APR-JUN 2026

A to Z Air Quality (APR-JUN 2026 Newsletter) Don’t Let Mold Move Indoors This Spring

Indoor Air Quality isn’t the first topic we think about as the weather warms in SE Michigan. While the time we spend living indoors statistically lessens as it gets warmer, the wet spring season and potential water events (in basements or crawlspaces) or simply higher indoor relative humidity (>60%) encourages mold to grow.  Also, be aware that the seasonal switch from heating to cooling presents shifts in how we manage our indoor environment. Take a moment to make changes, replace filters while building strategies to improve your indoor health and wellness. Consider how your cooling system needs a tune up and whether it’s time to clean your air ducts.

When condensation of water occurs on window frames, you can develop an unhealthy amount of mold, often creating little black dots on wood or even metal sills (as spores accumulate along with dust/pollen/bacteria).  You may have wet ground around your home and mold spores starting outside gradually accumulate around those openings. Some of our outside walls have a green or black tint to them; that is often caused by mold. So indoors you should keep your relative humidity dryer in the warmer months. For mold growth relative humidity above 60% and warm temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit represents a great opportunity to start accumulating. With corresponding bacteria, pollen, pet dander and dust, you have a great recipe for a mold invasion.    

Remember- Avoid being a Petri Dish: Cardboard boxes don’t belong on the floor in basements, crawlspaces or attic flooring because moisture in those circumstances encourages mold to grow quickly and once established that mold can circulate throughout the indoor space. Basements are notorious for damp cardboard boxes becoming the petri dish for whole house contamination with mold conditions easily exceeding outside mold profiles. Damp organic materials will collect and sustain mold. Even if you dry those damp materials, you’ll not eliminate the mold they contain. The mold can remain dormant for a long time…waiting to be activated by new moisture to start growing again.   

The Department of War (DoW) – goes to war on privatized and military housing over indoor air quality.  The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2026 has 14 plus mentions of mold or microbial contamination that affects health and safety of the occupants in that housing. For us everyday citizens, the key points you might ponder are: your loved ones serving in the military deserve better and congress agrees; the military is often a catalyst toward codes and standards which the NDAA supports (and Federal Gov standardization is lacking); tool, protocols and technologies will be vetted and available in the market place as DoW finds the right combinations to improve our soldiers and their families living conditions.

This Occupational Safety and Health Administration website contains bulletins that are advisory in nature, informational content, and intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthy workplace. The same principles and knowledge apply to public and private spaces when describing such things as health and air quality. I recommend you visit the OSHA website as there are several downloadable documents and some videos if you want to get smart about mold and the potential it may affect your healthy indoor air environment. (https://www.osha.gov/mold) Grab their Quick Card as a reference

The National Organization of Remediators & Microbial Inspectors (NORMI) offers customers and professionals information and opportunities to know more about their circumstances while providing detailed information relating to finding solutions for testing, sanitization, remediation and continued healthy air quality solutions. Individuals may join NORMI and participate in a wide range of educational activities and find qualified professionals for assessments, guidance on sensitive individuals and mold remediation protocols that have been vetted for efficacy and efficiency. https://www.normi.org

Questions, call or write: atozairquality@gmail.com or harold.sanborn@yahoo.com (586)255-3374