The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states: “If you are susceptible to mold and mold is seen or smelled, there is a potential health risk; therefore, no matter what type of mold is present, you should arrange for its removal.” If you detect mold by sight or smell, then it’s safe to say you have a mold problem. A home with a few mold spores is inevitable because spores are everywhere. It is once they are detected that you know there are too many spores to ignore.
How to Use Your Five Senses to Help Detect Mold
1. Sight
Your sense of sight is an easy way to detect mold. Mold comes in varying colors and levels of “fuzziness,” but typical black mold will occur in areas of moisture such as the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and around window sills.
You don’t want to rely on seeing mold to detect a problem. Instead, use your sight to note any areas of dampness that would give mold the opportunity to grow. Also, pay attention to any areas that are stagnant and consider ways to ventilate or circulate air.
2. Smell
Mold smells musty and damp…sort of like wet dirt but with a little hint of rot. If you can smell mold, you won’t need much encouragement to get it removed.
The nose can also be used to detect pro-mold environments before a problem occurs. Use it to smell moisture. Half of the battle with mold prevention is recognizing environments where mold thrives.
3. Touch
Nobody will recommend that you touch mold without protective gear, which is why mold remediation experts exist. Especially if you are sensitive to mold, it can be very hazardous to your health.
Again, prevention is key. You can detect high-risk mold environments by running your hands along window sills or other areas that shouldn’t be moist but might be moist.
4. Taste
Don’t eat mold. Hopefully, that goes without saying. However, like your nose, your mouth can detect moisture rich environments. It’s all about the moisture, and you can smell, taste, and feel the dampness.
5. Hearing
There are two ways you can hear mold, and thankfully it’s through indirect sounds. You will hear mold via the allergies and respiratory ailments of your inhabitants. You will also hear complaints if someone notices mold. Don’t ignore these signs of a mold infestation. Sometimes they are the only signs, and severe health consequences can result.