Mold is a microscopic fungal formation in the form of spots.

Causes of the fungus

The main reason for mold on the wall in the apartment is high humidity (about sixty percent), dampness. For its appearance, it is enough to have a damp wall or a room in which dampness reigns constantly.

The main reasons for high humidity:

• pinpoint leaks (for example, from a tap);
• freezing of the surface of walls, windows, etc .;
• poor ventilation.

Where does it appear

• seams between tiles in the bathroom;
• wooden frames;
• window sills;
• corners.

Varieties of mold

Many people saw mold on the walls in live or photo and noticed that it can be different in color and structure. Before we talk about how to get rid of mold on the walls, consider the types of mold:

Aspergillus niger is a black mold that can live on various building materials (concrete, plaster, whitewash). Penetrating into the structure of the material, it gradually destroys it.

This type of mold is resistant to cold and even occurs in abandoned premises. This mold can lead to aspergillosis, which is manifested in allergic reactions.

Penicillium is a blue-green mold that is less harmful than black but can also cause allergies.

Fusarium is white and brown, harmful to plants.

Serpula lacrymans is a white fluffy bloom. It grows on wood, this mold is dangerous both for wooden surfaces and for humans.

Removing mold

Let's get acquainted with the remedies for mold forming on the walls. In order to get rid of white and green mold, you must:

• Make a soapy water solution with the addition of bleach and wipe the surface with mold spots with it;
• If you cannot remove the mold with a rag, then you can use a brush or a mesh for washing dishes;
• Saturate the area to be treated with a chemical by applying a thick layer. You can repeat the procedure if necessary.

Treatment with a chemical solution will make the surface unsuitable for the appearance and existence of the fungus.

Fighting black mold

When fighting black mold, not only the stain itself is treated, but also the area around the stain. Main steps:

• It is necessary to remove a section of the infected wall with a perforator;
• Next, we treat the wall with a chemical solution;
• The resulting hole is covered with a putty with the addition of a chemical agent against the fungus.

Fungus remedies

Consider how you can treat walls from mold, depending on the variety. Green and white will do:

• PS 50 - suitable for plaster and drywall;
• Boramon C30 - ideal for treating wood surfaces;
• Mellerud - Suitable for concrete, wood, plaster and wallpaper.

To combat black, you can use:

• Belinka - removes black and other types of mold;
• Well Dоne - suitable for processing plaster, tiles, surfaces coated with oil paint.
• Astonish - can be used to process plastics and ceramics without damaging the surface.

Important: When working with chemicals, use a respirator and gloves. Wear long sleeves. Open a window for ventilation.

Preventive measures

Various fungus and mildew removers on the walls remove only mold. But it is also necessary to eliminate the reasons for its appearance. Consider an effective algorithm of actions:

• Eliminate the source of high humidity.
• Establish ventilation and ventilation of the room.

Remember that only properly adjusted ventilation cleans the air from mold spores. It is a big misconception that the air conditioner purifies the air in the room. In fact, it does not purify the air, but drives the same one along with mold spores.

Clean regularly with antibacterial products.

Use chlorine spray for treatment.

Insulate walls and windows to maintain heat balance.

Regulate the indoor climate. To do this, you can purchase an air dryer. Such devices are especially useful in the summer season.

Photo of mold on the walls

Mold is one of the oldest living organisms on Earth. It appeared 200 million years ago and learned to survive in any conditions: in radiation, Arctic ice and open space. She saves lives and is capable of killing.

Smart mold
Remember the old experiment where a rat must find the right path in a maze to get food. So, as the Japanese scientist Toshuki Nakagaki found out, mold copes with this task just as well. In 2000, he conducted an experiment by placing a mold "Physarum polycephalum" at the entrance to the labyrinth, and a piece of sugar at the exit.
The mold immediately sprouted in the direction of sugar, the spores of the fungus filled the entire space in the labyrinth, bifurcating at every intersection. As soon as any of the processes hit a dead end, he turned back and looked for a way in the other direction. It took the microscopic mushroom only 4 hours to fill all the paths of the maze and find the right path to sugar.

But, what is most interesting, when a piece of mushroom mycelium that had already passed through the labyrinth was pinched off and put back at the entrance to the labyrinth, putting sugar at the end, one of the sprouts unmistakably chose the shortest path to the exit from the labyrinth and sugar, and the second just "climbed" along the walls of the labyrinth and crawled along the ceiling. Thus, simple mold revealed not only the rudiments of memory, but also the ability to non-standard way of solving problems, which indicates that the fungus has intelligence.

Dangerous mold
Mold accompanies us everywhere, it lives in huge colonies in bathrooms, apartments, ventilation shafts, and, what is most unpleasant, in our refrigerators. Therefore, people are used to simply not noticing it. And in vain.
In addition to the fact that the microscopic fungus is capable of destroying entire buildings, it is also poisonous to the human body. In the process of growth, it produces substances that affect the lungs, intestines, and skin. Their spores enter the respiratory tract and "settle" inside us, opening the way for bacteria and viruses. Allergies are almost the most harmless consequence of living with mold as a neighbor. Microscopic fungus can destroy the structure of DNA and lead to cancer.

According to scientists, mold and its poison are practically not excreted from the body. The most dangerous, in this case, is considered the yellow mold of the genus Aspergillus, which "starts" on dairy products, fish and nuts. It releases the dangerous substance aflatoxin, which accumulates in the body and after 10 years can cause liver cancer.

The curse of Tutankhamun
Mold is today blamed for at least two mysterious deaths following the discovery by archaeologist Howard Carter of the pristine tomb of Tutankhamun. It turned out that aspergillus niger mold was still living in the tissues of the mummy's lungs, which can become fatal for people with weakened immunity or with a damaged lung system.
The first victim of "Tutankhamun" - the organizer and sponsor of the excavation Lord Carnarvon, long before the discovery of the tomb, had a terrible car accident in which he damaged his lung. He died of pneumonia some time after visiting the tomb. Following him, another participant in the excavation died - Arthur Mace, who, by a tragic accident, was seriously ill before the excavation began. Its weakened immune system has become an ideal breeding ground for the lethal qualities of mold.

Invincible mold
One of the main and most dangerous properties of mold is its ubiquity. Microscopic fungi are able to survive, without exaggeration, in any conditions. They feel great among the Arctic ice, on the radioactive sarcophagus of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and even in outer space.
So, as part of the Biorisk experiment, which was aimed at studying the effect of outer space conditions on living organisms, three capsules with mold spores Penicillum, Aspergilus and Cladosporium were taken into open space and attached to the casing of the orbital station. The results were simply stunning, mold spores not only survived after six months in outer space, but also mutated, becoming more aggressive and resistant.

And this is not a record yet. The researchers placed molds from the genus Aspergilus Fumigatus in a test tube containing a powerful anti-fungal drug. Part of the colony withstood the blow. This is despite the fact that the chance of surviving mold in these conditions was exactly the same as that of a person placed in concentrated sulfuric acid.

Mold and antibiotics
Penicillin, the world's first antibiotic that saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers during World War II, was first developed by the British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming in 1928 from a strain of the mold Penicillum notatum.
As is the case with most ingenious discoveries, this happened completely by accident. In one of the Petri dishes with staphylococcus bacteria, as a result of improper storage, a gray-green mold has started. Fleming was surprised to find that the unkillable colonies of staphylococci, which claimed so many lives during the First World War, simply dissolved around this mold. The miracle cure, from which all the wounds of the military were healed literally before our eyes, was modified already during the Second World War. At the presentation of the Nobel Prize to the creators of the panacea - Fleming, Cheyne and Flory, it was said: "Penicillin did more than 25 divisions to win the war!"

"Noble" mold
Doctors strongly recommend that if the product starts to grow moldy, it must be thrown away. Simply removing the affected area will get you nowhere. If it is soft fruit, bread or jam, then the mycelium has most likely spread to the entire product.
But not all mold that is on food is dangerous. There is also edible mold, with the help of which mankind has been making delicious blue cheeses and camembert for several centuries.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the French king Charles VI gave the inhabitants of the village of Roquefort a monopoly on the production of the cheese of the same name in the local limestone caves. The technology has hardly changed since that time. Each loaf of cheese made from sheep's milk is pierced with long needles so that mold spores can enter it. And stable high humidity and low temperatures ensure the rapid growth of mushrooms.

Another popular product made with the help of mold is the French wine Château d'Yquem. For its production, the grapes are struck with "noble rot" - the fungus Bodritis Cinerea, due to which the skin of the berry loses its tightness, the fruit itself shrinks, but the content becomes more concentrated. Chateau d'Iquem, the favorite wine of the Russian aristocracy of the 19th century, is today one of the most expensive wines in the world.

Mold often threatens owners of private houses and apartments. It penetrates into any room if it maintains a consistently high level of humidity, there is no regular supply of fresh air, etc. Microscopic mushrooms easily take root in any territory, affect the structure of all kinds of materials. Most importantly, mold spores pose a serious health hazard. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish mold in time in order to understand how to effectively deal with it.

All kinds of mold can colonize your home. At first glance, all that makes them different is the color of the mold. But no, in fact there are many more signs. Experienced specialists pay attention to the structure of fungal cells. Molds are visible in pictures and photographs taken on an enlarged scale: the structure of their spores can be florid. The way the threads of the fungus intertwine with each other in a bizarre way also speaks volumes. However, one can fundamentally study the structure of mold only under a microscope. In the photo, it seems only a dark spot, sometimes with a fleecy surface. What are the types of mold and what exactly are they dangerous?

Video "Danger"

From the video you will find out what danger the infection conceals.

Black

The black color of the mold that threatens you is one of the most common "colors". In addition, this type of panic causes the owners of apartments and private houses, because such a fungus is most noticeable on any kind of surfaces. However, black mold is not one species, it is a whole group of various subspecies of the fungus that acquire a similar shade at different stages of their development. The material on which the fungus settles also plays a huge role. What specific strains belong to black mold:

If mold on the walls is a problem that you are "lucky" to face, don't panic. This does not always mean that something threatens the health and well-being of your household. Nevertheless, the sooner you establish which species you are dealing with, the sooner you will understand what consequences can be expected from the fungus, and how to remove it.

Green

Ascomycetes, or the more common name for green mold, are microscopic fungi that also often cause a lot of trouble for people. In most cases, their spores live in organic materials, sometimes they are found in compost or soil. In appearance, this mold is a bit like moss, it has a rich green tint and has an uneven surface. What is the danger of a species called green mold?
The thing is that it often affects food products, for example, vegetables. Prefers this fungus and sour milk. Moreover, if you notice only the first signs of its appearance, do not hope that you will remove the affected layer from the product and be able to use the same vegetables. This type of fungus actively penetrates inside and immediately infects tissues, therefore, eating vegetables or fermented milk products after infection with a green fungus is fraught with serious poisoning.

Pink

Can pink mold grow in the house? It does not affect surfaces as such, does not settle on walls or ceilings, however, it can appear on plant residues or rotting products (spoiled vegetables and fruits, plants and even cereals, and grains that were illiterately stored in the kitchen).
This type of mold is not dangerous to human health, but it is still not recommended to eat foods that are already affected by it.

White

What is so remarkable about white mold, or mucor? This species mainly affects trees, houseplants and the soil on which they grow, as well as food (bread or cheese). Mukor is not considered particularly dangerous to human health, however, in rare cases, it can affect internal organs. This kind of disease is typical for both humans and animals. How does the infection occur?

Mucor spores enter the body through the respiratory tract or blood, for example, cuts on the hands. Then they quickly develop and spread in the blood. By the way, this is an ideal microclimate for them: moisture, heat is constantly maintained, and oxygen is contained in sufficient quantities.

However, cases of the initiation of diseases caused by white mold (mucor) are quite rare and are possible only with weak protective functions of the body.

Blue

Much less private homes and apartments are susceptible to a species called blue mold. And all because such microscopic fungi most often appear on a tree. For a person, they do not carry any danger. In addition, they are often used in the production of gourmet cheeses. At first glance, this fungus appears to be a blue bloom. In any case, blue mold is completely harmless.

Gray

Saprophytic microfungi are a kind of fungus that is quite dangerous for humans. It is characterized by the presence of a gray color and similar to the usual plaque. Gray mold settles on almost all surfaces and materials, and sometimes it occurs on food (vegetables and fruits). It can bring a lot of harm to indoor plants, moreover, it can be transmitted through flower seeds.
Appearing in the house, gray mold permanently and permanently settles in the room, it is very problematic to remove it. Its occurrence, as in most cases with mold, is facilitated by high humidity (over 70-80%). If this is maintained stably, the likelihood of the appearance of this kind of microscopic fungi only increases.

Reasons for the appearance

Why is there, for example, yellow mold or even orange mold growing in the house? Typically, this is facilitated by several key factors:

All this together leads to the formation of mold spores in the cellar, basement or directly in your home. Whatever type of fungus threatens your home (for example, brown mold), be prepared for the fact that complex measures will have to be applied, varying in degree of impact. In addition, persistence and careful conduct of each procedure is important. Thus, you will get rid of the poisonous spores of microscopic fungi without serious consequences for your health.

Mold are mushrooms, representatives of a completely separate and vast kingdom. Mold is omnivorous and ubiquitous. In a clean room, each cubic meter of air contains about 500 fungal spores. When a person breathes, he also breathes in the spores of fungi along with the air. Larger spores can cause allergies, and smaller molds can cause lung disease. A weakened immune system has proven to be an ideal environment for the lethal qualities that mold can exhibit.

Everyone knows the mold in the form of a gray cannon, which appears on strawberries right in the beds. We call it gray rot. In France, it is called noble rot. It is this mold (a fungus called bodritis cinerea) that contributes to the birth of the most famous French wines. The most famous of the varieties is the legendary Chateau d'Yquem wine. This is perhaps the most expensive wine in the world. And made him so moldy.

Take, for example, the "worst" mold at the moment Aspergillus niger, But few have heard that it is used to produce on an industrial scale: 1. Citric acid (E330) 2. Gluconic acid (E574) 3. Pectinases, glucoamylase and many other enzymes 4. Is the main agent in the fermentation of some types of tea and, in particular, Pu-erh tea 5. Sugar substitute (corn syrup, which is added to the vast majority of soft and soft drinks, yoghurts, etc.

Its brother is the noble mold Penicillium roqueforti. The most famous use of this fungus is the production of blue cheeses (Roquefort, Stilton, Danish blue). In addition, flavors, antifungal drugs, polysaccharides, proteases and other enzymes are made with it.

The following two representatives of mold are not typical, but for the originality of the form and their usefulness it is worth noting: Kombucha (Japanese mushroom, sea kvass, tea jellyfish, jellyfish) symbiosis of yeast and acetic acid bacteria. It is well studied, it is used to promote health and as a source of vitamins and active substances. Kefir mushroom (Tibetan mushroom, milk mushroom, Indian yogi mushroom) is a symbiotic group of lactobacilli, acetic acid bacteria and milk yeast. It is also a storehouse of useful substances.