Summer in Columbus is a time for family vacations, Jeni’s ice cream, pool days, and plenty of hot, humid weather. Those humid days, unfortunately, often come with afternoon thundershowers — creating ideal conditions for toxic mold growth.

Left unattended, mold can cause damage to your building or, worse, pose a threat to the health of your associates. According to the Washington Post, mold can lay dormant until it gets the needed heat, humidity, and food source, such as dust and debris, to grow and multiply.

“While not everyone will react to this growth in the same way, those sensitive to allergic or toxic mold can develop alarming symptoms upon merely entering a contaminated room. The result can be a serious — even life-threatening — illness if not treated in time,” says the Washington Post.

To ensure this doesn’t happen to your associates it’s important to take some preventative measures to stop mold from growing.

Here are 5 ways to prevent summer mold from growing in your workplace:

1. Use the air conditioner on hot days.

Mold grows best between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, so keep the indoor temperature lower than that if you can.

2. Keep air flowing.

Stagnant air breeds mold. Keeping air circulating throughout your workplace will help prevent mold from growing.

3. Remove any condensation.

Mold thrives on surfaces with condensation such as windows, metal pipes, and concrete walls. Wipe away any condensation as quickly as possible. To help prevent condensation, consider investing in a dehumidifier and set it to keep the moisture level below 60 percent.

4. Clean up dust and dirt.

It has been found that about 80% of household mold grows on dust. This makes it incredibly important to ensure your cleaning crew dusts and vacuums your entire workplace regularly. We recommend they use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to reduce the spread of allergens as they vacuum. In addition, consider having any carpet and upholstery professionally cleaned several times a year to remove dust and allergens vacuuming will miss.

For best practices on dusting, read How to Dust Your Office in 4 Easy Ways.

5. Lastly, and most important, keep your workplace clean.

The number one thing mold needs to grow is moisture. Once it has this, it can easily grow on a number of surfaces. Regular cleaning can be instrumental in controlling moisture and preventing mold from growing.