Many times, mold could have been growing for months or even years, releasing its spores into the air, and thriving on any moisture it can find in the meantime. Mold can even grow behind the walls in your apartment. If there was ever a bad leak or a flood of another unit or from outside, water could have gotten in behind the walls of your apartment and started the mold-growing process.

Mold usually presents itself as black, brown, or green-spotted areas that are normally dark and sometimes wet. We have all seen this phenomenon in bathrooms and showers that haven’t been cleaned in a while, but over time this mold can become toxic and put these toxins into the air, which your body is going to start breathing in.

While the suspicion of mold spores should have you calling the experts in mold remediation, there are some things you can do on your own to see if you have a mold problem. If your search does lead to you finding signs of mold damage due to a moisture problem, don’t delay in calling the professionals to test for mold.

How to test for mold in an apartment?

(1) Visual Inspection

A mold infestation can be detected through a basic visual inspection. One effective way to detect mold infestation is to take a sharp object such as a knife and poke it on the surface where you suspect the mold infestation to be growing, such as in the bathroom and kitchen. A wall without a mold infestation will remain firm. It won’t get damaged when you poke the surface gently with a sharp object.

You can also detect mold infestation by touching the wood surface. If the wood surface feels soft and crumbles upon touch, it indicates a mold infestation. This shows that the mold has set in and the rotting process has started. Discoloration of the walls and floors also indicates the presence of mold. You should keep an eye out for brown, black, or green spots. Some mold infestation appears like a water stain on the wall or floor. The discoloration is due to the mold hiding behind the surface.

(2) Strange smell

A musty odor is the foremost sign of a mold infestation. If you detect a wet smell from the building material, it indicates that the mold may be present in the building. Mold spores emit volatile organic compounds that have a wet, musty odor.

Most mold remediation experts will trust the nose when they walk into a building. They have a keen smell and can smell mold straight away. The smell may be due to something else, but it’s still a good idea to investigate further for mold if you find any weird smell in the place.

(3) Water leaks

Water damage is a clear sign of a mold infestation. If you see the ceiling or drywall cracking or bubbling out when you apply light pressure, it indicates water damage with a strong possibility of a mold infestation. Moisture can get trapped inside the wall due to a pipe leak. Since mold requires moisture to grow, it tends to grow faster inside the walls than on the surface.

You should look for leaky pipes inside the apartment. The two most obvious places to check are the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you detect a leaky pipe, you should check if there are signs of mold infestation near the pipe.

Note that the mold growth will not necessarily be near the leaky pipes. Moisture tends to travel far depending on the type of material. So, look for mold infestation a few inches or even a few feet away from the pipe leak.

(4) Health Issues

Mold infestation in the apartment can also be confirmed if you experience any health issues when inside the apartment. If you experience any of the health problems below, it indicates the presence of a mold infestation.

The following issues could be an indication that you are suffering from a mold infestation:

• Do you feel fatigued when inside the apartment?
• Do you constantly sneeze and have watery eyes inside the apartment?
• Do you see skin rashes after moving into the apartment?
• Do you experience a headache whenever you are inside the apartment?
• Some people experience mild symptoms while others may experience serious complications due to mold infestation. While this is not a confirmed way of testing for mold, in case you feel these issues, it may be an indication that you should check for mold.

(5) Use a mold test kit

Mold infestation can be of different types and colors. Once you have detected telltale signs of mold, you should use a mold test kit to confirm if the mold is present in the apartment.

Mold testing kits can be used on surfaces such as walls or floors to detect an infestation. Some testing kits can also be used to detect if mold is in the air that you breathe. The testing kits are available in most local or online home improvement stores. The kits are not that expensive; you can get a mold testing kit for $20 to $50.

What causes mold in an apartment?

Damp, cool indoor areas are the kinds of places where molds thrive. Sometimes a mold infestation is the result of a water leak. But even after the leak has been fixed, water may linger inside walls and floors, providing a moist surface where mold spores can grow. Water can also enter the home from outside through poorly fitting windows and doors or cracks in walls.

The third source of dampness in apartments is condensation. Water in the air that we exhale and from showers or cooking condenses on cool surfaces like interior walls. Indoor humidity that\’s regularly higher than 60 percent and temperatures of 60 F or lowers also provide growing conditions for mold.

What is the mold removal process in the apartment?

Once you find out you are dealing with mold or black mold caused by water damage, it can be an overwhelming and scary thought.

As a tenant in an apartment home or unit, you may not be liable for the removal and cleanup costs. You will need to deal with your landlord concerning the presence of mold. As landlords are legally required to provide living conditions to tenants that are free from health hazards due to moisture problems, the implied warranty of habitability often makes toxic black mold the property owner’s problem.