Stars and Bars RestorationIf you've been noticing a musty smell in a room that won't go away, or you've spotted dark discoloration on drywall, ceilings, or grout — you might be dealing with mold. And in Southern Colorado, where we swing between dry spells and summer monsoon downpours, mold is more common than most homeowners realize.
We get calls every week from folks in Pueblo West, Fountain, Colorado City, and Cañon City who found mold after a leak they thought they'd "handled" months ago. This article will walk you through what black mold actually is, where it hides, what causes it in our region specifically, and what you should do if you find it.
What Is "Black Mold"?
The term "black mold" usually refers to Stachybotrys chartarum, a dark greenish-black fungus that thrives in environments with chronic moisture — wet drywall, water-damaged wood, and waterlogged insulation. But here's the thing: not all dark-colored mold is Stachybotrys, and not all dangerous molds are black. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium are common household molds that can be black, green, or gray and can all cause health problems.
The bottom line: any mold growing inside your home is a problem that needs to be addressed, regardless of color.
Why Southern Colorado Homes Are Especially Vulnerable This Time of Year
You might think "dry Colorado climate = no mold problem." That's not quite right — especially in summer. Here's why mold is a real concern in our region:
Monsoon season (July–September): Southern Colorado's monsoon pattern brings intense afternoon thunderstorms and elevated humidity from late June through early September. That moisture gets into basements, crawl spaces, and anywhere your home has a small vulnerability. After a storm event, we typically see a surge in calls about musty odors and visible mold appearing 2–4 weeks later.
Rapid temperature swings: When a hot, humid afternoon is followed by a cool night, condensation forms on cool surfaces — basement walls, pipes, window frames. That repeated wet-dry cycle is exactly what mold needs.
Older construction: Many homes in Pueblo, Colorado City, and Cañon City were built in the 1950s–1970s with vapor barriers and insulation standards that don't match today's building science. Those older materials absorb moisture and hold it longer.
Inadequate bathroom and kitchen ventilation: In drier months, poor bathroom ventilation isn't a big deal. But during monsoon season, shower steam that doesn't exhaust properly creates a perfect mold environment.
Common Signs of Mold in Your Home
You don't need to see visible mold to have a mold problem. Watch for these signs:
You Can Smell It
That earthy, musty smell — almost like dirty gym clothes or wet cardboard — is one of the earliest indicators. If a room has a persistent musty odor even after cleaning, there's likely mold hiding somewhere you can't see.
Visible Discoloration
Look for dark spots (black, green, gray, or even white and fuzzy) on:
- Grout lines in bathrooms or kitchens
- Ceiling corners and around light fixtures
- Around window frames and sills
- On drywall, especially near exterior walls or plumbing walls
- Inside closets on exterior walls
- Under sinks and inside cabinets
Health Symptoms in the Home
Mold doesn't affect everyone the same way, but common indicators include:
- Persistent sneezing, runny nose, or itchy eyes that improve when you leave the house
- Coughing or respiratory irritation that lingers
- Skin irritation
- Worsening asthma symptoms
If symptoms improve when family members are away from home and return when they come back, mold exposure is worth investigating.
Recent Water Damage
This is the big one. If your home had any water intrusion in the past — a pipe leak, a roof leak, a flooded basement, appliance overflow — and it wasn't dried out professionally within 48–72 hours, there's a significant chance mold developed in the walls or under the floor.
Where Mold Hides in Southern Colorado Homes
We've done mold remediation jobs across Pueblo West, Fountain, Manitou Springs, and beyond. Here's where we find it most often:
Behind bathroom walls — Especially around tubs and showers with grout or caulk that's cracked or deteriorated. Water seeps behind the tile and soaks into the drywall behind it.
Under bathroom and kitchen flooring — Vinyl or tile flooring can look fine on top while the subfloor underneath has been wet for months.
In crawl spaces — Crawl spaces in our region often have poor vapor barriers or none at all. Ground moisture rises, wood joists absorb it, and mold follows. Check for a white or gray fuzzy growth on your crawl space joists.
In attics — Improper bath fan ventilation that exhausts into the attic (instead of outside) creates concentrated moisture. We've seen serious mold in attics in Pueblo West where the bath fan vented into the attic space.
Around HVAC systems — Evaporator coils and drain pans can collect mold if the system isn't maintained. Once mold is in your HVAC system, spores get distributed throughout the house every time the system runs.
After basement flooding — Carpet padding and drywall in finished basements are extremely vulnerable. Even a small amount of standing water that soaked in and wasn't properly dried can lead to significant mold growth inside the walls.
When Can You DIY — And When Should You Call a Pro?
Small surface mold on non-porous surfaces (tile, sealed concrete, glass) can often be cleaned with a diluted bleach solution or commercial mold cleaner — but you need to fix the moisture source first, or it will come back within weeks.
Call a professional when:
- The mold covers more than 10 square feet (roughly a 3×3 foot area)
- The mold is on drywall, wood framing, insulation, or carpet — porous materials that need removal, not just surface cleaning
- You don't know where the moisture is coming from
- The mold is near your HVAC system
- Anyone in the household has respiratory issues, asthma, or a compromised immune system
- You suspect mold is inside the wall (you smell it but can't see it)
Our IICRC-certified mold remediation technicians at Stars and Bars follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard — which means proper containment, negative air pressure, HEPA-filtered air scrubbers, safe disposal, and post-remediation verification. We don't just paint over it and hope for the best.
Our Mold Remediation Process
Here's what a professional mold remediation looks like when we come out to your home in Pueblo West, Fountain, or anywhere else in Southern Colorado:
1. Inspection and moisture assessment — We use thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters to find the full extent of the problem, including mold you can't see yet.
2. Identify and fix the moisture source — Mold remediation without fixing the source is a temporary fix. We identify where the water intrusion is coming from before touching any mold.
3. Containment — We isolate the affected area with plastic sheeting and negative air pressure to prevent mold spores from spreading to clean areas of the home.
4. Air filtration — HEPA air scrubbers run throughout the job to capture airborne spores.
5. Remove affected materials — Contaminated drywall, insulation, carpet, and other porous materials are bagged and disposed of properly.
6. Clean and treat structural materials — Wood framing and other structural elements are cleaned and treated with EPA-registered antimicrobial agents.
7. Post-remediation verification — We document that mold levels are back to normal before we close up any walls or areas.
You can also check out our article on what to do after water damage — because preventing mold starts with how you respond to water events.
Don't Wait on This
Mold doesn't stay where it starts. It spreads into adjacent materials, into HVAC systems, and throughout the house. A small mold problem discovered in July can become a major remediation project by September if left alone.
If you're in Pueblo West, Fountain, Colorado City, Colorado Springs, or anywhere in Southern Colorado and you suspect you have mold — give us a call. We offer free assessments and honest assessments. We're not going to tell you that you need a $20,000 remediation job if what you have is a $500 bathroom tile situation.
Call Stars and Bars Restoration at (719) 676-2456 — we're available 24/7 and we're local. We've been helping Southern Colorado homeowners navigate mold, water damage, and everything in between, and we'd rather you call us early than wait until it's a much bigger problem.
Stars and Bars Restoration | IICRC Certified | Veteran-Owned | Colorado City, CO | (719) 676-2456 | services@sb-resto.com