Something is Musty: Is it the Mold?

Musty smells are telltale signs of mold in Low Country

Anyone who has ever been in a musty dank basement knows the unpleasant smell of mold. Although most people can detect mold by its musty smell, there are some people who can’t really smell it at all. For example, there are some medications that people can take for their medical conditions, that will seriously diminish their ability to detect the smell of mold. That being said, mold does have a characteristic odor, and not a good one at that.

Remember that mold is a type of a fungus, and it is good at replicating itself. You should also know that it loves to grow into colonies where it supports life in damp and moist areas of the home or building structure. The mold spores are light enough that they can attach to clothing, shoes or even travel in the air, whereby they can start in one area and quietly spread to contaminate other areas rather quickly. Molds digest nutrients as they grow, and the odor they produce will depend on what they use as a food source, the chemicals in the wall, paper or fabric that they have attached to and the overall conditions where they have set up shop. Some molds can even give off chemicals such as formaldehyde, and are dangerous to inhale for that reason.

If molds are found by their smell, homeowners should continue to investigate and determine the reasons that the molds have found a home in that area of the house. If any areas of standing water, wetness or other water issues are noted, these problems should be addressed before planning to remediate any mold found in the home is completed. It is always a better idea to have a mold remediation professional to manage remediation of mold in the home. These experts on mold remediation can remove mold safely without disturbing it, or risking spreading mold to other areas in the process of removal, thereby leaving other areas of the home safe from further contamination by mold spores.