Mold Glossary

Mold Glossary

Air Sample - A sample of air borne mold taken by exposing a mold plate to the air for a set length of time. The spores from the air grow in the mold plate. When the mold reaches a planned maturity the identity and relative abundance of the mold in the air can be determined.

Anderson Sampler - A test for mold spores in the air. It uses a vacuum pump to pull air into the collection area.

Carcinogen - A material that can cause CANCER.

Colony - An adult organism grown from one or one cluster of mold spores.

Dehumidification - The act of removing excess moisture from the air.

EIFS - A fake stucco covering on the outside of a house.

Electric plate - The cover that hides the wires on electric plugs and light switches.

Foundation vent - these are little windows cut into the wall of your crawlspace. Their purpose is to allow the crawlspace to breathe. Breathing keeps the moisture level in the crawlspace low. The vents come in different styles but serve the same function.

Fungicide - A material that will kill fungi (mold).

GSE - A solution made from Grapefruit Seed. It kills mold but is harmless to people.

H.E.P.A. - A filtration system that removes extremely small particles from the air.

Melaleuca Oil - See Tea Tree Oil.

Mold - A group of life forms in the Kingdom Fungi. These life forms produce toxins that can be harmful to humans.
Just like all snakes are not poisonous, not all molds are toxic. The only way to know whether a mold will cause disease or not, is to identify the mold.

Mold Plates - Testing device composed of a plastic or glass container and a nutrient gel. Mold spores landing/placed on the gel will grow into mature mold colonies suitable for identification.

Nail Pop - The head of a wall nail extending out from the stud because of excess moisture in the wall.

Ozone - A naturally occurring material which can also be created artificially by electrical discharging inside electrical appliances.
Ozone can be used to kill thin layers of mold. It is hazardous to the lungs of air breathing creatures, like people. It must be used carefully.

Physical Sample - A piece of a solid object taken to the lab. It is ground and placed into a mold growth medium. Physical samples are taken to determine if the air mold spores are coming from the building material or from the outside air.

Plate - A Petri dish used to test for mold spores in the air.

Ridge Vent - A hooded vent that runs across the top edge of a roof. It allows stale musty air to escape from the attic.

Soffit Vent - Vents up under the outside edge or overhang of the roof. These vents allow new fresh air to enter the attic.

Sol-U-Mel - A mold killing product with Tea Tree Oil as it's active ingredient.

Spore - The reproductive part of a mold. It is basically the same as a seed.

Sump Pump - A suction device that removes excess water from a basement.

Tea Tree Oil - A naturally occurring essential oil that kills mold and bacteria, but doesn't harm people. It derived its name from its original function, it was used to make tea.

Total Colony Count - The number of total mold colonies in a test plate. The higher the number, the more likely the residents will become ill.

Tough-N-Tender - A cleaning product with Tea Tree Oil as it's main ingredient. It is an excellent organic solvent that breaks down the glue that holds mold together.

Toxin - A poisonous substance produced by metabolic activity of a living organism. i.e. a substance produced by a living organism like mold that harms people.

Vapor Barrier - A layer of plastic placed over the dirt in a crawlspace. It keeps moisture from coming up through the soil into the crawlspace where it would feed mold.

Wall Cavity - The space between the inside wall and the outside wall. Or, inside the house, the space between the wall in one room and the wall in an adjacent room.

Window Well - The half round area cut into the ground around a basement window that extends below the ground.