Hidden mold is any mold problem that isn’t in-your-face obvious. These sorts of issues typically occur behind, beneath, or within other areas in your home. Your hide-outs, your in-betweens, your we-have-a-hidden-room-behind-the-bookshelf moments. 

Just because mold is hidden, however, doesn’t mean it can’t be found. We’ll cover the signs of a hidden mold infestation, why it’s dangerous, and the best places to start looking if you think you have one in today’s post.

What are the main signs of a mold infestation?

Before we talk about where to look for hidden mold, we want to talk about the signs that you have hidden mold first. It’s likely that if you’re reading this post, you’ve already noticed these signs, but it’s never a bad idea to double-check. The most common signs of a mold infestation include:

• You’ve recently dealt with water damage. Have you had to deal with flooding in your home recently? That’s the number one cause of mold problems, hidden or otherwise. 
• You’ve noticed a plumbing leak. Even if you’ve repaired the leak, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t already caused mold to grow. 
• You smell a strange, musty scent. Mold smells bad. Typically it has a musty, damp smell akin to old gym socks. If you don’t have any old gym socks lying around, that could mean your problem is mold.
• You or one of your housemates is noticing an increase in allergy symptoms. Are you or someone you live with feeling a little worse than usual? Are existing allergy symptoms feeling exacerbated? This, in conjunction with the other things listed above, can be a distinct sign of mold growth.

What makes hidden mold dangerous?

Hidden mold is dangerous because… well… it’s hidden. If you don’t know where it is, that means you don’t know how much there is or what variety. These factors are important when it comes to determining not only how to remove the mold, but what risk it poses to you both before and during the process. There are three main varieties of mold that are most commonly found in American homes. These include: 

• Aspergillus. This is the mold type that you’re most likely to find in your home. It appears as discolored blob shapes that can grow and develop. It’s also the type of mold most likely to cause allergic reactions. 
• Cladosporium. This is the mold you’re most likely to find in your bathroom. It looks “flaky” in appearance, peppered across any surface it’s found on. It’s nontoxic but can still cause mild allergy symptoms.
• Stachybotrys chartarum. This is the mold you know as “black mold,” and it is the variety of mold that’s most likely to cause health problems after prolonged exposure. It’s capable of releasing spores that help it spread as it feeds on organic compounds. These spores are something you definitely do not want to get into contact with.

Where am I most likely to find hidden mold?

If hidden mold was easy to find, we wouldn’t be calling it hidden mold. That said, there are certain out-of-the-way areas we recommend taking a look at any time you suspect a mold problem without an obvious source. These areas include:

• Underneath any stacks of paper goods like newspaper, magazines, cardboard, or printer paper 
• Behind or beneath your refrigerator 
• Inside your HVAC system’s ducts 
• Behind drywall, especially in areas that contain pipes connected to your plumbing 
• Below sinks 
• Behind or beneath any carpeting or drywall that has recently dealt with flooding

Finding mold hiding in your home is the first step. The next step is making sure you remove it safely. That’s why we’ve put this helpful guide together: how to clean and remove mold.

If your home is mold free, but you still have other concerns, give the team at Welter Heating a call. We’ve been helping our friends in the twin cities metro with their heating, cooling, and air needs for decades!