Black residue on inside of windows

Understanding common causes of mold in your home may allow you to prevent serious problems. Mold will typically grow in any warm, damp location. Some of the most common places to find it are around windows, window sills, leaking roofs, pipes, or anywhere there has been water damage or flooding. 

How Does Mold Affect Your Health?

Many people are sensitive to molds and may experience allergic reactions in their home.  Once mold exposure happens, the mold spores can cause infections, allergies, irritations, asthma and other breathing or health problems. Any member of your family who already has respiratory issues or mold allergies may become very sick if mold is in your house.

Mold problems around windows are very common but often goes unnoticed.  If you don’t have mold removed as soon as you notice it, it will spread to the rest of your home quickly and compromise the indoor air quality. That damage will then lead to additional mold remediation expenses as well; and Many species of mold can also leave stains and cause musty odors.

Once it’s in your home, the mold spores can cause or irritate infections, allergies, asthma and other breathing problems as well. Any member of your family who already has respiratory issues or allergies may become very sick if mold is in your house. Many species of mold can also leave stains and cause musty odors.

Many home owners first spot black mold on windows when they open them up for spring weather after having them shut during Fall and Winter. Mold that is visible on windows is commonly referred to as black mold, (which, contrary to common belief, is not more toxic than other molds). However multiple types of mold can exist in the same house.

Other mold colors that many might see on their windows include:

• Red Mold
• White Mold
• Yellow Mold
• Brown Mold
• Pink Mold
• Green Mold
• Dark Gray Mold

One of the best ways to prevent these potential problems is to prevent the growth of mold in your windows in the first place.

How Does Mold Grow on Windows?

Mold on and around windows causes potential damage to the home’s indoor environment and your health.  Dust, which is made up of dead skin cells, hair, clothing fibers, bacteria, dust mites, bits of dead bugs, soil particles, pollen, and microscopic specks of plastic, is a common cause and effect of mold in your home. If this dust gets damp and warm, mold grows.

Can black mold grow on windows? In short, yes.  Toxic black mold can grow just as any other mold can, but it’s important to prevent that from happening.  Make sure you contact a professional restoration company to assist with toxic mold issues.

Many homeowners first spot toxic black mold on windows when they open them in the spring after having them shut during fall and winter. Mold that is visible on windows is commonly referred to as black mold, however multiple types of mold can exist in a house.

Black mold around window frames can be a common yet dangerous problem.  Thankfully, this can be solved and prevented. One of the best ways to prevent these potential problems is to prevent the growth of mold on your windows in the first place.

How to Prevent Mold on and Around Windows

Preventing mold growth on and around your windows is a surprisingly simple process. While each part of your window grows mold for different reasons or in different situations. Here are some of the best ways to prevent mold on different parts of your windows.

How to Prevent Mold on a Window Sill

Exactly what kind of mold grows on window sills? Window sills in most houses are either made of wood or aluminum. While mold requires the presence of organic matter and humidity to grow, it can be found on both wood and aluminum window sills.

The mold uses the organic matter present in household dust for sustenance. On aluminum sills, window sill mold around the window causes dust to settle and combines with moisture, creating the perfect environment for mold.

So, what causes mold on window sills?  Mold around a window sill is commonly caused by dampness trapped in small crevices in or near the perimeter of the window, creating spores of mold and mildew.  On wooden sills, the mold and mildew grow on the wood substrate as well.

In order to prevent this, you can paint wooden sills using a high gloss paint that protects the wood. Make sure you regularly dust your window sills as well, particularly when it’s been damp.

Preventing Mold on Glass Window Panes

Can mold grow on glass?

The glass panes of windows are not organic and should not cause the formation of mold. However, if the glass panes have not been dusted

Additionally, if moisture is trapped between the double panes of a window, this can cause mold between glass panes. Specifically, mold can in fact grow on windows; and usually, moisture accumulates there if your window seal is broken. At this point, you may need to consider getting new windows installed because you can’t clean between the window panes.

Moisture often collects between the glass panes of a double-paned window or on the indoor side of a window pane. The warm air indoors is cooled when it comes into contact with the cooler window panes, causing condensation. These double paned windows tend to look cloudy or foggy when condensation forms between the panes.

You can prevent the formation of mold on window panes by keeping the glass panes dry and dust free. Additionally, you can reduce the condensation on window panes by reducing the humidity indoors by using a humidifier.

Preventing Mold in the Window Frame

Window frames, like window sills, are typically either made of aluminum or wood; and both types can develop mold.  On aluminum frames, dust that is rich in organic matter can accumulate in the joint where the glass meets the frame. This joint can trap the condensation that exists near the windows, ensuring optimum conditions for the growth of mold.

On wood window frames, the moisture trapped near the joints of the wood and glass is enough to encourage the growth of mold. Damp wood is a very common food for mold. To prevent the growth of mold, make sure that the joint between the wood and glass is free of dust and moisture. Scheduling weekly cleaning of these parts of the window will help you stay ahead of it.

Preventing Mold in Aluminum Window Tracks

Modern window systems frequently have aluminum tracks that help the glass panes of windows to slide open and shut. However, these tracks can also accumulate dust and moisture more easily and can be difficult to clean manually. The accumulated dust and moisture leads to the growth of mold.

To make sure that the tracks of the window are free of mold and dust, they should be cleaned weekly. Dislodge the dust with a brush, then vacuum the dust up so it’s clean and dry. Many window tracks have small holes to enable the water to drain out of them.

However, these holes can become blocked with dust unless the tracks are cleaned regularly. If you find mold in the window tracks, you need to first remove the mold before cleaning the holes and dust off the tracks.

What to Do About Mold on Windows

Removing mold on your windows is usually fairly simple, but depending on where it’s spread, it can become more difficult and expensive!

How to Clean Mold Off of Windows

In many cases, mold around windows doesn’t become a major problem and home owners can remove it using a mild detergent before scrubbing and wiping the windows clean. You can also mix just a cap full of bleach in with a gallon of warm water and use that on a clean rag to scrub the window and any affected areas.

When you clean and remove mold from windows, don’t take any risks and make sure that you wear protective gear to prevent any mold from coming into contact with your skin. Wear rubber gloves and face mask while you’re cleaning too. As you finish, open the window or run exhaust fans for ventilation.

Removing Mold From Window Frames

When you’re removing mold from your window frames, make sure you know what type of frame they are. Removing mold from aluminum window frames is easy, just soak them in a bleach solution for a few minutes and then wipe it clean.

Wooden window frames are significantly more difficult because bleach is corrosive to wood. Plus, mold is more likely to grow deeply into wood and be more difficult to completely eradicate without replacing your window frames. It’s worth trying to remove mold from your wood windows using vinegar, but you may have to replace the window frames.

Prevent Mold From Coming Back To Your Windows

To prevent a recurrence however, you need to include weekly window dusting as part of the regular housekeeping routine. Reducing the humidity levels inside your home with a humidifier and moving indoor plants out can also help.

What if Mold Has Spread to the Dry Wall or Sheetrock?

When black mold in the windows spreads to the sheetrock under the windowsill or the dry wall around the windows, that’s a bit more serious. In this situation, you need to hire a mold remediation expert who can safely and completely remove all traces of mold from the entire structure including the wall and the window. If mold in the walls causes extensive damage, you may have to completely replace pieces of your walls.

The presence of mold on your windows can cause health problems, especially for children and pets. It can also lead to bigger structural problems in your home, and just be a complete eye sore! If you see signs of mold, contact the mold removal and remediation experts at Jenkins Environmental Services anytime 24/7 for professional mold remediation and we will help restore your home to normal and make it safe again for everyone.

If you have mold in your home, Jenkins Environmental Services can help.

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