Even if you can’t see mold or water damage in your home, a close inspection might reveal toxic mold growing behind the wallpaper or in other hidden spots.
When to Suspect Hidden Mold
Even if you cannot easily spot areas of toxic mold in your home, you should do a thorough investigation if:
- Any room in your home has a continuous damp, musty odor.
- Your roof leaks in very heavy rain or when ice dams form.
- Your home has been subjected to flooding or storm water damage.
- People who live in the house complain of unexplained headaches, sinus problems, coughs, asthma, dizziness, or skin rashes.
Where to Look for Hidden Mold
Toxic mold needs moisture to grow, so check the areas around all water sources, including:
- Areas under kitchen sinks, where kitchen mold hides.
- The back walls of cabinets.
- Areas around drain pipes.
- Under and behind the refrigerator, where water might condense or collect in a drain pan.
- Areas under bathroom sinks and near bathroom tubs.
- In back of toilets, inside toilet tank and toilet bowl.
- Bathroom shower curtains, window curtains, cabinets.
- Areas near hot water heaters.
- Areas near air conditioning and heating ducts and intake vents.
- Inside ductwork.
- Under and in back of washing machines and dryers.
- Attic walls; try to trace the path of any roof leaks.
- Basement walls and floors; check in corners and behind furniture.
- Any place where furniture touches a wall; behind beds.
- Near rain gutters; in outdoor foliage.
- On the back walls and floors of closets; within bags of fabric or clothes.
- Behind wallpaper.
- Under wall-to-wall carpeting.
If You Find Toxic Mold
Remember that moving moldy materials can cause the mold to release even more spores into the air. Tearing down moldy wallpaper can saturate a room with mold spores, which will travel to distant parts of the house and attempt to start new colonies.
If you find hidden toxic mold, learn how to remove it safely or call a professional mold remediation service for advice.
You must log in to post a comment.