Mold and moisture: what to watch for

You'll need

• Detergent and water, and a scrub brush
• Rubber or nitrile gloves, and goggles without vent holes
• A humidity meter ($10–$50 at hardware stores), if you want to measure

What to know

1. Look and sniff. Mold can be spots of many colors, and it can smell musty. If you see or smell it, remove it (CDC).
2. Find the water. Mold grows around leaks in roofs, windows and pipes, and where there's been flooding (CDC). Fix the leak or tell your landlord, because cleaning without fixing the water problem usually means the mold comes back (EPA).
3. Dry wet things fast. If damp materials dry within 24 to 48 hours of a leak or spill, in most cases mold won't grow (EPA).
4. Clean small spots yourself. If the moldy area is under about 10 square feet, scrub hard surfaces with detergent and water, then dry them completely. Wear gloves and goggles (EPA).
5. Keep it from coming back. Keep indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50 percent. In the bathroom, running a fan or opening a window and cleaning more often usually keeps mold down (EPA).

If it doesn't work

• Bigger than 10 square feet, or after a lot of water damage? That's beyond a DIY job. Tell your landlord in writing (EPA). See Your rights as a tenant.
• Moldy carpet or ceiling tiles? Absorbent materials may have to be thrown away, because mold can be hard or impossible to remove from them (EPA).
• Mold keeps coming back in the shower? Run the fan longer, or open a window, and clean more often (EPA).

Good to know