What does green mold look like on indoor building surfaces?

These mold spores and their photographs and examples of materials sometimes mistaken for mold have been collected in the U.S., Spain, Mexico, France, as well as in other countries where I've studied bioaerosols.

These photos of mold on indoor building surfaces may help you recognize mold in buildings, recognize probably-cosmetic mold, and recognize stuff that is not mold and does not need to be tested.

Photographs to Help Identify Mold in buildings -
What mold looks like in a home or other buildings

Identification Photographs of Green Mold in buildings

Among the 1.5 million mold species, there are quite a few that may be found in buildings and that are green or green-gray in color. Three very common indoor mold groups found indoors and that include visible green mold growth are some members of the Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., and Trichoderma sp. mold genera.

Green mold can be easily seen on building surfaces but it cannot be reliably identified to genera/species without analysis by a qualified aerobiologist/microscopist in a test lab.

Our photographs which follow show the typical appearance of green and gray-green molds on building surfaces indoors.

The photograph (above left) of thick green mold growth appearing on plywood subflooring over a wet crawl space was taken at a vacation home located at the edge of a lake.

The combination of wet soils, roof spillage against the foundation, and long periods of inattention subjected this house to water damage and problematic mold growth.

This photograph (above) of thick green mold growth was taken on cardboard boxes and contents stored in a basement closet subjected to not only leaks through a foundation wall but also recurrent basement flooding.

The presence of black mold and white mold on this box suggest that we may have at least three different genera/species of mold growing in this area.

You can also see tan colored mold on the wooden picture frame on which this box sits, and white mold growing on the cigar boxes at the lower right of the photo.

This photograph shows thick green mold growth on furniture, side-lit by our flashlight. the Green mold on furniture in a damp moldy basement, Aspergillus photo shown in thumbnail just below is a larger view of this item.

Our lab examination determined that this mold, which was quite green to the naked eye, also contained Aspergillus niger (a black mold in the microscope).

Interestingly this very moldy furniture had been in this (very wet) location only three weeks according to our client.

Green mold on furniture in a damp moldy basement, Aspergillus sp. is shown just above.

Green mold on drywall and cabinetry in a flooded basement, or blue-green mold is shown in this photograph. The mysteriously-sharp line marking the top edge of this mold growth was very important.

Dissection of the wall showed that a 12-inch strip of drywall had been removed and replaced around the entire room perimeter. The mold growth line marked the cut edge and taped-over repair - and a change in moisture levels of the materials which slowed mold spread above this point.

A previous owner had repaired previous water and flood damage in this basement. This is an example of the exception to the general rule that mold growth tends to spread in a non-linear pattern over surfaces.

 

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2018-08-06 - by (mod) -

Here are my thoughts annotated on to your photo
IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s Comments Box code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-08-06 by Sarah

Is this mold? There are several spots like this on the hardwood flooring. The building was built in 1912 and has a longstanding humidity issue
IMAGE LOST by older version of Clark Van Oyen’s Comments Box code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2017-07-15 - by (mod) -

Luis, other than gentle dry wiping to remove what you can, more completely-removing mold from paper probably requires the efforts of a paper conservator. Advice is in the article above and other examples (using photographs that are moldy) are at https://inspectapedia.com/mold/Mold-on-Building-Surfaces.php

On 2017-07-15 by Luis

How to remove green fuzzy mold from sheets of paper?

On 2016-06-15 - by (mod) -

Kristina:

There could be a leak into the ceiling above; look for water stains;

If the mold returns I'd cut a small opening into the ceiling to check for hidden mold on the cavity side of the drywall and to find the leak.

On 2016-06-15 by kristina

I have a small patch of light green mold on my garage ceiling. It is located beneath my master bathroom. It wipes off like dust with a cloth, but comes back. What could this be?

On 2016-04-21 - by (mod) -

Jody

Cleaning is good, but finding and fixing the water leaks or source of high moisture is also required to prevent mold in or on buildings.

On 2016-04-20 by Jody

Cleaned shed , I mean every thing, and 4 months green mold back

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Continue reading at INVISIBLE MOLD or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• Atlas of Mold Related Illness Symptoms & Complaints for details about specific mold genera/species and their health effects.
• HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND - home
• MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE
• MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD
• MOLD ATLAS & PARTICLES INDEX for an atlas of building molds and for more microphotographs of building mold samples observed in our laboratory
• MOLD GROWTH on SURFACES, PHOTOS
• Mold spores in the Home - a Photo ID Library for detection and identification of mold allergens on indoor building surfaces.

Suggested citation for this web page

GREEN MOLD PHOTOS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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