Water damage is the most common reason for a mold infestation in homes. Floods, leaks and long term moisture result in mold becoming a genuine concern, and without immediate attention, a sure thing.
In Hawaii, high humidity creates an ideal breeding ground for mold. A well ventilated home is the best defense against mold.
Mold is everywhere but you never want to see it in your house.
There are some things you can do to test for mold by doing routine maintenance checks.
Mold is a type of fungus that grows from tiny spores that float in the air.
It can grow almost anywhere that spores land and find moisture and a comfortable temperature, somewhere between 40 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a range that Oahu stays in 100% of the time. That means mold is always in a temperature range that encourages growth locally.
You can easily spot the most visible type of mold, called mildew, which begins as tiny, usually black spots but often grows into larger colonies.
It's one simple way to tell if you have mold. It's the black stuff you see in the grout lines in your shower, on damp walls, and outdoors on the surfaces of deck boards and painted siding, especially in damp, shady areas.
A mildewed surface is often difficult to distinguish from a dirty one.
To test for mold and mildew
and how to tell if your house has mold, simply dab a few drops of household bleach on the blackened area. If it lightens after one to two minutes, you have mildew. If the area remains dark, you probably have dirt.