Mold and Mildew Prevention

Mold is a naturally occurring fungus that is generally considered an indoor air allergen similar to pollen, animal dander, dust, and dust mites. Mold produces tiny spores, which act similarly as seeds to plants, to spread the growth of the mold colony. Molds are microorganisms that are found virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors.

There are thousands of species of mold, most of which occur naturally outside and have some spores present within buildings. Mold is typically white, green, black, yellow, brown, or orange. The texture can vary between appearing like powder, cotton, velvet, or tar-like.

Although there are thousands of different species of molds, when media and news sources refer to “black mold,” they are generally referring to a specific type of mold called Stachybotrys chartarum. This type of mold has shown to produce adverse health effects. It is extremely rare to find black mold indoors.

Stachybotrys has a greenish-black color and often has a shiny sheen on its surface. It only occurs in areas where there is a constant water source. It typically grows on materials with a high cellulose content, such as fiberboard, gypsum board (drywall), and paper. It is not commonly found on hard, non-porous surfaces such as ceramic, aluminum, sheet metal (vents), etc.

Many types of common molds are dark brown or black in color. Some can produce adverse health effects; others may cause no effects at all. No matter the type, visible mold inside a building is unacceptable and should be remediated.

Molds can be found almost anywhere; they can grow on virtually any organic substance, as long as moisture and oxygen are present. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, foods, and insulation. When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or unaddressed. It is impossible to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment.

• Report any water problems (leaks behind a toilet or under sinks, dripping faucets, wet carpet, leak from a ceiling, etc.) immediately by submitting a work order by clicking HERE.
• Set the air conditioning thermostat between 68 and 72 degrees and run the fan on auto to reduce the amount of condensation on or around windows and to maintain proper airflow.
• Keep room air vents (where applicable) in all areas open and unobstructed to maintain proper airflow.
• Open window if room feels stuffy. When choosing to do this, keep in mind the relative humidity level outdoors. If high (above 60%), introducing the excessive moisture into the space will support mold growth.  
• Routinely clean bathroom areas (students living in suites), including the shower curtain liner, with bathroom cleaner to prevent the growth of soap scum which is an excellent food source for mold. Always follow the directions and read all precautions before using any cleaning product.
• If a bath exhaust fan is provided in your living space, be sure to turn the fan on when showering. After your shower, keep the shower door closed and the fan running for an extra 10 to 15 minutes to remove excess moisture from the air.
• Do not hang towels (or any other wet items) to dry between your mattress and bed frame. This can cause mold growth on the bottom of your mattress.
• Follow good housekeeping practices, i.e. vacuum floors, wipe down counters, clean up spills quickly, thoroughly clean refrigerators including wiping the doors, etc., to help reduce the number of food sources for mold growth.

• Campus Operations provides routine maintenance of all buildings and carefully maintains the cooling and heating systems. This includes cleaning, maintaining, replacing filters, and repairing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment.
• Trained custodians clean residence halls before the beginning of every academic year and when a room becomes completely vacant. They also routinely clean other buildings and spaces on campus. 
• Any time there are concerns about the level of moisture in a space (typically seasonal), Campus Operations will investigate and offer solutions to mitigate.
• Residence Life staff complete inspections to ensure that each room meets health and safety standards. Finding visible mold during these inspections is extremely rare, but if any mold or mildew growth is suspected, it is reported and remediated in a timely manner.

Submit work order by clicking HERE. If you need more immediate attention, you can call Campus Operations at 419-372-2251.

The university follows guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when conducting mold investigations. This entails performing a thorough visual inspection of the suspect area and/or building.

The visual inspection consists of:

1. Identifying any visible mold.
2. Identifying areas of water intrusion, water leaks, or water-damaged building products.
3. Taking environmental readings such as relative humidity and temperature.
4. Taking moisture readings of building products as appropriate.
5. Checking areas for musty or moldy odors.

The university does not perform air sampling during mold investigations because it is not considered an effective way to determine if a mold problem exists according to these federal agencies. This is due to the unpredictable nature of biological activity, variability in sampling, and difficulty with data interpretation. Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable, or even normal quantity of airborne mold have not been established.

The use of petri dish style do-it-yourself home mold test kits is a topic that occasionally comes up during a mold investigation. These test kits are widely available online or in places like hardware stores and grocery stores. The kits consist of opening a petri dish containing growth media for a period of time and then sending it to a laboratory for analysis. These kits are not considered a credible method for assessing indoor air quality and are not recognized by reputable indoor air quality professionals.

Most investigations result in no mold problems found. In rare cases, the university may employ the services of a third-party environmental consultant for an additional opinion.

In some cases, mold growth is due to poor cleaning habits and are the responsibility of occupants. In residence halls, examples include:

Microfridges - Students are responsible for maintaining and cleaning these units. In particular, students should leave adequate time between defrosting and leaving for breaks to ensure units are properly wiped out. Failure to adequately maintain these units with regular cleaning can result in mold growth inside or outside of the unit. 

Bathroom/shower areas of suites – University custodians maintain and regularly clean all common bathroom and shower areas in traditional residence halls. The cleaning of shower and bathroom areas in suites is the joint responsibility of the students who live together in these units.

For other areas of campus, this is limited to personal items such as humidifiers/dehumidifiers, personal and departmental appliances, water pitchers or 3^rd party water dispensing units, or anything else personal in nature where the presence of growth was more a result of neglect or personal choices.  

Mold is present in the indoor and outdoor air and on surfaces all around us each day. It requires moisture and a food source to colonize mold. The university does not routinely conduct air sampling for mold and instead follows federal agency guidance:

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): "Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable, or normal quantity of mold have not been established" and "You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold is present, you should remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk." (https://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary. Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building's compliance with federal mold standards.” (https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-testing-or-sampling)