubs seldom requires professional removal unless it grows persistently, and you can't remove it with normal cleaning products. On the other hand, mildew elsewhere in your home is a problem that you should take seriously. While mildew often doesn't grow as deeply into materials as other molds, it may still penetrate beneath the surface of walls or wood cabinets.

More importantly, it can be hard to distinguish benign mildew species from the early stages of more harmful mold growth. If you're looking at a more serious mold problem, simply cleaning your walls won't resolve the issue. Sometimes, attempting to clean these surfaces may even spread mold spores around your home.

In most cases, the safest option is to contact a mildew removal professional whenever you notice mildew growing on walls, in dark corners, under sinks, or in other locations far away from normal sources of moisture. A professional will not only help you fully remove the mildew, but they will also work with you to identify and resolve the moisture problems causing the growth.