Mold Prevention

8 Most Common Places to Look for Mold

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Where Should I Look For Mold?

You know that mold is bad, ugly, and that it can be dangerous. You also know, of course, that it is something that needs to be removed immediately from your home if found growing there.

You even know that you should try a do-it-yourself mold kit if mold contamination is even suspected.

You know how to look for mold, and maybe even what to look for.

But do you know where to look for mold growth?

According to Vicki Lankarge in her book, “What Ever Home Owner Needs to Know About Mold & What to Do About It”, she tells us that there are 8 places where mold growth is most common.

8 Most Common Places for Mold Growth

  • Basements or cellars that have been flooded
  • Underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks
  • Underneath or behind refrigerators
  • Behind walls that also house plumbing
  • Stacks of damp or wet newspaper or cardboard boxes
  • Around air-conditioning units
  • Wallboard or around windows that leak
  • Under carpeting that may have become wet

Mold Growth: Moisture & Cellulose

Mold growth is of course not limited to these 8 places, however there is a common principle that links all of these common mold environments together: moisture and cellulose – not to be confused with cellulite.

“Cellulose is mold’s favorite food source” says Vicki Lankarge in her book.

Along with moisture, anywhere there is cellulose, there could be mold growth.

Further Recommended Reading :

Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team

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12 comments

7 Warning Signs for Mold Contamination - The Mold Blog January 17, 2008 - 7:58 pm
[...] 8 Most Common Places to Look for Mold [...]
Best of MoldBlogger Remodeled - Past 2 Years - The Mold Blog February 17, 2008 - 5:14 pm
[...] 8 Most Common Places to Look for Mold [...]
Kris August 14, 2008 - 2:12 pm
I can't find the comment a woman wrote on finding tiny orange spots on her clothes and sheets, but only on her side and her clothes. Not her husbands. I am having the same problem, even on clothes that are brand new that I have hung in my closet. I packed a clean cotton top in a suitcase for a trip and when I took it out of my suitcase at my hotel it was covered with tiny orange spots. I wore a white top one day, laid it out and by morning it was covered in the same tiny spots but only on the back. Always on the back of pants and tops. Is it me, mold, or rust? I live near the beach in southern CA. Help!
Kris August 14, 2008 - 2:18 pm
I have tiny orange specs on my clothes sometimes after wearing and sometimes after taking them out of my closet after they have been cleaned. Only on mine, not my husbands and only on the back of the garment. Is it me, rust or mold?
Owen January 25, 2010 - 1:51 pm
Interesting article, I would like to add that from personal experience ripping out many bathroom tub or shower installations as well as completely gutting bathrooms there is mold present in the wall and ceiling cavities in almost every case. Usually the majority of the mold is in obvious locations such as in the wall cavity around the tub, but often there is also mold in other framing cavities that seems quite random and counter-intuitive.
Jerry Dunn February 1, 2010 - 8:10 pm
How long does it take mold to manifest in a semi-desert climate? I had an air conditioner repaired about a year ago and there was a constant drip from one of the connections that appears to have dropped between the walls. Is there a way to tell how old or how long the mold has been developing?
Mold is Dangerous: 7 Must Know Tips | Mold Symptoms & Removal - The Mold Blog March 8, 2010 - 2:16 pm
[...] are present almost everywhere (8 Most Common Places to Look for Mold). Though they maybe harmful at times, molds are considered a [...]
Donna October 12, 2010 - 5:46 pm
I have been living in about an 85 year old building for the last 6 years. I don't pay high rent, so I laid new carpets, had old carpets cleaned, but for the last 2 years, when they came to fix it the last time (they took a pipe out from underneath of my kitchen sink) and said it had to be replaced, and never replaced it. I also have radiator heat vents on the bottom of the wall in the living room that are falling down (have to use a chair to keep it up). I have talked to my landlord several times and he keeps saying he will definitely fix it, but it's been over 2 years, and nothing. I get sick a lot, and want to know if I should move for an extra $70 bucks a month, as he will just kick me out if I file a claim with a health and fire hazard???
alysia campbell January 28, 2012 - 3:39 pm
loovin this site keep up the work and very neat and easy to remember ,great facts
Reddoor Homes - North Dakota July 8, 2013 - 11:42 am
[...] warning signs can be mold that smells or is greenish-black in color. To get started, read up on the eight most common places for mold growth as well as some tips for determining if the mold you’ve found is [...]
Melissa miller August 24, 2014 - 2:41 pm
I live below a retention pond the city which I live has purched my home if they are responsible to buy the home for value. Shouldn't they be response able for. My furniture and clothing. Because they. Helped. MOLD. THE CONTENTS OF MY HOME. 5403970852
Rosemary Pidgeon February 20, 2017 - 7:41 am
I need help I went to clean near my toilet at the tank and I had real bad black dirt or mold then I try another spot it's all on doors refrigerator inside and on metal closet doors I rent what should I do
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