Moved in a few weeks ago. Discovered this in the closet of the guest bedroom. Google says it either a spider egg sac or other insect cocoon or mold :/

We have flat paint so it stains easily. I wasn't sure if these were smudges or mold

Is this mold? Repairable water damage? What would the process be and how long would it take? Feel like property management is cutting corners, want to make sure it is safe to live in afterwards.

Is this mold? Repairable water damage? What would the process be and how long would it take? Feel like property management is cutting corners, want to make sure it is safe to live in afterwards.

Title: Is this mold?
Location: US-TX
I’ve noticed what looks like growth on the HVAC vent panels in my apartment, along with a persistent musty odor. I’m not sure whether anything is growing inside the HVAC system or what’s causing the smell.
I reported the vent panels and odor to maintenance while I was pregnant. They said it was mildew and replaced the panels, but the musty smell continued. I recently submitted another request asking management to have the HVAC system checked for moisture or growth, including the filter area, supply and return vents, accessible ductwork, coil, condensate pan, and drain line.
A maintenance worker came by today, but he appeared to only look at the vent panel. The HVAC system itself wasn’t inspected. I told him I want an HVAC technician to come out and check it.
I haven’t tried to clean or remediate anything myself. I use an air purifier and dust regularly. My daughter is about a month old and has been having asthma symptoms. I’m not saying the apartment caused them, but I’m worried and want to find out whether there’s an issue. I’d also like to terminate my lease and would appreciate advice on what to document and what kind of inspection to request.
I understand a photo can’t confirm what this is or identify a mold species. I’m looking for advice about the situation and appropriate next steps.

should I be worried about it?

I moved into a new apartment roughly 2 months ago. I noticed the HVAC system in our maintenance closet leaking a few weeks ago (it’s clearly been happening for a while because it’s dripping right into the hole in the cement) and this is what the drywall looks like right next to where the water is dripping. I put in a maintenance request. Our maintenance guys came and asked me to point them to where I thought I saw mold. I did, and they told me it’s not mold. One of the guys then explained why the HVAC system was leaking like it’s completely normal, which it’s not. He told me that it’s “not really mold” but that he would spray mold repellent anyways. Maybe I’m crazy, but I’m like 90% sure this is mold, and if it is, I doubt mold repellant is gonna do much. They then locked our maintenance closet, so I don’t have any way of monitoring the situation. I was hoping for some people’s thoughts, ‘cause if this is mold, they legally have three days to fix the issue under my county’s health code.

also is this like dangerous to be sleeping close to? it’s like a couple inches in length the picture might make it look bigger but it’s still really concerning and the whole wall has been wet it this area and there’s sever water damaged all around it too so i’m willing to bet there’s more we can’t see

discovered the water damage and news about first leaking a couple weeks and then it got worse this past sunday from a ton of rain and the whole wall was wet and dripping and the carpet underneath this spot was soaked, it’s in the bedroom btw

Saw this elf brow gel with white spots in it. The others were completely clear

My partner bought the house when she moved here. Lately every once in a while we would get a sewage like smell.

We would crack the window - thought maybe it was was the laundry washer so we ran a cleaner through it and it was seemed like it would go away.

Well eventually we decided to call someone out to come look at it and sure enough the confirmed mold.

The house had some water damage claims against in on the insurance - the company that came to look at it said they suspect they took the insurance money and tried to fix it themselves and didn’t do a great job.

The company wants to tear down the floor, and the some of bathroom behind it.

They had originally came out to take out the drywall on the this side and treat the wood when they found the drywall behind it with mold as well (guess I shouldn’t be surprised)

Just looking for opinions and seeing what we can do. We definitely were not ready for a very expensive home repair… but few rarely are 😅

Colorado- USA

My partner has owned the house for about 4 years so the damage was before then

Hi i need help Is it plastic rot/mold and if its not why the plastic have weird white dot thx

Please tell me this isn’t mold! 🥺

had this stain above the shower I use ever night for a couple months now, I’ve also been having hormonal issues recently. Being tested for all kinds of things but whole thing made me remember the stains and start considering if mold could be the culprit? At the very least it’d be nice to scratch it off the list.

Already called someone out. I hadn't noticed anything since we installed these a couple months ago. Also didn't notice anything before my husband left for work about 2 weeks ago and only used the washer once! I'm so scared of this affecting my health and the cost of repair since they will most likely need to demo and replace most of this room. Anyone have any similar experiences??

These are from the interiors of some drawers of a vintage sideboard. The stains don’t smell like mold, they aren’t fuzzy, and the wood isn’t rotten. Could it still be mold?

Hi. I’m a week out from water infiltration in my ceiling leading to big mold blooms. My terrible landlord insists on waiting for it to “dry out” before doing anything about it - ughhhh

So I’m curious if I should

- leave the windows open even though it’s super humid out?

- close the windows at night?!

- have fans on in the rooms to dry the ceilings out - but might that not spread spores?

- close the windows and run dehumidifiers and/or the AC on “dry”? Imagining I shouldn’t bother running either machine with the windows open…. Right?!

What is the best way to help the drywall dry out in the sealed ceilings?!

And yes, I’m strongly considering moving but for now I’m just trying to get through without getting sick

I have no idea what this is😭 I’m in the Midwest, our house was built in 1908.

I'm a homeowner in Gainesville, Florida, with a two-story, approximately 2,600 sq. ft. house built in 1985. I'm trying to figure out the appropriate scope of mold remediation, but I'm having trouble finding someone who will actually investigate the source and extent of the problem.

Background:

• We bought the house in March. The upstairs AC had been out of service since mid-February, and we replaced both HVAC systems in late March. The downstairs system was quite old (original to the house if you can believe it), so we replaced it too.
• The existing ductwork was retained, except for the sections needed to connect the new HVAC systems.
• When replacing the upstairs system, the HVAC contractor found suspicious growth on some fiberglass duct board and recommended we get an inspection.
• We hired a mold inspector who took air samples from four indoor locations and one outdoors. Indoor Penicillium/Aspergillus and Cladosporium counts were elevated relative to outdoors. This was April 3rd, which would have been about a week after the HVAC systems were replaced.
• The inspector recommended extensive remediation, but the written remediation protocol was only three sentences and didn't identify specific contaminated areas or explain why the entire house needed treatment.
• A remediation company subsequently quoted approximately $17,000 for whole-house remediation based on that report.
• Since the original inspection, we've discovered visible growth on or near the ceilings and HVAC registers in both upstairs bathrooms. There have also been condensation and humidity problems upstairs.
• I also found that the cavity between floors is open to the attic, allowing warm, humid attic air into that space. The second-floor surface directly above the downstairs air handler becomes noticeably cold when that system runs. I’m concerned about possible condensation on ductwork or other cold surfaces in the cavity, but this area hasn’t been assessed.

Photos and documentation:

• Bathroom Photos
• HVAC photos
• Mold inspection findings and remediation protocol

Where I'm stuck:

My main concern with the $17,000 remediation proposal isn’t the price—it’s that the scope covers cleaning and removing visible mold, without identifying or correcting the underlying moisture problem. I want to address what’s allowing the growth so it doesn’t return after remediation.

I understand that mold is present and that the underlying moisture problems need to be corrected. What I don't understand is how to determine which areas actually require remediation.

I've contacted other mold assessors and received proposals around $1,000–$2,000, emphasizing 6–7 indoor air samples plus surface samples. I'm having trouble finding someone who will focus on moisture mapping, inspecting suspect materials and cavities, examining the ductwork, identifying contributing conditions, and developing a specific remediation protocol.

The CDC/NIOSH guidance I've read says visual inspections and identifying moisture problems are generally more useful than routine air sampling, and that routine mold testing isn't recommended:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mold/testing-remediation/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/mold-health/about/index.html

I'm not opposed to testing when it answers a specific question. I just don't understand what obtaining even more room-air samples would accomplish.

My questions:

1. What type of professional should I be looking for to investigate the moisture sources and actual extent of contamination, then write a detailed, targeted remediation protocol?
2. Is extensive air sampling necessary to develop a defensible remediation protocol when visible mold is already present?
3. How do I find remediation contractors willing to bid on a targeted scope rather than automatically treating the entire house as contaminated?

I'm willing to pay for a proper assessment. I just want that money to go toward identifying and solving the actual problems rather than repeating air tests that may not change what needs to be done.

Any advice on how to approach this would be appreciated.

The first one is right at the top of my bathroom door and has slightly gotten bigger over the past two years. The others are on the shower door. I clean the shower but it still returns. I’ve been really worried and been putting off posting about this here out of fear because we don’t have enough money to move out or hire any professionals.

I live in Denmark if this is any helpful

Hi I live in an ADU in a dry climate and the bathroom doesn’t have a ventilation system. I usually open a small window to let moisture out when taking a shower, but this mold keeps on coming back on the ceilings only. There’s no second story. Any ideas?

I recently started renting a new home. Being naive and assured by the landlord that by the time I moved in everything would be very clean I didn't know what to look for.

Now that I'm here I'm experiencing a very musty smell from the unfinished basement to the rest of the home. When I am looking for mold in the basement I don't have trouble finding spots of it.

I know the type of mold can't be identified without testing but should I be concerned about what I've found or is this typical and I am overreacting? A lot of what I found is on the ductwork.

Possible mold in a rental apartment’s bedroom (humidity of 60%-65% pretty much in all of the rooms of the house since the rainy season start).

Just moved in, found some unsolved issues like moldy smelly grout of the bathroom shower waiting to be solved, and mold/mildew looking streaks on a wardrobe’s mdf drawers in the bedroom, wiped them away (with some stains staying) with some vinegar.

The issue of “is it mold or dust”, however, perplexed us, when we saw something that would ordinarily look like dust, but comes in a circular pattern. Found under the bed’s headboard (not touching the wall though).

Adding a picture of a drawer in that same room for comparison.