Mold Prevention

Do not open your windows, regardless of whether heating or cooling systems are operating. Doing so will cause condensation and may contribute to mold growth. Plase see our HVAC Instructions page for more information about HVAC systems in UVA housing.

Do not leave wet or damp clothes, towels, or shoes in closets. Hang these items on towel racks or place them on drying racks until they are completely dry.

Do not place potted plants, or any other source of moisture, on or around heating and cooling units.

Do not place anything in front of your heating or cooling unit. Doing so blocks the airflow from the unit and makes mold growth in your housing more likely.

Many housing areas operate on fixed systems, which only cool or heat, with the University making an informed decision about switching from one system to the other. If you live in an undergraduate apartment or graduate housing, you may have the ability to regulate your air-conditioner settings. Please see our HVAC Instructions page for more information about which system is in your housing, and recommended settings.

If your housing contains a room thermostat, do not place heat-generating appliances directly underneath it.

Small amounts of mold can be easily cleaned with a general household cleaner. Maintain good housekeeping practices, including cleaning your room, bed linens, clothing, and towels on a regular basis. Please see our Cleaning Tips page for suggestions on how, and how often, to clean your housing.

• If you believe there is a mold or mildew issue in your room that is pervasive or resistant to removal, please report it by submitting a work order with Facilities Management (FM).
• Providing complete and accurate information is critical in FM’s response to issues in residential buildings. When submitting a work request, be sure to include the room number, location in the room, and other details surrounding your concern.

• FM’s customer service team centrally receives all work requests. After review and the inclusion of additional information if needed, the work request routes to the correct FM shop by location and trade.
• Shop supervisors assign personnel to address the work, prioritizing projects by urgency. Critical incidents like fires and floods are prioritized above routine maintenance like a burned-out lightbulb or a loose floor tile.
• A technician responds to the work request, becoming familiar with the issues, identifying needed resources to resolve them, and then performing the required work. FM strives to share specific details and progress if non-routine conditions require additional communications.

• Upon confirmation of mold and/or mildew, FM works to identify and eliminate the source of moisture and to disinfect the impacted surfaces.
• When the cause of moisture is due to a building system failure, FM repairs the deficiency to prevent mold/mildew growth recurrence.
• When the cause of moisture is not due to a building system failure, FM communicate these findings to Housing & Residence Life and/or the resident. Often, the resident needs to alter belongings in their housing or behaviors.
• When a condition is indeterminate, UVA Environmental Health & Safety is contacted for consultation.
• FM’s customer service team centrally receives all work requests. After review and the inclusion of additional information if needed, the work request routes to the correct FM shop by location and trade.

• The University follows policy SEC-023 for mold management. This policy is in place to help prevent microbial growth in University spaces and to inform next steps when a water leak or large amounts of mold are discovered.

• Out of the thousands of residences on Grounds, residents report only a handful of potential mold conditions each year.
  • Each report is tracked and investigated by FM.
  • About 10% of the reported residences have mold present, as opposed to dust or debris misidentified as mold in the service request.
  • In most cases where small amounts of mold are found, remediation involves changing behaviors (not leaving wet laundry in closets, not opening windows while the air conditioning is running, not obstructing HVAC vents, etc.).
  • In some isolated cases, a concealed plumbing leak or stopped-up drain is undiscovered and unreported until a small amount of mold is visible. In these instances, corrective action is taken to resolve the facility condition to prevent recurrence.
• Due mainly to the proper design and professional maintenance of our buildings, no systemic issues related to mold conditions have been discovered.