Health News Share Email Print This mold house Reviewed 10/11/2023 This Mold House Stop mold growth in your home Mold spores will grow wherever they can find moisture. Select an area of the house to get some tips for keeping it mold-free. BATHROOM: Run an exhaust fan or open the window when showering. Clean the bathroom frequently. Scrub any mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water. Dry thoroughly. Fix leaky pipes as soon as possible. BEDROOM AND LIVING AREAS: Find and fix the cause of any water stains. Set furniture slightly away from the walls so air can pass freely. Check windows for leaks to avoid mold buildup on windowsills. KITCHEN: Use an exhaust fan while cooking or washing dishes. Clean up spills immediately. Fix leaky pipes as soon as possible. LAUNDRY ROOM: Vent the dryer to the outdoors. Fix leaky pipes as soon as possible. BASEMENT OR CRAWL SPACE: Put a plastic vapor barrier down over dirt in crawl spaces. Keep humidity in basements below 60%. Try using a dehumidifier. Fix leaky pipes as soon as possible. OUTDOORS: Clean and repair gutters regularly. Make sure the ground slopes away from the house so water doesn’t collect around the foundation. Take this quiz to learn the truth about household mold. Sources American Industrial Hygiene Association. "Facts About Mold: A Consumer Focus." https://aiha-assets.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/AIHA/resources/Facts-About-Mold-A-Consumer-Focus-Fact-Sheet.pdf. Environmental Protection Agency. "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home." https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home. Environmental Protection Agency. "Text Version of the Mold House Tour." https://www.epa.gov/mold/text-version-mold-house-tour. Environmental Protection Agency. "What are the main ways to control moisture in your home?" https://www.epa.gov/mold/what-are-main-ways-control-moisture-your-home. Related stories Health information main Health tools go Select a health topic ADHD Aging Alcohol use disorder Allergies Alternative medicine Alzheimer's disease Arthritis Asthma Babies Backs Bladder Bones Brain Breast cancer Cancer Cancer prevention Caregiving Cervical cancer Children and parenting Cholesterol Colds Colorectal cancer Coronavirus Dental care Depression Diabetes Disaster preparedness Down syndrome Ears Eating disorders Emergencies End of life/Palliative care Environmental health Epilepsy Eyes Fall prevention Family and relationships Feet Fitness and exercise Flu Food safety Hair Headache Health assessments Health calculators Healthcare Heart attack Heart health Hepatitis Hernia High blood pressure Hips HIV/AIDS Holiday health Hormones Imaging Incontinence Joints Kidneys Knees Leukemia Liver Lung cancer Lungs Medications Men's health Menopause Mental health Multiple sclerosis Nails Nose Nutrition Obesity Oral cancer Ovaries Pain Parkinson's disease Pets Pneumonia Pregnancy Prostate cancer Rehabilitation Reproductive health Safety School health Sexuality Sexually transmitted infections Skin Skin cancer Sleep Smoking Sports injuries Stomach pain Stress and anxiety Stroke Substance use disorder Summer safety Surgery Teen health Throat Thyroid Travel Vaccines Vascular health Violence Vitamins and supplements Weight management Winter health Women's health Workplace health Wound care RSS If you have questions or comments, please contact Randolph Health. Problems reading or opening a page? Legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site.