Who’s hungry? Black mold is! Just like other types of mold, black mold can develop and grow almost anywhere. Mold can thrive in damp, soft soil as well as other organic decomposing items such as fallen trees, logs, dead leaves and limbs. Indoors, black mold also loves damp areas and, in particular, items that are high in cellulose, such as rugs, carpets, anything wood, and dry wall.
Black molds can often develop during and after flooding, when temperatures are optimal and humidity is right when the water subsides. If the water does not subside, and within as little as 48 hours, mold growth will start near water edges and in cupboards, carpets, clothes, curtains and walls. Just like living things, black mold survives in the presence of the right temperature, a good water source and its food. Unlike many living things, however, removal of one or more of these elements does not necessarily guarantee the death of mold. Fungus has a unique ability to lay low and wait for the right conditions to multiply and spread.
Black mold can be found growing on various types of typical indoor building materials. It loves cellulose, which means all types of paper and wood products. If the cellulose becomes damp or water-logged, black mold can thrive. If the mold you find in your home is not growing on a paper or wood product, it most likely is not toxic black mold, which needs the cellulose to survive. Keep an eye out for mold growing on such things as wet cardboard boxes, damps stacks of newspapers, drywall that has been flooded, or near continual leaks of water, like near a faucet. If you discover mold growing on any of those types of items, you could have a black mold problem.
Remember, the best way to get rid of mold is to prevent it in the first place. You do this by removing its food source. And just like people need water to survive, so does black mold. While a home necessarily will have many items high in cellulose, that is okay. The problem is when those items get wet. So to keep a mold from eating, and thus developing and growing, dry out any water damage or water sources right away. Keep the temperature of your home warm enough, which will help excess moisture in your home to evaporate. A good diet of no moisture will get rid of that pesky mold in no time!