Mold prevention in shared homesnear Frontier Village

The EPA's advice is to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours. ^[1] In a detached house, you control this. In an apartment or townhome, you may be waiting for a neighbor to get home, for a manager to find a key or for an owner to approve a contractor. Meanwhile, the wall is wet. That delay is the single biggest mold risk in attached housing, so everything you can do to speed it up is worthwhile.

Report it immediately, in writing, with a time and a photo. Say that it needs drying within a day or two and refer to the EPA's guidance. A polite, dated message tends to move things along faster than a phone call alone, and it gives you a record. Our main mold prevention page covers what to do with the wet materials themselves. This page deals with the parts that are different when you share walls.

Small rooms concentrate moisture. Cooking, showers and laundry release a lot of water into a limited space, and apartments may have fewer windows and older fans. After a leak, this everyday humidity is added to what you already have. Run the bath fan during showers and for a while after. Use a kitchen fan that vents outside, if you have one. Avoid drying laundry on racks for now, or run a dehumidifier when you do. Move furniture a few inches from outside walls, and empty closets on those walls so that air can reach them.

Use a small hygrometer to keep an eye on things, and aim for below 60 percent, as the EPA suggests. If your humidity stays high even with fans running, or the bath fan barely moves air, report it. A failed fan is a building issue, and fixing it can help prevent problems in the future as well. A record of readings helps you explain the problem, especially if the numbers are high every day.

Renters are often in a difficult position, since the moisture source may be outside their control. Tell your landlord in writing as soon as you see water or mold. Do not paint over it, as the EPA notes paint over mold is likely to peel, and it hides what is happening. You can gently clean a small area of mold on a hard surface if you have no health concerns, but report it first so nobody thinks that you caused or hid it.

Washington's Department of Health says sampling is usually unnecessary, since mold can normally be seen or smelled, and it is often better to spend your energy on finding the moisture source. If anyone in the home has asthma or a weakened immune system, tell your landlord, and ask a doctor for advice. The EPA says people with these conditions should stay away from moldy sites. ^[3] Local tenant organizations can explain your rights under Washington law if you are not getting a response.

If you own a condominium or townhome, find out who is responsible for what in your documents, and find out whether repeated moisture is a building issue. A stain that returns on the same wall each winter, or a corner that keeps getting moldy, may point to a roof, siding or plumbing problem in a common area, and only the association can deal with that. Keep a dated list of each event and photographs. When several owners report the same thing, that is usually enough to justify an investigation.

Washington has no specific certification requirements for mold or water damage work, the Department of Health says, and the title of mold remediation specialist proves nothing by itself. ^[5] So ask about training, and confirm that any contractor is licensed, bonded and insured, using the Washington L&I Verify tool. ^[7] The department also points out that the IICRC offers training and certification. This can be a useful question for an association choosing a firm.