"Mold" and "mildew" get used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but they're not the same thing — and knowing which one you're looking at changes how seriously you should treat it.
Mildew is a surface-level fungal growth, usually white, gray, or light yellow, that grows flat rather than fuzzy or raised. It's common in damp bathrooms, on shower grout, and on plant leaves, and it's generally easy to wipe away with standard cleaning products since it doesn't penetrate the surface it's growing on.
Black mold (often referring to Stachybotrys chartarum, though other dark-colored molds get lumped into the term) tends to be darker — black, dark green, or deep brown — and often has a slimy or fuzzy texture rather than mildew's flat appearance. Unlike mildew, mold can grow into porous materials like drywall, wood, and carpet padding, not just sit on the surface.
Mildew is a nuisance you can usually clean yourself. Mold that's established itself in a porous material is a different problem — surface cleaning won't remove what's growing inside the material, and disturbing it without containment can spread spores into the air. Treating an actual mold problem like a mildew problem often just delays dealing with it properly.
Texture is one clue: mildew stays flat, mold often looks raised, fuzzy, or slimy. Color is another: mildew tends toward white or gray, mold toward black or dark green. Location matters too — mildew shows up almost exclusively in consistently damp spots like shower grout, while mold can turn up anywhere there's been sustained moisture, including inside walls.
If cleaning doesn't fully remove what you're seeing, if it keeps coming back in the same spot, or if it's on a porous surface like drywall or wood rather than tile or grout, it's worth having it assessed rather than assuming it's just mildew.
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