How to Prevent Mold

Understanding Mold Prevention

While mold spores are all around us, mold growth can be prevented. Mold growing in your home requires three key elements: moisture, warmth, and food. Depriving mold of any of these three items will stop it from growing, but it will not kill the mold that is already there. Mold spores will remain dormant, and if the moisture, warmth and food all reappear, mold will begin to grow again.

The most important steps in controlling mold growth are to clean any existing mold and to eliminate excessive moisture. Here are effective prevention strategies:

Essential Mold Prevention Steps

• Vacuum and clean regularly to remove possible sources of mold growth. Pay special attention to bathrooms and other moisture-prone areas.
• Use area rugs or washable floor surfaces rather than wall-to-wall carpeting in moisture-prone areas. Launder area rugs periodically.
• Avoid storing paper, books, clothes, or other mold food sources in humid parts of your home.
• Repair water leaks in your roof, windows, or any other part of the home as soon as possible.
• Clean refrigerator drip pans regularly according to manufacturer's instructions. Check door seals and replace faulty gaskets.

Home Exterior and Moisture Management

• Keep gutters and downspouts clear of debris to ensure proper water flow from your roof.
• Ensure the area under downspouts is properly graded so rainwater flows away from your foundation.
• Grade areas around your foundation to direct rainwater away from the house.
• Position gardens and plants away from your foundation to prevent watering from causing water to flow toward your house.
• When using lawn sprinklers, ensure water doesn't hit your house or the area next to the foundation.

Indoor Humidity Control

• In kitchens and bathrooms, open windows or use exhaust fans during moisture-producing activities. Ensure fans vent outdoors, not to attics or crawl spaces.
• Verify clothes dryers are vented to the outdoors.
• Monitor humidifier usage to prevent excessive humidity. Aim for 60% relative humidity or lower in summer, and 40% or lower in winter.
• Consider using a dehumidifier in basements, which are often sources of moisture build-up.
• Ensure attics are properly insulated and ventilated.
• For homes with crawl spaces, cover the soil with waterproof polyethylene plastic. Close crawl space vents in summer and open them in winter.
• Address water problems in basements or crawl spaces immediately and resolve the source of the problem.