What Are the Differences Between Mold and Mildew?

Mildew is an early stage of mold that grows on surfaces before digging deeper. Learn how both work and how to stop them from growing in your home in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/difference-between-mold-mildew.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey,
brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bond here. Many people use the
words mold and mildew interchangeably, but they're not the same thing.
To be fair, both are types of fungi, that is,
spore producing organisms in the same kingdom as mushrooms or yeast.

(00:23):
Fungi are fascinating because they grow pretty much like plants,
but they acquire nutrients and have kitan in their cell
walls like animals do. Mold and mildew are both filamentous fungi,
that is, multicellular fungi that grow in branching, tubular structures
that form a mass of intertwining strands. They crave especially damp,

(00:45):
moist conditions, and both can grow on things in your home,
but mildew is usually easier to get rid of, and
that goes to the heart of the differences between mold
and mildew. The spores of are everywhere all around us.
They're a necessary part of our world because these types
of fungi are what breakdown dead plant and animal matter

(01:08):
in our soil. But by the time you see mold
or mildew growing in your home, you're looking at a
colony of millions of cells. Mildew is mold and its
early stages of life, and typically grows fast. The spores
may arrive in your home via water, air, or insects.
Both mold and mildew prefer to grow on or in

(01:30):
a porous organic materials wood, paper, food, and some types
of insulation, carpet or clothing. They can also grow on
biofilms on top of less porous materials like plastic, glass
or tile. The biggest difference between mold and mildew is
on the surface. That's a little play on words, because
mildew only grows on the surface of materials like your shower, walls,

(01:54):
window sills, and other places where moisture tends to be high. Mold, however,
is penetrating fungi. It grows below the surface of whatever
it's attached to. So the powdery, fluffy stuff you see
on books and boxes in your basement, that's mildew. But
good news, it's only on the surface. If you find mildew,

(02:16):
you can clean it off so that it won't multiply
and grow to damage whatever it's on. Then you can
check the rooms of ventilation and maybe add a dehumidifier
to the space. Bathrooms should have an exhaust fan to
vent out warm moist air. Check the seals around windows
to prevent condensation. Mold is a different matter. It can
be fuzzy or slimy. As we mentioned before, it grows

(02:40):
on the surface of organic material and then penetrates it.
A Mold usually comes in shades of white, blue, green, brown, gray,
or black, and mold can be a problem when it
grows indoors. Over time, the material that's covered with mold
will become rotten, and that's why mold often causes straw
cctral damage to homes and belongings, a, leading to mold

(03:03):
remediation strategies and costly repairs. Mold can also cause serious
health problems. It produces compounds that can cause irritation to
the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, even in people who
aren't allergic to it, and mold allergies can cause everything
from sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash to
asthma attacks. And unlike mildew, which you can easily clean yourself,

(03:29):
the CDC says that cleaning up toxic mold is very
difficult and should be handled by qualified mold remediation professionals
certified by the National Environmental Health Association or the American
Industrial Hygiene Association. Though, of course, while it's certainly a menace,
if it's growing unchecked in your home, and not all

(03:50):
mold is bad, you might welcome some types and there
by products into your household. For example, the antibiotic penicillin,
which is extracted from mold, or cheeses like gorgonzola or brie,
both of which rely on mold to create their textures
and flavors. All of these are created thanks to mold
in the genus penicillium. Today's episode is based on the

(04:16):
article What's the difference between mold and mildew on how
stuff works dot com, written by Patty Resmusen. Brain Stuff
is production of iHeart Radio in partnership with how stuff
works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. Four
more podcasts from my heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app,
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