They could be damaging your home and your health.

What's wrong with a little mold and mildew? As long as they stay put behind the laundry tub, out of sight under the basement carpet, or only peek around the edge of the bathroom wallpaper, who cares? Well, YOU should, because they're not only eating away at your house, they could be eating away at your health, too.

Here we'll take a look at what mold and mildew are, how they affect the health of you and your house and, finally, how you can prevent their growth and get rid of the stuff.

MOLD AND MILDEW--BIG-TIME CONSUMERS

Though there are thousands of different types of mold and mildew, they all have two things in common: The first is that their mission on Earth is to digest the organic world around them. The second is that they all need moisture so their little digestive enzymes can go to work.

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There are differences between mold and mildew, but for our purposes, we can call the entire gang mold. Molds are neither plants nor animals. They're microscopic organisms containing enzymes (responsible for digesting and decomposing) and spores (in charge of reproduction). Mold dwells within the fungi kingdom: a realm includes mushrooms, yeast and other seemingly unsavory characters. But the truth is, these decay organisms aren't unsavory at all. Without them, toppled trees, dead animals and fallen vegetables wouldn't decompose. Our land would get piled higher and higher with dead stuff. We wouldn't have foods and medicines like cheese and penicillin. The problems arise when mold starts chomping away at things we don't want them to--affecting the look, smell and structural integrity of your house.

IT'S DOING THAT TO MY HOUSE?

Mold needs to consume something to survive, and it's perfectly happy eating your house if you let it. Some molds and mildews are fond of the cellulose in the paper backing on drywall, insulation and wallpaper. Others have a ravenous appetite for the glues used to bond carpet to its backing. Left unchecked, mold eventually destroys the parts of the drywall, wallpaper and carpet it attacks. But many molds just like to feast on the everyday dust and dirt that gather in the perpetually moist regions of your house. They won't destroy your house, but they can sure make it look, feel and smell bad. Mold can mar your walls with white spider web-like growths or clusters of small black specks. It creates the smell we often refer to as "musty." It can be slippery and dangerous when it grows on damp basement stairs. Molds rarely go so far as to rot wood or do structural damage--they'll leave that to their fungal cousins--but they can wreak plenty of havoc. We can't overemphasize that mold needs moisture to get established, grow and reproduce. Mold problems and longstanding moisture or high humidity conditions go hand in hand. To conquer mold, you must also conquer moisture problems. Fig. B shows common hangouts for mold and some steps you can take to minimize its growth and the damage it inflicts.

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