What Does Mold Smell Like? Does the Smell Indicate the Severity of the Growth?
Mold is one of the most common problems in houses and apartments, but that doesn’t mean it’s a light problem, and you should address it as soon as possible. If you think you have mold in your home, apartment, or commercial property, the first step you should take is to contact a certified mold removal company to perform an on-site inspection.
This issue tends to grow on your place’s walls, and smell is one of the main, if not one of the only, ways to know it’s there before it’s too late.
The problem with that is: How do you know you have a mold problem if you don’t know how mold smells?
We have the answer for you, so read this page to learn what mold smells like and how to identify it. Knowing that not only helps you know you have a mold issue but also tells you how severe the problem is.
What Does Mold Smell Like?
The good thing about the odor mold produces is that it’s not that difficult to notice there’s a bad smell coming from your walls or any other place in your house, so even if you don’t know it’s mold, you know there’s something you need to take care of.
Apart from that, the smell is not good at all, which means you can’t confuse it with any good smell coming from outside. Mold’s smell can vary, but many describe it as the smell of something rotting. Some examples of that are the smell of aging cheese or fermenting alcohol.
Have you ever smelt dirty clothes after working out or playing sports? It’s not good at all, and mold’s smell is very similar to that. Old socks smell like that too, so you can check some of your old socks to get familiar with the smell.
Regardless of that, the essential part of it is that mold doesn’t smell any good, and getting an unpleasant smell is alone a sign of mold in your house. The problem with that is that it’s complex to see mold unless it’s a severe case, and you don’t want it to become that bad.
Having moisture issues in the past, such as leads or humidity, can cause mold in the future, so the mold may be the source of the smell if this is your case. The smell gets stronger when the AC is on.
How to Know the Severity of Mold Growth by its Smell
You can know how severe mold is by how much it smells since it gets even worse as time passes and becomes worse. Severe mold issues often smell more like rotting wood, and when this happens, it often smells in several areas of your house and not only close to the source of the smell.
If mold doesn’t smell that bad and only smells that close to its source, you shouldn’t worry about it being that severe.
Bottom Line
As you could see, it’s not that difficult to find similar smells to mold in your house, and that’s what helps you notice it the first time, so be mindful of that if you start smelling something unpleasant on your property.
Nonetheless, you should hire a professional to check the situation and tell you if you have a mold issue and how to solve it.
