Mold and mildew are some of the most dangerous things you can ever have in your houses, garages, basements, offices, or business place. They usually grow in wet and hot areas with high temperatures and access to moisture.
Most people think that both of them are fungi, and they might be the same, but this is not the truth. They are different from each other, and you must know where it is mildew or mold before treating them.
It has become a famous question now: Mold Vs. Mildew: What’s the difference? If you have the same query, you are on the right page as we will give you a detailed answer that you must know related to your question.
Main Difference between Mold Vs Mildew
Although both of them are fungi and they need almost the same conditions to grow that including oxygen, water, and food but they are different from each other.
You can get to know the difference by simply looking at their colors and texture. Mold is fuzzy in its texture, while mildew is flat. Mold has dark colors such as dark green and black, while mildew comes in lighter tones such as brown color or gray.
The growth process of both these fungi is very simple. In the start, they need a spore-type seed that needs three favorable conditions, which include water, food which might be soil, and oxygen.
If there is a lack of anyone’s condition, then they are very likely to stop growing. Usually, they start growing after a small span of twenty-four or forty hours on s extra humid surface.
If we look into their removal, mold is harder to clean because it is possible to grow into the base of the surface, which makes sitting very difficult to clean—mildew grew outwards and is easier to remove than mold.
Where do Mold and Mildew grow?
Mold and mildew have no specific place where they can grow, and there is no specific place where they might not grow. Their growth depends upon the conditions of a certain area.
For example, if the area is wet, has oxygen, and there is food available for these fungi, then there are maximum chances that they will start their growth. They spread very rapidly, which can endanger you even more.
Their most common spaces are wet crawl areas, extra humid basements, bathrooms, kitchen, and any other wet area. They usually grow after rainy days. So, you should keep a check on your walls and roof and remove the extra water fast so you can avoid them.
Effects of Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew can be very dangerous as they have a number of harmful effects on your health, infrastructure, and furniture. Let’s explain each one of them separately.
Mildew and mold can trigger allergies that vary among different categories of these fungi. They start from minor coughs, flu, fever and go up to major fatal issues such as cancer.
Most of them are related to respiratory tract issues. So, you should try to avoid such areas as they can be very harmful to your health.
Then comes the infrastructure. They eat all your paint way, and the walls look very discomforting. In this way, you lose money and the beauty of your walls. So, you should never let this fungus destroy them. They also damage windows and doors.
Both of them are very dangerous for your furniture as it eats aways very expensive wood furniture. They also destroy the carpets and rugs as they grow on fabrics too.
How to Remove Mold and Mildew?
Following are a few ways to deal with mold and mildew.
- The first way is that you should throw away the affected piece as it would be very hard to get rid of the fungi, and you might end up having a severe allergy or infection.
- If it is on walls and another interior, then first rub it with a sponge by wearing a mask.
- After that, mist the area with vinegar and clean water in order to clean it completely.
- You should use the disinfectant spray also in the end.
- Drying is another way to prevent it from invading your area again and making it to feel cleaner and more comfortable.
- Make sure that you let the fresh air come in through ventilators.
Easiest Way to Prevent Mold and Mildew
The easiest, safe, and most cost-friendly way to prevent mold and mildew is by using a dehumidifier. It makes your air free of any extra water which contributes to the unfavorable conditions for mold and mildew to grow in your space.
It is very easy to use, and you feel fresh as it makes your air pure up to 99%. You get to avoid any fungi damage in the future by investing a small amount in a dehumidifier.
So, we suggest you install a dehumidifier in your rooms if your area is suffering from high humidity levels.
Conclusion
Mold and mildew are very dangerous for your health, infrastructure, and furniture. They can destroy all of them in a short span. They grow in wet areas with food and oxygen, which makes it possible to attack almost every area of your house or workplace.
So, you must know their difference in order to deal with them correctly. You can judge that by looking at their texture and color. Although it is not very easy to treat these fungi, the easy way to prevent them is by using a dehumidifier.
Make sure that you wear a mask while treating these fungi, as it can be very dangerous for you to breathe in them.
FAQs
Both of them can be fatal if you continue to breathe in their atmosphere for a long time. You might get a serious respiratory infection that leads to organ failure.
In some cases, they also have carcinogens that can cause cancer and lead to death in a short span. So, you should never take them lightly and treat both of them properly in time to save yourself.
If you have very large amounts of these fungi, then in the start, in order to make your highly damp area dry, you may need to run the dehumidifier continuously to make the drying fast.
After that, you can use it at different parts of the day for a few hours as these fungi need a time of Twenty-four to forty-eight hours to grow.
The cost-friendly and user-friendly way to deal with mold is by installing a dehumidifier in your area. It will stop its growth once the operation starts. After that, you would need to clean and remove the dead fungi from your place to enjoy a healthy and comfortable environment.
Hi, my name is Fahad. I am the Electrical MEP Design Engineer in Dubai for over Two years now. Fahad is experienced in the HVAC industry, installing, maintaining, troubleshooting malfunctions for all sorts of complex heating/ventilating/air conditioning systems. Fahad started his website to share his past experience and knowledge in the field of humidity control. He has a lot of valuable advice for visitors and writes great articles with lots of information about home humidity control .