Among the different colors, orange mold is one of the most, if not the most disgusting to look at. Brown and black may blend well with materials inside the home, but orange will stand out. This is especially true if it’s bright orange. We’re not talking about standing out in a good way.
It doesn’t help that it looks slimy. The orange slime mold sometimes looks like a sponge, so that adds to the disgust factor.
Aside from the color, it’s basically the same as the other types as far as its needs for growth are concerned. It generally needs 3 things – a food source (like the nutrients found on wooden surface areas abundant in your home), the right temperature (70 degrees Fahrenheit that’s common in homes) and moisture.
On this page:
- Dangers of Mold
- Factors that will Determine your Health Risk
- Where Do Molds Grow?
- What is Orange Mold?
- Cleaners
- Why Hire a Professional for Removal and Remediation Services
- Get Quotes from Competing Contractors
- The Easy Way to Get Quotes for Orange Mold Remediation
As you can see, your home probably has the first 2. This means that it’s ripe for mold growth. It just needs one more thing and that’s something that you have to control.
Of course, you want to get into the specifics of the orange-colored variety. You want to know whether this type is toxic or not. Can it grow inside the shower or bathroom? What are the things that one can do for remediation?
Just like a lot of homeowners that have encountered this orange-colored variety, you have a lot of questions. This is why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide that will help you answer these questions and more.
We’ll also talk about the different types that fall under this color. We’ll talk about what each type looks like and whether it’s dangerous or not.
At the end of the day, we recommend that if you have mold, whatever color it may be, checked. We’ll tell you why it’s dangerous so why removing it should be left to the professionals. We’ll even show you a free service that you can take advantage of in order to find the best professional with the best deal.
Dangers of Mold
The most obvious and the most alarming danger is the danger that it poses to human health. Mold in general can be allergenic, pathogenic or toxic. As an allergenic, it poses a risk to people suffering from asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It also poses a risk to kids and the elderly especially if they have a compromised immune system.
Here are the known dangers to watch out for:
- Allergies
- Infections
- Wheezing and difficulty breathing
- Asthma
- Respiratory illnesses
- Sneezing and coughing
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- Irritation
- Sinusitis
- Pulmonary hemorrhage
- Toxic mold syndrome
Fortunately, orange mold doesn’t pose too much of a threat to a healthy individual. But in addition to these health dangers, these other dangers should convince you to contact a pro for remediation:
This may not be a big deal right now, but you’ll soon find out how big of a deal this is when you decide to sell your home. Most potential home buyers, especially if they’re with a competent realtor, know the downsides of a mold-infested home. This is why they’ll pass up on an infested home or ask for a price that’s way lower than what you’re asking.
At the very least, expect to pay a lot of money for remediation if you let the infestation grow.
- It will eat away at your house.
It eats to live and grow, and your house is on the menu. It may seem like a small dot right now, but soon, it will be big enough that your home needs a massive repair job.
The worst thing that will happen is it will eat away at your home’s foundation. Imagine living in a home with a damaged foundation and you’ll soon realize why you shouldn’t let an infestation happen. You will lose peace of mind.
- It will affect the quality of life inside your home.
First of all, it’s unpleasant to look at. Imagine walking by a colony each and every day. It doesn’t matter if you have the most beautiful interiors. A colony will throw whatever beauty your home’s interior has away.
It also smells and it smells bad. It smells disgusting. You’ll never have a pleasant day with its nasty smell lingering inside your home.
It can also affect the taste and quality of the water in the tap. This is because it can grow inside the pipes or even in your water filter.
Factors that will Determine your Health Risk
Some people will be minimally affected, if at all. There are factors at play that will determine how risky exposure is to you. Here are these factors:
- The mold type
The good news is not all types are harmful to our health. The bad news is you can’t really say for sure until you’re already affected. This is why you need to have it removed and not wait to find out whether it’s harmful or not.
Health risks can vary from a simple allergy attack to fatality. Don’t risk it. Contact a professional as soon as you see an infestation.
- Your present health
Most types won’t affect a perfectly healthy individual. You’re at risk if you’re suffering from a respiratory illness. If you’re allergic to it, then exposure will start an allergic reaction.
Your immune system will also be a consideration. If you’re immunocompromised, you’re at risk. This also means that babies and children are at risk. This is because their immune system is still developing. The elderly is also at risk because their immune system is not at 100% anymore.
Again, have the infestation removed when you see it, whether or not you’re perfectly healthy or not.
- How long you’ve been exposed
Generally speaking, the health effects will get worse as the length of exposure becomes longer. As long as you’re perfectly healthy, a couple of hours of exposure won’t have long-term effects on you.
But what if it’s your home? It means that you’ll be exposed to it for hours at a time and every day.
Don’t wait long even if you know that short-term exposure won’t affect you much. Remember that there are mold types that can be fatal, so don’t risk it.
- Size of infestation
The bigger the infestation is, the more dangerous it is. If it’s more than a square feet in size, then it can lead to critical health concerns.
The dangerous thing is you can’t really see how big the infestation is. This is because it can be hiding behind walls, under the floor, or in the attic.
Yes, there are factors to be considered. However, just follow the general rule. If you see mold, have it removed.
Where Do Molds Grow?
It’s everywhere outdoors. It will grow wherever the 3 aforementioned needed things are present. That also applies to inside the home.
Since moisture is usually the last needed part of the trifecta, it’s the moisture-rich areas in your home that are prime locations for mold’s growth. Here are the most common ones:
- Bathroom
- Shower area
- Kitchen
- Basement
- Attic
- Food
- On walls
If it grows inside your home, there’s a good chance that it will grow inside the bathroom or shower area. It has enough moisture and the temperature is usually just right. It also has food sources like soap and shampoo residue. If the water is also acidic or has a high mineral content, then these areas are more at risk.
It can also be found inside toilet bowls. This is especially true if you don’t flush properly and clean regularly.
Wood is also vulnerable so it can also appear on walls. This type is very natural outdoors so it’s just natural for it to grow on wooden surface areas. While orange mold can cause a lot of damage to plants because of how it will suffocate the latter, most healthy humans are not at risk except for the fact that you’ll be living in a home with a compromised foundation. This is because mold in general will damage your home.
It will also grow on food. Bread and dairy are favorite breeding grounds, but it will spread to other types of food especially inside the fridge.
It’s important to note though that it can really grow anywhere inside the home especially if there are water leaks. This is why the attic is vulnerable so you really have to check the roof regularly for damages and have roof leaks addressed as soon as possible. Remember, the leak can flow and can go to any part of your home. With that being said, you should also check leaking pipes.
What is Orange Mold?
Simply put, it’s a variety of mold that’s orange in color. It’s not just a single species. It’s a cluster of different single-celled fungi or organisms. In addition to the color, the consistency is different as well. As mentioned, it’s slimy in appearance. Some types also look like a sponge. Read on to know the different types.
Acremonium
It grows slow and may require 5 days for maturity. It’s moist and slimy to look at. As it ages, it becomes leathery and/or powdery.
It can be orange in color although it can be in other colors including white or grey. It can also be rose or pink.
Fortunately, humans are rarely affected by acremonium. However, you can be at risk if your immune system has been compromised. It’s been reported that it causes fungal maxillary sinusitis. It can also infect the nails and the eyes if your immune system is weak.
Fuligo Septica
It’s more popularly known as dog vomit slime mold. That alone should give you a good idea as to how it looks like. Have you ever looked at dog vomit and found yourself appreciating how it looks like? No, because it looks nasty.
It can either be orange or yellow in color. It’s often found outdoors in the ground which is why people usually think of it as dog vomit at first.
It’s been known to cause an asthma attack if you’re asthmatic in the first place. It can also cause allergies if you’re already allergic to its spores. But generally speaking, it doesn’t affect healthy individuals much.
Aleuria Aurantia
Also known as the orange peel fungus, it literally looks like an orange peel. It can form into a cup.
It’s actually a fungus and not a mold. We’re including this here to clear the confusion.
Orange Slime Mold
It’s formally known as trichia varia. It’s a slime mold that falls under the trichiida order that can be pale yellow to orange in color.
How to Control and Prevent Orange Mold
While generally not dangerous to the health, you already know that it poses other dangers. This is why you still have to control it. Here are some tips:
- Flush properly.
This is to flush out the bacteria and fill the toilet with fresher water. Don’t let bacteria sit.
- Keep your bathroom and shower areas dry.
While this is virtually impossible to ensure all the time, installing a fan and ensuring proper ventilation can help dry these areas.
You should also clean these areas regularly. Don’t get the impression that they’re always clean since they’re where you take a bath or shower. Remember, orange mold loves soap and shampoo residues.
- Soften the water.
Water with a high mineral content is also called hard water. You can install an oxidizing filter to combat this. Using a polyphosphate system also helps.
- Clean the fridge regularly.
As mentioned, this orange-colored type can also grow on food. The fridge has the perfect environment for it to grow and it can spread. This is why if you see mold in the food or container, clean the fridge immediately after taking out all the food. This can help stop it from spreading to the other food.
You should also clean the fridge regularly. Stop an infestation before it happens.
- Fix damages to your home.
These damages serve as entry point for moisture, which you know by now leads to mold. Again while the orange variety is generally not dangerous, these damages can lead to other more dangerous types. This is why you need to have them fixed.
Cleaners
Some people will recommend a home solution like vinegar. It seems that vinegar is the go to natural solution by most homeowners. It may work on smaller infestations. You can mix equal parts of water and vinegar. Bigger infestations may require the addition of borax to the solution. You can also try mixing bleach with vinegar. Some people will mix oxygen bleach with hydrogen peroxide.
Some people have tried using grapefruit seed extract and tea tree oil. Of course, there’s the trusted baking soda.
There are also over the counter the counter products like Mr. Muscle Mold and Mildew Cleaner. You can try them for smaller infestations although they generally wouldn’t work with bigger infestations.
Here’s the thing. This is generally not recommended. Why? It’s because of the dangers of mold that you already know about. Cleaning it yourself is exposing you to these dangers. You’re already suffering from non-health related dangers of mold. Are you really going to expose yourself to the health-related dangers?
Sure, most healthy individuals won’t be affected especially by the orange variety. But really, are you willing to risk it? Are you willing to risk it considering that you can simply hire a professional for orange mold remediation services?
Why Hire a Professional for Removal and Remediation Services
We generally recommend that you get it checked out by professionals. Why? Here are some of the benefits:
- You’ll stop the infestation in its tracks.
The annoying and dangerous thing about mold is it will grow into a full-blown infestation if you let it. This is why you have to hire a professional to stop it in its tracks. Instead of thinking of ways to remove and remediate it, hire a professional. They know what to do from the get-go. Instead of trying and failing at different home and over the counter remedies, hire a professional. They have the right tools, expertise and products to remedy the situation.
You have to understand that it doesn’t take much for mold to grow. It also doesn’t take much for it to spread. Time is not on your side.
- You won’t expose yourself to the dangers.
It doesn’t matter if it’s just a “lowly” orange mold. Mold is mold. It’s still capable of wreaking havoc. While risks are low, there are still risks. Why put yourself at risk if you can simply hire a professional that has been trained and has the necessary safety gears to remove it safely?
- Removal and remediation will be done right.
Sure, the orange mold cleaners listed above may work a bit, but when it comes to removal and remediation, they have to be done right. The surface may look mold-free, but for all you know, there are still enough spores to spark a new growth.
Besides, it’s not as if all it takes is a simple wipe. A lot of things have to be done before, during and after the removal process. This is why this process is not just about removal. It’s a remediation, and remediation requires a lot of steps.
For example, a professional would know to make sure that the area is dried properly after the removal. If it’s not, then it will be ripe for another infestation.
A hidden danger is you can actually worsen the issue. Instead of killing the spores, you could spread them around your home. You’ll end up with an even bigger infestation.
- Prevention will also be taken into consideration.
It’s not enough that you remedy the situation. You also have to ensure that it won’t happen again. This is why specific measures have to be put in place and professionals can help.
First of all, they can educate you on what you can do to prevent a repeat of the problem. Obviously, you don’t know what these measures are. If you did, then you wouldn’t be faced with this problem in the first place.
They can also solve the problem at its roots. If it’s because of moisture caused by a hole in the roof, they can fix it or recommend a roofer if it’s outside their area of expertise.
Get Quotes from Competing Contractors
You don’t have to spend a lot of money for remediation services. All you need to do is to get quotes from competing contractors. What this allows you to do is to have them compete with one another for your business. By doing so, you’re letting them know that they need to send their best deal for them to be considered.
It’s all about creating leverage for yourself. Put yourself in the shoes of a professional. If you know that you’re not competing with anyone, doesn’t it make good business sense to send a quote that will give you the highest earning potential?
But if you know that you’re competing with other contractors, doesn’t it make sense to send the best deal that you can give so that it will stand out among your competitors? That is, if you want to get hired. Let’s face it. You’re in this business to get hired. If you continue to send exorbitant quotes and your competitors send consumer-friendly quotes, you’re not getting any business.
The Easy Way to Get Quotes for Orange Mold Remediation
Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time and effort to go around and ask for quotes from remediation companies. This is why a lot of homeowners end up hiring the first company they see. Don’t worry, because we’ve made the whole process easier so there’d be no excuse for you to do it DIY or settle for a bad deal.
You can see a form on this page. All you need to do is to complete the form with the details asked and you can take advantage of this free service. Just send the form and the best licensed orange mold remediation professionals nearest you will receive your details. Expect to hear from around 4 companies with their best quotes that you can choose from.