Mold is bad for us, we all know that, but just what different kinds of mold are there? They have been around since before the time of Christ and yet some people do not think that they need to be taken seriously as a real health threat. It grows everywhere and its one purpose in the natural world is to decompose dead organic matter. It is in our homes and on our lawns, on our food and on our clothes. You cannot truly do anything to completely get rid of it, but what you can do is educate yourself about what kinds of mold there are, what they can do to you, and how you can get rid of them.
There are about three different categories that a mold is classified into: pathogenic, allergenic, and toxic. The line between pathogenic molds and toxic molds is a little difficult to discern, but the allergenic mold class is not as dangerous as the other two.
Allergenic molds can either cause allergies or make allergies that a person already has even worse. It can make such things as asthma and emphysema aggravated and more difficult to deal with. The very young and the elderly particularly have a problem with these molds, because their immune systems are not as strong as a healthy young or middle aged adult. Symptoms include typical allergy symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, skin rashes, and etcetera.
Toxic molds produce what are called mycotoxins and even though these kinds of molds are not as common as allergenic or even pathogenic molds, they are extremely dangerous. These molds can even cause the death of a person if the circumstances are extreme enough and while “toxic black mold” has become a common term used in the news, it is usually referring to Stachybotrys atra or some other variant of Stachybotrys. This mold is typically found on wet items, especially on wet paper or woods. This mold has also been known to cause a baby to bleed from the lungs.
Pathogenic molds are molds that tend to cause opportunistic infections in people, such as penicilliosis, which is the third most common opportunistic infection in HIV patients in southeast Asia. This is a serious problem and anyone with a weakened immune system is very much at risk for contracting this condition, even if you are simply traveling to the region for a few days.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
mold removal in Atlanta Georgia and
Water Damage Restoration companies.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Natural Born Mold Killers Can Save You From Chemical Exposure
While there are a lot of different commercial chemicals that are used to kill mold, a lot of people do not like to use a lot of household chemicals in their homes. There is a belief that the more we use chemicals in our daily lives, the more harm they will end up doing us and since there may be some truth to this, some people have found other ways to kill mold besides the cleaners that we find in department and grocery stores.
Three natural ingredients have been found to kill mold quite effectively, but two of them are quite expensive and one is, well… kind of stinky.
The most widely available and inexpensive of the three natural ways to kill mold is vinegar. It is by far the cheapest natural method and the most simple to use. Distilled white vinegar is the best kind to use because it has no color to it and there is no risk of discoloring anything you might put it on. Vinegar will reportedly kill around 82 percent of molds in your home. While it will not kill all kinds of mold, it will kill most of the kind that you find indoors and if it does not kill it, you will most assuredly know. All you have to do is put the mold into a spray bottle, spray it on the area of mold and if you can stand the smell, let it stay on the surface without rinsing it. The smell should go away after a few hours and the mold should have died soon after.
Another way to kill mold, even if it is a bit expensive, is tea tree oil. You can find this at most health food stores and it has a little more broad of a spectrum of fungi that it will get rid of than vinegar. Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up to blend the two and spray on anything that has mold on it. Do not rinse it off. This should make about two cups and it should last indefinitely.
The last way to do this is by using grapefruit seed extract. The advantage of this is that grapefruit seed extract has no smell to it. 20 drops of the extract and two cups of water in a spray bottle should do the trick. Follow the same directions for the tea tree oil.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Miami and
water damage restoration in atlanta companies.
Three natural ingredients have been found to kill mold quite effectively, but two of them are quite expensive and one is, well… kind of stinky.
The most widely available and inexpensive of the three natural ways to kill mold is vinegar. It is by far the cheapest natural method and the most simple to use. Distilled white vinegar is the best kind to use because it has no color to it and there is no risk of discoloring anything you might put it on. Vinegar will reportedly kill around 82 percent of molds in your home. While it will not kill all kinds of mold, it will kill most of the kind that you find indoors and if it does not kill it, you will most assuredly know. All you have to do is put the mold into a spray bottle, spray it on the area of mold and if you can stand the smell, let it stay on the surface without rinsing it. The smell should go away after a few hours and the mold should have died soon after.
Another way to kill mold, even if it is a bit expensive, is tea tree oil. You can find this at most health food stores and it has a little more broad of a spectrum of fungi that it will get rid of than vinegar. Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up to blend the two and spray on anything that has mold on it. Do not rinse it off. This should make about two cups and it should last indefinitely.
The last way to do this is by using grapefruit seed extract. The advantage of this is that grapefruit seed extract has no smell to it. 20 drops of the extract and two cups of water in a spray bottle should do the trick. Follow the same directions for the tea tree oil.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Miami and
water damage restoration in atlanta companies.
The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Mold
If you are a new homeowner or even an old one that is just wanting to do a little studying on what this whole concern about mold is that you have been hearing about on the news and in magazines, then there are a few basic things that you need to know about mold
What causes mold to grow?
Well, mold requires a few different things to grow and these are nutrients, air, and moisture. Molds can grow in cooler temperatures down to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and up to even around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets cooler than 40 F, most molds will become simply dormant and cease growing. They are hard to kill by change in temperature alone. Temperatures above 100 F have been reported to kill mold and its spores, but the exact temperatures that are needed to kill specific species of mold are uncertain.
How does mold get into your house?
The truth is that mold is always in your home, but it only grows there when conditions are favorable. Spilled water on carpet that is never cleaned up, condensation on windows or water pipes is a sign of high humidity that helps mold grow, as well, and even something as seemingly harmless as packing your clothes too tightly in the closet can cause mold problems.
Do harmful molds exist?
Yes! While there are only a few different kinds of mold that cause human health issues compared to the thousands of different varieties of mold there are in the world, mold growing in your home can be a serious health risk.
Does mold cause health issues in everyone? Are they always the same?
No, mold does not typically affect one person the same as another. One person might be allergic to the mold growing in the home and another may not. Some molds can cause infections that are serious enough to see a doctor for and some can cause brain damage, miscarriages, birth defects, and in some cases, even death.
What can I do to prevent mold growth in my house or business?
There are a lot of things that you can do to prevent mold from growing both on the constructed parts of your home and the items that you have inside it, such as furniture, clothes, and etcetera. There are numerous articles online to help you in preventing mold from growing, but the general consensus is to not have a high level of humidity in any area of your home, such as in a bathroom that does not have a vent to allow steam to exit the room while bathing. A similar vent should be installed in the kitchen near the stove.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Miami water Damage companies.
What causes mold to grow?
Well, mold requires a few different things to grow and these are nutrients, air, and moisture. Molds can grow in cooler temperatures down to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and up to even around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets cooler than 40 F, most molds will become simply dormant and cease growing. They are hard to kill by change in temperature alone. Temperatures above 100 F have been reported to kill mold and its spores, but the exact temperatures that are needed to kill specific species of mold are uncertain.
How does mold get into your house?
The truth is that mold is always in your home, but it only grows there when conditions are favorable. Spilled water on carpet that is never cleaned up, condensation on windows or water pipes is a sign of high humidity that helps mold grow, as well, and even something as seemingly harmless as packing your clothes too tightly in the closet can cause mold problems.
Do harmful molds exist?
Yes! While there are only a few different kinds of mold that cause human health issues compared to the thousands of different varieties of mold there are in the world, mold growing in your home can be a serious health risk.
Does mold cause health issues in everyone? Are they always the same?
No, mold does not typically affect one person the same as another. One person might be allergic to the mold growing in the home and another may not. Some molds can cause infections that are serious enough to see a doctor for and some can cause brain damage, miscarriages, birth defects, and in some cases, even death.
What can I do to prevent mold growth in my house or business?
There are a lot of things that you can do to prevent mold from growing both on the constructed parts of your home and the items that you have inside it, such as furniture, clothes, and etcetera. There are numerous articles online to help you in preventing mold from growing, but the general consensus is to not have a high level of humidity in any area of your home, such as in a bathroom that does not have a vent to allow steam to exit the room while bathing. A similar vent should be installed in the kitchen near the stove.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Miami water Damage companies.
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