Difference between mold and mildew

4/11/2017 (Permalink)

The room sustained several inches or water damage, and mold was the result in this case.

Both mold and mildew are part of the fungi kingdom, very similar in appearance.  They both need a moist environment to thrive.  They both throw off a musty smell, a telltale sign that you have active mold or mildew.

Mold can be found anywhere in your home or business, living on some organic material (wood, drywall, paper, etc) that is moist enough to have it continue to colonize. It has a root system that gets into the material as it eats it. 

Mildew can be anywhere in the home as well, but primarily found in the bathroom. Mildew does not have a root system, so you can find it on tile, say in the shower, living on the soap residue. And since it does not have a root system, it is easily cleaned off. Outside of the bathroom, you will find mildew generally on plants. 

In either case, simply removing the moisture is not the answer; it needs to be completely removed. Without moisture, it will simply go dormant, waiting for another source of moist conditions to energize it again. They can be dormant for years!

If you have any questions about mold or mildew in your home or business, simply call the experts at SERVPRO Bedford Park / Burbank and schedule an inspection.