Yellow Mold In The Home

If you’ve found yellow mold in your home, you may be a bit surprised. After all, yellow is a rather unusual color for mold. Most people are accustomed to seeing black and gray mold, and maybe green or blue, but people may not realize that mold comes in all colors. There are more than 300 strains of mold that are sometimes found in homes in the United States, and while many are black or gray in color, a few are yellow. Others, by the way, are pink, orange, purple, white and other colors.

Yellow Molds

Let us start by saying you cannot tell what kind of mold is growing in your home just by looking at it. And while you may wonder what kind of mold is growing in your home, you may not really need to know. According to the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all types of mold are potentially harmful and should be removed. The CDC doesn’t recommend testing mold to find out what type it is. If you’d like to learn more about testing mold and when it might be a good idea to do it, follow this link.

There are a number of different types of yellow mold, including:

Mucor – This strain of mold initially appears white or yellow, but later turns gray. It’s one of the fastest growing strains of mold and it can cause serious health problems, including a life-threatening infection called mucormycosis, in which mold invades the blood vessels in the body, compromising blood supply.

Epicoccum nigrum – This type of mold ranges in color from yellow to orange to light brown. It’s another very rapidly growing strain of mold and can be found on all sorts of household surfaces, including drywall, wood, mattresses, carpets and painted furniture.

Geomyces pannorum – This type of mold is a bit unusual because it grows well in cool environments and most types of mold prefer warm places. It is common in the northern hemisphere but not the south. It is yellowish-brown in color and can be found on all sorts of damp materials, including walls, floors, mattresses and paper.

Yellow mold above drop ceiling

Is Yellow Mold Hazardous to Your Health?

Probably. Most types of mold are, at least to some degree. Some people are more susceptible to mold-related health problems than others, but exposure to mold, especially long-term exposure like the kind that typically occurs when there is mold in your home, is not good for anyone. Some strains, like mucor, are more dangerous than others, but all can cause some health problems, such as respiratory problems.

If you’re experiencing symptoms like coughing, sneezing, a runny or stuffed up nose, headaches, a sore throat or shortness of breath, see your doctor. Let him or her know if you’ve been exposed to mold at home.

If you’ve got respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it might be wise to check with your physician if you learn you’ve been exposed to mold in the home, even if you aren’t experiencing any new breathing problems or other symptoms of mold-related illness. The same goes if you have any conditions affecting your immune system.

Yellow mold in crawlspace

Removing Yellow Mold from Your Home

If you’ve got mold in your home – yellow or any other color – you need to get rid of it. Mold removal is often a more complicated job than it might initially seem. First, you have to make sure you’ve located all areas of mold and that can be tricky because mold often grows in hard-to-see places, like inside walls and in heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts. Then, once the mold has been located, it needs to be removed carefully so that mold spores don’t end up spreading to other areas of the home during the cleanup process. You must also take steps to protect yourself from exposure to mold during the cleanup process.

If you have a large amount of mold in your home or if you are experiencing mold-related health problems, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends hiring a professional to handle the mold removal in your home. Whether you plan to hire someone or do the work yourself, we suggest scheduling a free consultation with a mold removal professional. You’ll benefit from some free advice from an expert in the field. Follow this link to find experienced mold removal professionals offering free consultations in your area. We suggest having at least two companies come to inspect your property.

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