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In order to remove Penicillium or any other mold from one’s home, you need to identify where it is growing and then remediate infested materials. In some cases that is easily done (a moldy wall, shoes, stored materials in the basement, etc.) In other cases it may be difficult (Penicillium growing on floor joists in a high-humidity crawlspace).
Penicillium is one of the most common molds found indoors. Because it is so common, the source of it may not be easily identified. It particularly likes to grow in basements on stored materials such as boxes, paper sacks, fabrics, gypsum board wall facings and cellulose ceiling tiles.
One of the problems with Penicillium is that even a small infestation may produce an incredible number of spores leading to high measured airborne mold levels as well as significant human exposures. An infested spot 6 inches across can produce millions of spores.
The spores of Penicillium are relatively small (2-4 μm). As such they have low settling rates and tend to remain airborne for hours. It is probable that the reason that Penicillium is so commonly found in airborne samples is that it has a tendency of remaining airborne longer than the larger spores of other mold species.
Because Penicillium spores tend to remain airborne for extended periods, they are very amenable to removal from the air of your home by using a whole-house air cleaner. Such air cleaners are installed in the cold air return of your furnace-air conditioning system. Only multi-pleated filter models are recommended for air-cleaning purposes since they produce no ozone.
Air cleaner performance of up to 90% mold spore removal can be achieved by operating the furnace-air conditioning fan continuously.
