1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey, 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogel bond here. Many people use the 3 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: words mold and mildew interchangeably, but they're not the same thing. 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: To be fair, both are types of fungi, that is, 5 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: spore producing organisms in the same kingdom as mushrooms or yeast. 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: Fungi are fascinating because they grow pretty much like plants, 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: but they acquire nutrients and have kitan in their cell 8 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: walls like animals do. Mold and mildew are both filamentous fungi, 9 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: that is, multicellular fungi that grow in branching, tubular structures 10 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: that form a mass of intertwining strands. They crave especially damp, 11 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: moist conditions, and both can grow on things in your home, 12 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: but mildew is usually easier to get rid of, and 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: that goes to the heart of the differences between mold 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: and mildew. The spores of are everywhere all around us. 15 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: They're a necessary part of our world because these types 16 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: of fungi are what breakdown dead plant and animal matter 17 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: in our soil. But by the time you see mold 18 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: or mildew growing in your home, you're looking at a 19 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: colony of millions of cells. Mildew is mold and its 20 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: early stages of life, and typically grows fast. The spores 21 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: may arrive in your home via water, air, or insects. 22 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: Both mold and mildew prefer to grow on or in 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: a porous organic materials wood, paper, food, and some types 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: of insulation, carpet or clothing. They can also grow on 25 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: biofilms on top of less porous materials like plastic, glass 26 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: or tile. The biggest difference between mold and mildew is 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: on the surface. That's a little play on words, because 28 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: mildew only grows on the surface of materials like your shower, walls, 29 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: window sills, and other places where moisture tends to be high. Mold, however, 30 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: is penetrating fungi. It grows below the surface of whatever 31 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: it's attached to. So the powdery, fluffy stuff you see 32 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: on books and boxes in your basement, that's mildew. But 33 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: good news, it's only on the surface. If you find mildew, 34 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: you can clean it off so that it won't multiply 35 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: and grow to damage whatever it's on. Then you can 36 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: check the rooms of ventilation and maybe add a dehumidifier 37 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: to the space. Bathrooms should have an exhaust fan to 38 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: vent out warm moist air. Check the seals around windows 39 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: to prevent condensation. Mold is a different matter. It can 40 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: be fuzzy or slimy. As we mentioned before, it grows 41 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: on the surface of organic material and then penetrates it. 42 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: A Mold usually comes in shades of white, blue, green, brown, gray, 43 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: or black, and mold can be a problem when it 44 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,239 Speaker 1: grows indoors. Over time, the material that's covered with mold 45 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: will become rotten, and that's why mold often causes straw 46 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: cctral damage to homes and belongings, a, leading to mold 47 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: remediation strategies and costly repairs. Mold can also cause serious 48 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,679 Speaker 1: health problems. It produces compounds that can cause irritation to 49 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, even in people who 50 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: aren't allergic to it, and mold allergies can cause everything 51 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,679 Speaker 1: from sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash to 52 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: asthma attacks. And unlike mildew, which you can easily clean yourself, 53 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 1: the CDC says that cleaning up toxic mold is very 54 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: difficult and should be handled by qualified mold remediation professionals 55 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: certified by the National Environmental Health Association or the American 56 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: Industrial Hygiene Association. Though, of course, while it's certainly a menace, 57 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: if it's growing unchecked in your home, and not all 58 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: mold is bad, you might welcome some types and there 59 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: by products into your household. For example, the antibiotic penicillin, 60 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: which is extracted from mold, or cheeses like gorgonzola or brie, 61 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: both of which rely on mold to create their textures 62 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: and flavors. All of these are created thanks to mold 63 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 1: in the genus penicillium. Today's episode is based on the 64 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: article What's the difference between mold and mildew on how 65 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:22,039 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com, written by Patty Resmusen. Brain Stuff 66 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: is production of iHeart Radio in partnership with how stuff 67 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. Four 68 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, 69 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.