As historic floods hit western Washington, many residents are returning home to find significant water damage.
If local officials say it is safe to return, there are a number of necessary steps to ensure you and your family’s safety, including assessing for mold in your home.
Mold can be hazardous to your health and can cause lasting damage in your home if not addressed.
The Washington Department of Health has listed steps you can take to identify, clean, and remove mold in your house:
- Assess the area of mold; if bigger than about 10 square feet, consider hiring a cleaning professional
- If it’s a small enough area to clean yourself, start by wearing protection, including gloves, goggles, and breathing protection.
- Seal the area off from the rest of your home, cover up vents and open windows to ventilate
- Scrub moldy surfaces first with a mild laundry detergent and warm water (optional: then wipe with 1/4 cup bleach to one gallon of water, wait 20 minutes and repeat)
- Lastly, clean with a borate-based detergent to prevent mold from growing again
Mold may be hidden behind wallpaper, ceiling tiles, or under floorboards.
Most household insurance policies do not cover damage from mold, while some may provide limited mold coverage based on your policy, according to the Washington Insurance Commission.
For local resources, contact your county health department, which can be found at the link here.
More information on mold:
- CDC: Mold, What to know
- EPA: Mold cleanup in your home
- WA Insurance Commission - Leaks, water damage and mold
©2025 Cox Media Group
