Mold is a multi-cellular fungus, similar to mushrooms and yeast. Mold can be different colors, and look fuzzy, slimy, or powdery. It often has a musty odor when present in large amounts. Mold requires three things to grow: • water/moisture, • organic food source (paper, fabric, sheetrock, etc.), • proper temperature. The presence of mold means there is too much moisture. Moisture problems can be caused by: • plumbing leaks • leaking roofs or windows • high humidity • flooding • condensation due to poor ventilation or insulation It is impossible to ‘mold proof’ your house. However, you can manage mold growth by controlling indoor humidity levels and fixing water leakage problems. To prevent mold from coming back in the future, you must fix the underlying source of moisture.

Mold issues can sometimes be fixed by the property owner. However, if you are sensitive to mold, not interested in cleaning up the mold, or are not capable of cleaning the mold, you should hire mold professionals.

No, there is no cleanup requirement for property owners. However, if a property owner chooses to hire a mold professional, those professionals must follow the requirements of the law. Note: Rental property owners must still provide clean and sanitary living conditions to their tenants.

The Department of Labor makes sure that professionals who do mold assessments and remediation work have proper training, licenses and minimum work standards. Every mold cleanup project performed by professionals must follow these steps: 1. assessment, 2. remediation (clean up), 3. clearance. The law protects consumers by barring licensed mold companies and their employees from doing both the assessment and remediation on the same property. One mold company and their employees may do the initial and post-cleanup clearance assessments, but a different company and their employees must do the actual cleanup work.