Mold & Moisture Control

The daily habits

• Bath fan on during every shower — and leave it running 20 minutes after. No fan? Crack the window, even in winter, even for ten minutes.
• Lids on pots when cooking, and run the range fan if you have one.
• Don't dry laundry on radiators or drape it around the unit — that water has to go somewhere, and it picks your windows and walls.
• Keep big furniture a few inches off exterior walls so air can move behind it.

Winter condensation (the old-window special)

Cold glass plus indoor humidity equals fog and puddles on the sills. Wipe sills when you see standing water, keep blinds cracked so air reaches the glass, and go easy on humidifiers — if the windows are dripping, the air's already full. Constantly soaked sills or black spotting on the sash are worth a work order.

Clean it or report it?

• Clean it: pink or gray film on tile grout and caulk — ordinary bathroom mildew. Any bathroom cleaner and a brush handles it as part of normal housekeeping.
• Report it: mold on walls, ceilings, or window frames; a musty smell that doesn't leave; anything that comes back within days of cleaning; or any mold bigger than a dinner plate. Those mean there's a moisture source — a leak, a failed seal, a ventilation problem — and finding the source is our job. Scrubbing the symptom just resets the clock.

Report water immediately

Every mold problem starts as a water problem. Leaks, ceiling stains, damp basement corners — report them the day you spot them (the lease expects immediate notice on leaks, and the water leak guide covers the urgent version). Quick reporting is also what keeps the cost on our side of the ledger instead of yours.