The highest priority for the University of Oklahoma Housing Team is the health and comfort of our residents. Residents can play an important role in preventing environmental issues by maintaining recommended cleanliness standards for rooms and actively reporting suspected equipment failures or environmental issues.
Housing Operations often receives inquiries about the air quality inside residential buildings. Oklahoma’s climate brings consistently high moisture levels, especially in summer. This makes humidity control inside large, densely populated residential buildings more of a challenge to control. Air quality inside buildings is directly affected by outdoor air quality, humidity and all the allergens that may come with it. Even with these challenges, the University of Oklahoma is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy living environment for all our residents.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, molds are fungi – natural substances – that are found indoors and outdoors and can only be controlled, not eliminated. There are an estimated 10,000+ kinds of mold. Molds grow best in warm, damp, and humid conditions, and spread and reproduce by making spores. They produce allergens and irritants that may have immediate or delayed symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and/or rashes. People with asthma who are allergic to mold may experience asthma attacks if exposed to molds.
If you suspect you have issues in your room such as mold/mildew, high humidity, AC failures, moisture, or other general maintenance needs— submit a work order. Housing Facilities Maintenance staff will respond as soon as possible.
If you see suspected mold or moisture collecting anywhere inside your space, clean and dry the surface immediately. If wet or damp materials or areas are dried 24-48 hours after a leak or spill happens, in most cases mold will not grow. Continue to monitor areas of concern to keep them dry.
If you notice standing water, leaks or notice moisture continuing to accumulate on hard surfaces in your space, submit a maintenance ticket through fixit.ou.edu immediately so our teams can investigate leaks or other mechanical issues that may be contributing to moisture in your space. When completing a maintenance request, please include the information below:
Places that are often or always damp (like bathrooms and showers) can be hard to maintain completely free of mold. This is especially true with multiple residents taking showers each day. If there's some mold in the shower or elsewhere in the bathroom that seems to reappear, increasing ventilation by running a fan, keeping bathroom doors open and cleaning more frequently will usually prevent mold from recurring, or at least keep the mold to a minimum.
According to both the CDC and EPA, it is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors. Airborne mold can be reduced by controlling humidity and moisture indoors.
Residents are encouraged to obtain and use a household dehumidifier to reduce humidity in their space. Dehumidifier tanks must be emptied regularly to effectively remove moisture from the space. For residents who may have increased sensitivities to mold or other allergens, OU Housing Operations recommends resident obtain and use a household air purifier to reduce allergens in their space.
Surface mold will only grow where there is high humidity, limited airflow and where moisture is present. Surface mold should be wiped clean and dried immediately as it cannot grow on surfaces if moisture is not present.
Surface Mold Cleaning Tips:
University of Oklahoma Housing Operations mold response aligns with best practices established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).
When we receive a maintenance request concerning mold, our fully trained housekeeping and maintenance staff will complete the following work in your space:
OU Housing Operations adheres to the guidance and best practices established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the identification and management of indoor mold. These authorities emphasize that airborne mold counts are highly variable and influenced by factors such as weather conditions, HVAC system operation and occupant activity. As such, air sampling cannot determine the source of moisture or whether visible mold growth is active or dormant.
In alignment with these standards, OU Housing Operations prioritizes visual inspection and moisture assessment as the primary methods for identifying and resolving mold-related issues. Moisture is the underlying cause of visible mold growth, and addressing it is essential to effective remediation. Air sampling may be used as a supplementary tool only when visual and moisture assessments are inconclusive.
There are currently no federal standards that define acceptable levels of mold or mold spores in indoor environments. Therefore, air quality testing cannot be used to determine compliance with any federal mold regulations.
Residents should not rely on DIY mold test kits for assessing indoor mold conditions. These kits can be misleading and are not considered a reliable diagnostic tool for mold-related issues. DIY kits often detect mold spores without providing the necessary context, as mold spores are naturally present in both indoor and outdoor environments. Furthermore, DIY kits cannot identify the source of moisture, which is the underlying cause of mold growth. Without professional interpretation, results may be misread as problematic when they are within normal ranges.
There are no federal standards defining acceptable indoor mold levels, and DIY kits may suggest thresholds that are not based on regulatory guidance. This can result in a false sense of security or unnecessary alarm, delaying proper inspection and remediation.
OU Housing Operations follows best practices established by the EPA, CDC, AIHA and ASHRAE, which emphasize visual inspection and moisture assessment as the primary methods for identifying and resolving mold issues. Air sampling is used only when visual and moisture assessments are inconclusive. For these reasons, DIY mold test kits are not used or recommended by OU Housing Operations.
(405) 325-2511
housinginfo@ou.edu
(405) 325-4421
Maintenance Request
(405) 325-4611
healthservices@ou.edu
