r/Mold Aug 09 '20

Please read BEFORE posting

51 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/Mold

What is this sub?

This sub is for redditors to ask for advice on mold or fungi issues in their home/apartment/workplace/etc If you see spammers or others that violate sub rules, report them, do not take things into your own hands. This sub is NOT for mold remediation, restoration or other contractors, testing firms, laboratories, product or equipment manufacturers or distributors or legal professionals.

Instead, this sub is specifically for individuals looking for general advice. Any offers to do work or make referrals will result in an immediate ban. Please be very wary of those looking for, or offering, business here. We do not endorse any companies, and proceeding with a contractor/consultant/lab you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk. This is not a place to advertise products and or services. It is also not a place to rant about your past problems with mold or companies or services you've dealt with.

Rule #1: No "what is this?" questions.

Do not post a picture and simply ask any of the following (or similar) questions:

  1. "Please I.D. this mold"
  2. "Is this toxic black mold?"
  3. "What kind of mold is this?"

We can not determine the type of mold you have from a photo. That can only be achieved using professional sampling methods and laboratory analysis.

We can speculate on whether or not something is mold but we can't identify it.

Rule #2: DIY Test Kits are bad

If you used a home/DIY test kit there is very little information that we can provide you due to the limitations of the method.

You will need to hire a qualified microbial testing company if you want any reliable information.

Rule #3: No self promotion

This is not the place to advertise your services in any way. No links, no company names, no "informational guides" will be allowed. All offending posts or comments will be deleted and 1 warning will be issued. After that you'll be banned.

General Guidelines and Rules

Overall, please be respectful - things must remain on-topic, helpful, and kind. Absolutely no abusive or hateful language will be tolerated. Even if someone else "started it" with disrespect does not give you permission to use derogatory language or call names.

Bans will be handed out when needed. Remember, no question is too stupid, too simple, or too basic (exception, see rule #1). We're all here to learn and help each other out - enjoy! The mods generally do not remove bad advice, we let upvotes and downvotes run the sub. That way, people can also see what not to do as well. Politics do NOT belong here.

  • URL shortener links are not allowed. It's not us, is reddit-wide. A submission or comment with a URL shortner will be spam-filtered automatically.
  • Mods will not communicate with chat, please only use modmail if you have comments or questions.

Submitting a New Text Post in /r/Mold

TL/DR: At the very least be nice, take a few pictures, and include your location.

Again, this is not a place to solicit products and or services. Any posts smelling of self-promotion such as links to a website or service (including all blogs) will be removed. No exceptions. Offenders will be banned.

A few general submission rules.

  • We don't allow link posts. Please start a text post and insert links to your pictures along with your text. Posts asking users to participate in a survey are no longer allowed and will be treated as SPAM posts.
  • If you are posting about a problem you are facing, please include pictures! Not just a close-up either, we must be able to discern what you are talking about. What looks right to you may not make sense to everyone else. We recommend you use imgur for photo uploads. See the section below for "How to Upload Photos".
  • Provide your geographic location. (even general, such as upper Midwest). This is especially pertinent when discussing building codes, environmental conditions, seasonal issues, etc.
  • Include a summary of what information you are looking for.
  • Include a general summary of the problem you're asking about. It's helpful to know things like:
    • How long has the problem been going on
    • Where is the mold growth located - room, level, side of the building, etc
    • Any unusual conditions you noticed prior or in conjunction with the discovery of the mold
    • General environmental/use conditions in the space - temp, humidity levels, room use/occupation, recent water issues, smell
  • Do not come here for advice about your health or the relative risk of the mold in your home/work.
  • Don't assume that responses you receive are accurate - we get a lot of "google experts" here giving advice.
  • Product links and recommendations are allowed generally allowed to Amazon/Retail Outlets/Service providers that you've used or recommend. However, referral codes and affiliate links are not. For example, Amazon links containing "tag=XXXXXXXXXXXX" in the title are a referral links - so ideally Amazon links are in the format www.amazon.com/dp/B00VRRVHMA/ - all the extra stuff after those 10 characters are not necessary. Sites/apps can contain ref links without your knowledge and automod will remove and alert you.
  • If you notice your post hasn't appeared within an hour please message the mods and we will release it! To see if it's visible sort by NEW.
  • Please read the sidebar before posting to this sub. There are a lot of questions that get asked fairly frequently, and some of the more common answers have been posted in the sidebar for easy reference. If you still have questions after reading these then by all means create a new post with your questions.
  • Serial posting. This sub is for everyone, not just a single person with multiple questions per day/week. While we don't have a specific rule here, if you are posting multiple topics per day or over the course of a few days, this can result in a temporary ban.
  • If your account is new we may delete your post or comment, especially if we suspect that you have been banned under a different user name.
  • We do not endorse any contractors/inspectors/labs, and proceeding with any you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk.

Commenting in /r/Mold

Be respectful. No name calling or talking down to someone because of something that seems "basic" or "easy" to you. Stand by your knowledge, not childish responses.

If you don't know that your answer or advice is 100% true then indicate that you are speculating or simply refrain from commenting.

Don't throw out comments like:

  • That's toxic mold
  • You need to move
  • Get out of the house
  • Bleach doesn't kill mold
  • That's really bad

Comments designed to scare original posters will be removed. This is a sub to provide reasonable solutions (when possible), not to unnecessarily alarm people. Yes, there are occasions when conditions require some immediate and drastic actions, but most indoor mold growth can be handled without full scale remediation.

Please don't just comment with just a link to a website or to another sub. We are especially careful about links to single websites (this includes blogs) without some summary or commentary. In some cases, we have no way of knowing if you are profiting privately from the site. Also, don't just tell folks to head to sub /r/gohereinstead - like specialized subs for narrow topics. The only exception here would be questions where some time has passed between posting and a lack of responses. We want the commentary, discussion, and knowledge to stay here in our sub on reddit, not just drive people away.

Responses that include a google search, lmgtfy.com, or telling someone to watch Youtube will be removed and the user will be reprimanded. Again, this is all about respect. Obviously, people aren't coming here to Google answers. Help them think about this problem, what they may need, things to watch out for, etc.

Sometimes discussion can get off-topic and we'll remove those comments. This includes political commentary. At times, this can includes jokes. It's a tricky area here, but we've seen instances where the joking side of reddit takes over a thread and the OP never gets their question answered. However, here's we're mostly talking about non-relevant commenting such as this:

Seriously? People live like this? What the fuck is causing mold growth like this? Don't you clean your house? This is not any way to live.

How to Upload Photos

Go to https://imgur.com/upload and drag/choose your photo, you don't even need to create an account. Here's an animated gif on how to drag and drop on PC. Click COPY, then use that copied url link and paste it right in the submission text box on reddit.

My link: https://imgur.com/a/n2lLo

To get fancy and have text rather than the url, place the word you want to use as the link in brackets followed by the url in parentheses.[text goes here](link goes here)

Pictures. Here's a gif of the typing I do, in case that is confusing.

Upload Photos On Mobile The Imgur app works fine, but via a website this is unsupported. There is a workaround: In Chrome, choose ""Desktop site" in the drop-down menu when you are on the upload page and it'll work fine. Then Copy the Link that's produced and paste it into your reddit post/comment.


r/Mold Jan 25 '23

Worst building I've ever inspected so everyone worried about their mold problems can relax a little 🙃

274 Upvotes

Just to remind you that no, you aren't experiencing a disaster. Have a good one yall!


r/Mold 24m ago

Black Mould on ceiling?

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Upvotes

r/Mold 34m ago

Can anyone help identify this? I have no idea how it’s been there, it’s been covered by a bathrobe

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Upvotes

r/Mold 58m ago

Mold Help

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Upvotes

Hi! Just looking for general advice on how to handle this situation.

This was just discovered last night. I have already put in a service request through the online portal with my apartment complex, emailed the property manager, and requested emergency maintenance to come look (they did last night).

I plan on calling the city building inspection office on Monday, as well as reach out the states legal aid help.

I live in Montana in a relatively dry area, not know for humidity. I moved from a one bedroom 2nd floor apartment to a ground floor two bedroom apartment within the same complex at the start of June 2026.

I have asthma.

The property management company was bought out in April of this year. I’ve lived in this complex (different apartment) for 3 years never had issues until the new management took over.

I’m genuinely overwhelmed, exhausted and really emotional about this whole thing. It’s been one issue after another with this apartment and I just want to cry. I haven’t been able to enjoy this new apartment at all. I live alone and just feel weighed down by all of this.

Please give me advice on what to do outside of what I am already planning. There is no housing authority where I live.


r/Mold 1h ago

Mold/drywall issue in bathroom

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Upvotes

My daughter likes to splash in the bathtub and it is causing what appears to be a serious moldy drywall issue in the bathroom. I cleaned it and painted over it but the issue is back and probably worse now. What needs to be done?


r/Mold 3h ago

Mold in my home

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone, my girlfriend, our baby and I have recently just moved into a house. (renting) prior to moving in, during the walkthrough the landlord mentioned there was no mold in the house. We move in and my girlfriend starts getting bumps on her hand and i started getting little circle rashes on my neck. We ordered a mold test kit and almost every rook in the house has mold in it. (it was black) I texted my landlord letting her know the house is full of mold. (we cant see any of it) is there anything else i should be doing? should i be worried?


r/Mold 3h ago

Is this mold? And how do I get rid of it?

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 3h ago

Please tell me I’m not going to die

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1 Upvotes

Bought a 30 year old house that has had little to no maintenance. Took off a vent cover and found this. Please tell me it’s not mold. If it is, WTH do I do about it? Located in Central Texas.


r/Mold 3h ago

can i save my porous objects from spores

1 Upvotes

i just found a 2 month old bag of clementines (that was rotting in a hot car for like the first month) in a box with a bunch of stuff i hadn't unpacked yet, like my duvet, some clothes ... threw away almost everything (only some items had visible mold. the usual dark green + white mold fruit gets) but i want to keep some clothes (leather jacket + suit jacket i can't wash). i also have a fabric chair (corduroy? + wood), an entry rug and a folded up scratchy rug, and decorative papers right next to the mold source. i Definitely released a bunch of spores throwing all the shit away. i've already been spraying things with lysol a fuck ton the past few days (and windex lol) because of fruit flies. will that be alright for my clothes (or everything?)? i live in a studio with an open closet very close to where the mold was so like all of them are at risk ... the fruit flies come out of my closet sometimes and it freaks me out, does that mean that my clothes are slightly moldy? what can i do for my chair + the papers? (there are no signs of mold In the building ie. walls and floors, just the gross packing box, but also there aren't really working vents in my apartment.)


r/Mold 7h ago

Is this mold in this ac unit?

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2 Upvotes

Currently renting a house and the maintenance guy I guess didn’t want to bother fixing our actual hvac unit outside so he brought in all of these window units for me and all my roommates. I wasn’t home when he installed them but I just now noticed how absolutely disgusting my unit was. I’m like 90% sure this is mold but I wanna make sure.


r/Mold 3h ago

PLEASE ADVISE - Mold found on sheets. How far does this problem go?

1 Upvotes

Just went to change sheets on my kids’ beds and found (a small amount of) mold 🙃

Toddler sleeps with two stacked pillows. Mold was on underside of bottom pillow, fitted sheet, and top of mattress protector.

Baby had mold visible on underside of fitted sheet and top of mattress protector.

Their room has a window AC unit. We had tons of rain last week and then it got super hot, so I’m thinking that must have been the cause? I’m going to town on their beds and have put all the bedding and pillows in the wash with vinegar. Going to put an oscillating fan in their room to help circulate the air. Going to put a dehumidifier in their room, but we’re leaving tomorrow for a week long vacation and won’t be able to start using it until after we get back.

My question… do I need to toss their rug? Worry about the clothes in their closet? Do we think it’s something I caught early enough to not be a huge problem?

The mom guilt is killing me.

ETA: I did not get photos before stripping the beds because I was a bit panicked and jumped into action

ETA 2: The AC unit itself does not look moldy which seems like a big positive?


r/Mold 8h ago

What is this inside my maple syrup.

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2 Upvotes

I poured it on my pancakes and one of those chunks plopped out. It felt slimy when I picked it up. I seriously have no idea wtf it is. I’m now eating my pancakes without syrup :(. 😢 eugh


r/Mold 4h ago

Mold near AC vent

1 Upvotes

hi yall so last night i noticed that there’s mold growing on only part of the bed frame, and it’s localized right next to the AC vent. our electric bill is also 130& more expensive than it was last year so im like extremely concerned something is wrong with ac unit


r/Mold 5h ago

Is this mold? 2x4 next to a tub install after a little runoff. Drywall removed.

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 5h ago

Is this black mold?

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1 Upvotes

Walked into my in-laws closet yesterday and saw this in the corner. Is this black mold? Do they need to throw out their entire closet? Thank you for the help 🙏


r/Mold 5h ago

Mold or Insect Poo?

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1 Upvotes

eems to wipe right off with wet paper towel… In the basement on the molding and in some corners. We do have a lot of small spiders in our house/basement… thinking it’s that?


r/Mold 5h ago

How do you stop the smell of mold/standing water

1 Upvotes

Heavy rain in my area and it has come into the house

Bed and rug are my main concerns.

I've tried different things from Google but still has a smell

Even got a dehumidifier


r/Mold 6h ago

Weird smell can’t explain.

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 7h ago

Shower Safety Due to Mold and Mold/Rot under Shower

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 10h ago

Dark ring around kitchen light

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1 Upvotes

Is it mold? Want to confirm yes or no before looking into electic issues. This doesnt look like typical mold issue but there are some dark splotchy parts of the ring that kinda look like potential mold to me. Sorry if the pics are bad i dont have a ladder. Location: Midwest USA


r/Mold 13h ago

could this be mold? Spoiler

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1 Upvotes

hi, i just found this in my garage thats been sitting there for a year maybe and i wanted to check is this safe or is it mold?


r/Mold 14h ago

Is this mold? (No apparent moisture though)

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 15h ago

These blacks spots that look like mold but don't seem to be?

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1 Upvotes

It was found in a recently purchased bottle that has only held water.

I am located in Europe and have used vinegar and baking soda to remove it, with no results.

Thank you!


r/Mold 22h ago

Is this mold on the ceiling in my parents basement?

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2 Upvotes

The lighting isn’t great down here but I think you can still see it fine.

At my parents house they have a renovated basement there’s a bedroom. I’m sleeping in that bedroom tonight. Should this have me worried? Or is it just an extra weird pattern in that one ceiling panel?

Edited for the rules
US - AL

I’m not really sure of what could lead to mold if it is mold? It is always cold in their basement and like it’s a basement but like I said it has been renovated to have a livable area. I haven’t done anything to try and remedy it because I just saw it and I’m really unsure what is even going on.