Mold generally looks slimy or fuzzy, tends to have a raised texture, and can come in a rainbow of colors, including deep green and black. Mildew is powdery, looks white or gray, always appears flat, and grows on surfaces.
Differences Between Mold and Mildew
Mold tends to have a higher profile and can even become fuzzy, while mildew is usually flat. Mold exhibits darker colors such as deep green and black; mildew may begin as white, then turn brown or gray.
Without a doubt, mold is worse than mildew. According to American Home Shield, “the difference between mold and mildew is that unlike mildew, certain types of toxic molds can result in serious health problems for you and your family.” Black mold, in particular, is dangerous for humans.
Use undiluted white vinegar on hard surfaces in kitchens and baths. A bleach solution also works to kill mold. Mix one cup of bleach in a gallon of water, apply to the surface and don't rinse. Mix a 50/50 solution of ammonia and water.
Mildew refers to certain kinds of mold or fungus. The term mildew is often used generically to refer to mold growth, usually with a flat growth habit. Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae.
The problem of mold and mildew won't go away on its own. Use these simple cleaning tips to remove and prevent mold and mildew in your home.
Mix a solution of white vinegar diluted with water to clean up light mildew stains. Spray full strength vinegar to eliminate heavy accumulations of mildew.
Yes, vinegar is a mild acid that kills 82% of mold species. It's often used as a natural and nontoxic alternative to cleaning chemicals when it comes to killing household mold. Cleaning vinegar, which contains 6% acetic acid, is the best type for killing mold.
Use regular, distilled white vinegar to kill mold, as it's the most acidic. Some homeowners can even utilize vinegar directly to their walls or linoleum floors as a cleaning technique to prevent mold from forming.
Mould will easily grow and spread if the right conditions are present. So, dehumidifiers don't kill mould, but they can help to prevent it from growing inside your home by reducing humidity. However, the best way to deal with it is to get rid of its source.
Exposure to damp and moldy environments may cause a variety of health effects, or none at all. Some people are sensitive to molds. For these people, exposure to molds can lead to symptoms such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes, or skin.
If you have asthma, COPD, or if you are immune-compromised you should not stay in a moldy home, or even be there while it is being cleaned. Spend less time in your home. Stay with friends or relatives as much as you can until your home is dried and cleaned up. If you can, shower and wash your hair at their home.
Allergy and irritation are the most common symptoms of mold exposure. Less common effects of mold exposure include infections and illness. Serious infections from molds are relatively rare and occur mainly in people with severely suppressed immune systems. Illness has been reported from workplace exposures to mold.
Mold needs to be entirely eradicated; otherwise, it will grow right back. This means that you have to clean far below the visible areas of growth with the right penetrating biocides. Simply wiping down your walls with some bleach or household cleaners might not be enough to get rid of a black mold problem permanently.
Keep things clean
Keep closets, dresser drawers, basements — any place where mildew is likely to grow — as clean as possible. Soil on dirty articles can supply enough food for mildew to start growing when moisture and temperature are right.
How to Remove Mildew. Never paint over mildew—it will grow through new paint, which will make subsequent cleaning and maintenance even more difficult. Wash the affected surface with a mixture of household bleach and water—three parts water to one part bleach—or with a household cleanser designed to kill mildew.
White vinegar is a mildly acidic product that cleans, deodorizes, and disinfects. It can also kill 82% of mold species, including black mold, on porous and non-porous surfaces. You can use it safely on most surfaces, and its offensive odor goes away quickly. Pour undiluted white vinegar into a spray bottle.
Bleach quickly dries off on the surface and will not reach into the deeper part of the material to the mold's root. So, in a few days or weeks, the mold regains its color and grows back to become even worse than it was before you applied the bleach.
Spray the moldy surface completely to saturate the area with hydrogen peroxide. Leave the surface to sit for 10 minutes. Scrub the area to make sure to remove all the mold and mold stains. Wipe down the surface to remove residual mold and spores.
While it is possible to use bleach to kill mold as well, experts agree that vinegar is a much better option. Unlike bleach, vinegar can effectively kill the mold at the root, which means it's less likely to return. Vinegar is also less toxic than bleach, making it a better choice for household use.
If you're not wearing any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), you're inviting all of those mold spores to settle on your clothing, the area you're cleaning, your shoes (allowing mold to travel to other areas in your home), in your eyes, and up your nose into your upper respiratory system.
Drop a few drops of household bleach to the mold, and the ones that disappear easily are mildew. You will usually spot this in damp areas. There are two kinds of black molds namely: mildew-mold and dirt mold. Mildew mold easily goes away after pouring bleach on it while dirt mold does not.
Mold will grow where there is moisture, such as around leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, or where there has been a flood.
Odor absorbers like baking soda, charcoal briquettes, and kitty litter are all effective in keeping mildew at bay. Fill a large container about halfway with your chosen deodorizer and leave it to work its magic in whichever rooms you've been encountering issues with mildew. Replace every month or so.