Renters and Mold: What You Clean vs. What Your Landlord Handles
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Quick answer: You can usually wipe small surface mold from shower grout or a window sill yourself. Leaks, water damage, mold larger than about 10 sq ft, mold inside walls or ducts, and anything after a flood or sewage backup are building problems: report them to your landlord right away, in writing (EPA). This is general guidance, not legal advice.
⚠ Safety first:
- Wear an N-95 respirator, gloves and goggles without vent holes; for plain detergent and water, household rubber gloves are fine, but use natural rubber, neoprene, nitrile, polyurethane or PVC gloves with bleach or strong cleaners (EPA).
- Ventilate: open windows and doors, and run a fan that exhausts to the outdoors (EPA; CDC).
- Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners; it makes a poisonous gas (CDC; EPA). If you use bleach, use no more than 1 cup of household laundry bleach in 1 gallon of water and follow the label (CDC).
- If you have asthma, allergies or other health concerns, talk to a health professional before cleaning, or have someone else do it (EPA).
Steps: easiest & free first
- Clean small surface moldFREE
Grout, caulk, sills and tile: scrub with detergent and water and dry (EPA). See bathroom mold and window sills. - Control your own moistureFREE
Run fans, keep humidity 30–50% (EPA). See prevention habits. - Report leaks and water damageFREE
EPA tells renters to report all plumbing leaks and moisture problems immediately to the building owner, manager or superintendent. Take photos and keep a dated copy. - Don’t tear into wallsFREE
Removing drywall or wallpaper can release a lot of spores (EPA); that’s the landlord’s job. - Escalate if it isn’t fixedPRO
If persistent water problems aren’t addressed, EPA says you may contact local, state or federal health or housing authorities, or your state health department. See renters: fix vs. call.
⚠ When to call a pro: the moldy area is larger than about 10 square feet (roughly a 3 ft by 3 ft patch) or there’s been a lot of water damage; you suspect mold inside walls, behind wallpaper or in the HVAC system (don’t run the HVAC if you suspect it’s contaminated); the water came from flooding, sewage or other contaminated water; or anyone in the home has health or breathing problems (EPA). Hire someone with mold cleanup experience and check references (EPA). Renting? See what you can fix vs. call your landlord.