The Bay Area's Leader in Mold and Microbial Investigations

Mold Questions

Can you smell airborne mold spores?

Mold growth is known to produce a musty and very recognizable odor, but does not always do so. When you smell mold, that odor is more likely associated with the microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC’s) than with the spore itself.  The smell of mold is usually an indication of mold reservoirs in the home, but the lack of a smell is not an indicator that mold growth is not present. 

Can you see airborne mold spores?

NO. Most mold spores are between 3 and 10 microns in diameter. To give you some perspective, a strand of hair is approximately 100 microns thick. An average mold spore is about 7 microns in diameter, or about the same size as a human red blood cell.  As small and light as they are, mold spores are easily aerosolized, and a spore can stay airborne for as long as 8 hours in a home with no air movement. 

What is mold?

Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae.  In contrast, microscopic fungi that grow as single cells are called yeasts. A connected network of these tubular branching hyphae has multiple, genetically identical nuclei and is considered a single organism, referred to as a colony or in more technical terms a mycelium.