Visible mold. Do not disturb it
Gas smell, sparking, or anyone hurt: leave and call 911.
How to avoid spreading visible mold and limit your contact with it until a professional can look at it.
Before you start
- If anyone has trouble breathing, leave the area and call 911.
- People with asthma, allergies, or weak immune systems, and young children, should stay out of the room.
- If the mold came from sewage or flood water, stay out and call a professional.
- If the moisture source is near outlets or the electrical panel, do not touch it. Call an electrician.
Steps
- Do not touch the mold or moldy items with bare hands.
- Do not scrub, sand, scrape or dry-brush it. Do not paint over it.
- Do not point fans at the mold. Moving air can spread it to other rooms.
- Do not run the heating or cooling system if mold is in or near a vent.
- Close the door to the room and keep people and pets out.
- If a leak is feeding the mold and you can reach a shutoff valve safely, turn the water off. If not, call a plumber.
- Take photos from a few steps back, without touching or moving anything.
- Call a professional with mold cleanup experience to look at it.
After
- Write down the date you found the mold and where it is.
- Call your insurance carrier using its own number. Ask how to report it.
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Script version 4521743291b4 · approved 2026-10-22