Housing Hype: Mold is a health risk in your home

Mold — A health risk in your home

The health and safety of our residents is a top concern for the KMC Housing Office.  Our commitment to you is to provide our housing residents with a safe living environment.  In Germany, mold can often be found both indoors and outdoors. Mold can enter your home through open doorways, windows, vents, and heating and air conditioning systems.  The catalyst that all mold needs is moisture.  As such, you are most likely to encounter mold in damp places such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, and crawl spaces.

Identifying the presence of mold early is critical.  Often, it will appear as fuzz or dust on surfaces.  Even hard surfaces, such as dressers, appliances, and shelves can develop mold.  Be sure to inspect vertical surfaces (walls, sides of dressers, etc.) when cleaning for mold. Also, musty odors may be an indication of mold and should be followed by thorough visual inspection and confirmation. Unfortunately, and too often, mold is left unattended and it flourishes and spreads before anything is done to remove it.

So, what can you do?

Prevention is the easiest way to control mold. Routine cleaning will eliminate mold and keep it from spreading to other areas.

What do I do if I have mold in my house?

If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present.  You can take steps to prevent mold growth in your home, and once found, take aggressive actions to eliminate it.

If living on-base and you suspect a maintenance issue, you can call the MFH maintenance contractor (Vectrus 06371 463 9510). If you live off-base, you should immediately talk with your landlord if you have any unusual condition in your home.

For more information on mold, we recommend that you go to the on-line link for the Environmental Protection Agency at: https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home

Contact HRO:

DSN: 489-6643/6659

Commercial: 0631-536-6643/6659

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