Yes, Mushrooms CAN Grow Inside Your Home

5/22/2018 (Permalink)

Mushrooms growing out of floor

We recently did a big cleanup job at a Green Bay area home that experienced a water loss.

As with many water losses, aside from the damage the water itself caused, mold was growing all over the house. But something a little different with this case was that, along with the mold, mushrooms were growing out of the carpeted floors as well! That’s right, honest to goodness mushrooms were growing out of the floors. (In the photo we posted with this blog, you can see the mushrooms, they’re the brown spots on the floor)

What happened was the house was unoccupied and the boiler broke, which led to water and high humidity across many of the rooms. Because the home was not occupied, the situation sat for a long time before the owners found it. As the mold grew, so too did the mushrooms.

Like mold, mushrooms are fungi. They require moisture, a food source and oxygen to grow. Factor in the right temperature and they’ll grow. It’s actually not all that unusual for mushrooms to grow in a home when the conditions are just right.

SERVPRO of West Brown County was called in to clean up. We dried up the home and cleaned up and remediated the mold and mushrooms.

Unfortunately, when mold and fungi get to this point in a home, a lot of the building materials, like affected drywall and flooring, need to be fully removed to ensure all the water damage and the fungus growth is removed. Once the affected walls are down to the studs, we then make sure any mold on them is fully removed.  Then the surfaces are cleaned and all remaining surfaces are HEPA vacuumed to remove any traces of mold spores. 

Fortunately, once our cleanup was complete, the owner was able to have the home rebuilt and it is now in beautiful condition.

If you notice fungi of any kind growing in your home or business (mushrooms included!), we can help take care of that problem for you. Just give us a call at 920-434-8224.