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Mold Fact Sheet

Mold spores are everywhere and need moisture, food, and air to grow. A properly constructed home prevents moisture buildup to discourage mold growth. Controlling indoor moisture levels through ventilation and humidity control helps minimize mold. Cleaning with bleach can remove existing mold but not prevent new spores from growing if moisture sources remain. Finding and addressing moisture sources is key to stopping mold problems.

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47 views1 page

Mold Fact Sheet

Mold spores are everywhere and need moisture, food, and air to grow. A properly constructed home prevents moisture buildup to discourage mold growth. Controlling indoor moisture levels through ventilation and humidity control helps minimize mold. Cleaning with bleach can remove existing mold but not prevent new spores from growing if moisture sources remain. Finding and addressing moisture sources is key to stopping mold problems.

Uploaded by

Brandon Vieceli
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Fact Sheet

American Wood Council Engineered and Traditional Wood Products

Mold and Moisture in Homes

Mold. It’s all around us. We use mold to make cheese, process wine, and produce helpful drugs such as
penicillin. We also see unwanted mold in places such as damp basements. Mold even exists on human
bodies. So, one might ask, what’s causing the current questioning about mold? There’s no easy answer
to that question. However, there are some reasonably straightforward facts about how and when mold
might start to grow in or around your home.

Facts

FACT: Spores, the dormant form of mold, are in the air we breathe, the soil in our gardens, and in and
around virtually every part of our homes.

FACT: Mold spores will not actively colonize, or grow, without adequate supplies of food, air, and
moisture. In typical homes, the normal control of moisture levels prevents colonization of mold spores.

FACT: A properly constructed building envelope is designed to keep the inside of your home dry
(including the interior and concealed building spaces) to stop mold spores from becoming active. This
building envelope also insures that wood products quickly achieve and remain at a moisture level that will
not support mold growth.

FACT: Except for cases in which moisture is artificially introduced into the structure (for example, by
interior water leakage, unusually high interior humidity levels, or penetration of the building envelope),
mold will generally not become active in your home.

FACT: All mold spores can not be permanently eradicated by cleaning or disinfecting. While cleaning can
remove spores present at the time, it will generally not protect surfaces against mold spores that arrive
after cleaning.

FACT: Conditions that are sufficiently moist to support active mold colonization are also sufficiently moist
to degrade the materials in your home. For example, wood products may start to decay, metal products
may begin to rust, and other products may begin to deteriorate.

Techniques to minimize mold problems in your home

• Control build-up of moisture within your home. Install and use ventilating fans in kitchens and
bathrooms. Be sure that fan exhausts are ducted to the outside. Use dehumidifiers where
necessary, but don’t allow the dehumidifier to become a source of mold itself. Insulate any ducts
that pass through unheated attic or crawl spaces.

• If mold or mildew begin to grow in certain areas of your home, clean the areas with a weak
solution of water and bleach. Allow the area to dry as thoroughly as possible.

• If mold or mildew begin to grow in or on any part of your home, find the source of moisture
intrusion and stop it. If moisture intrusion has been occurring over time, hire a professional to
examine the structure to determine if any permanent damage has occurred.

Copyright  2001 American Forest & Paper Association, Inc. August 2001

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