Mold and Moisture
A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
This Guide provides information and guidance for homeowners and renters on how to clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth.
Una Breve Guía para el Moho, la Humedad y su Hogar (PDF) (11 pp., 1.28 M, disponible en PDF). Documento de la agencia EPA número 402-K-03-008, reimprimido el 2010 de mayo.
Table of Contents
- Mold Basics
- Why is mold growing in my home?
- Can mold cause health problems?
- How do I get rid of mold?
- Mold Cleanup
- Who should do the cleanup?
- Mold Cleanup Guidelines
- What to Wear When Cleaning Moldy Areas
- How Do I Know When the Remediation or Cleanup is Finished?
- Moisture and Mold Prevention and Control Tips
- Actions that will help to reduce humidity
- Actions that will help prevent condensation
- Testing or sampling for mold
- Hidden Mold
- Cleanup and Biocides
We would like to thank Paul Ellringer, PE, CIH, for providing the photo of mold on the back of wallpaper in the Hidden Mold section. Should you like to use some of the photos used in this guide, higher quality print versions are available in the Mold Gallery. These photos may be used for presentations and educational purposes without contacting EPA.
Petrie dish showing mold growth
Please note that this document presents recommendations. EPA does not regulate mold or mold spores in indoor air.
Additional Resource
The publication, "Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings", is available in HTML and PDF (56 pp., 1.6 M) [EPA 402-K-01-001, reprinted September 2008]
Order publications from EPA's NSCEP. Use the EPA Document Number when ordering.