(Note: Mold guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Despite Colorado’s dry climate, mildew, a type of mold, can still grow on moist surfaces, including near leaky roofs, windows, pipes or in recently flooded areas. Mildew can also grow in poorly ventilated bathroom spaces.
Mildew can look like spots. It can be many different colors, and it can smell musty. If mildew is encountered, it should be cleaned up promptly, regardless of what type of mold. If mildew is growing in bathroom areas, residents need to clean up the mildew and fix the moisture problem by improving air flow by turning on the bathroom fan or cracking a door or window.
Mildew can be removed from hard surfaces with household products, soap and water or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup of household laundry bleach in 1 gallon of water. (Bleach wipes provide a convenient way to clean minor mildew issues.)
Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia or other cleaning products will produce a dangerous, poisonous gas. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection during cleanup of affected areas and open windows and doors to provide proper ventilation.
Prevention tips:
- Be sure the air in living spaces flows freely. Use exhaust fans that vent outside in the kitchen and bathroom. Make sure clothes dryers vent outside the home.
- Fix any leaks in roofs, walls or plumbing so mold does not have moisture to grow.
- Clean up and dry out a flooded area fully and quickly (within 24–48 hours).
- Add mold inhibitors to paints before painting, which are available at paint and home improvement stores.
- Clean bathrooms with mold-killing products.
- Remove or replace carpets and upholstery that have been soaked and cannot be dried right away. Think about not using carpet in places like bathrooms or basements that may have a lot of moisture.
If the mildew is a result of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning or pipe leak in Fort Carson buildings, submit a service order via the Army Maintenance Application (ArMA) online at https://www.armymaintenance.com/arma so the Fort Carson operations and maintenance contractor can repair the underlying cause of the mildew. Include detailed information with your service order submission.
For mildew issues in Fort Carson Family Homes, residents can call a maintenance request in to 719-579-1605.
Most mildew issues are a matter of properly cleaning the area. If, however, a Fort Carson facility has a larger-scale mildew/mold issue requiring evaluation, contact Evans Army Community Hospital (EACH) Industrial Hygiene Service at 719-526-8956 for workplace areas or EACH Environmental Health at 719-524-0730 or 719-526-7922 for living spaces.
For more detailed information about mold prevention, see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s pamphlet “A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home” at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-10/documents/moldguide12.pdf.
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