Going through your house and looking for mold is something that every homeowner should do at least two or three times a year, especially since mold can start growing in as little as 48 hours after the spores land on something they like. Killing the mold is not the only problem you will have to deal with if you find it; removing the mold from the property is something else to be concerned with, since dead mold spores can still cause allergic reactions in some people. Depending on the severity of the allergy, these reactions can be a simple case of sneezing or as severe as requiring hospitalization. You can take antihistamines to help combat this, but no one should take medication if they do not have to.
There are a few places in your house that you need to inspect regularly for mold growth. These are areas of the house that naturally have a lot of moisture and these include the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and the basement.
The basement is somewhat humid because of its underground location, but there are things that you can do to add unnecessary humidity to it. Some people use the basement as a laundry room as well and this is fine, but you need to make sure that the dryer is properly vented to the outside of the house. Having an exhaust fan in the room will also help get rid of some of the excess moisture. One thing that you should really avoid doing at all costs is hanging up laundry to dry without proper ventilation.
The bathroom is one of the worst areas for mold in the house and this is generally due to flawed waterproofing. This could be cracked tiles on the floor, missing areas of grout or caulking, or mold growing on the ceiling because the humidity in the room is too high. This can be corrected by having an exhaust fan installed, just like in the basement. In fact, having these fans in all moist rooms of the home is recommended and the chances for mold growth will be greatly reduced.
Something to avoid having in the bathroom or another moist area of the home is carpet. Mold loves to grow in carpet and once the padding underneath it is contaminated, it has to be taken up and thrown away, because it cannot be cleaned.
The kitchen is another area where the floor and ceiling are the most at risk. Try to seal up and cracks in the flooring and make sure there is an exhaust system over the stove to get rid of steam before it hits the ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Hardwood Deck Waterproofing
Every homeowner who has the space to build one in would love to have a fresh hardwood porch or one in the back to barbecue on, but those of us who already have one want to do whatever we can to protect it from the elements. Over the years your deck will suffer from different forms of precipitation and natural damage and protecting it from these is a little more difficult than from the regular wear and tear of feet running across it. Rain will cause the deck to crack and warp over time, but sealing it water tight with a chemical that can be purchased at almost any hardware or home improvement store will protect it for years to come.
The easiest way to protect your deck is by waterproofing it with a deck sealant, but you can do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Doing it yourself is not very difficult and you should be able to manage fine, so this is great for anyone who is on a budget, but if money is not a concern to you and your time is, hiring someone else may be the way to go.
If your deck is newly constructed, then you will want to wait at least 30 days before doing anything like this to the surface of it, since new lumber needs time to adjust to your climate and get rid of any oils and moisture that may already be inside it. If you want to put a stain on the deck, this is probably a good time to do it, since the sealant will prevent the deck from soaking up most liquids.
Clean everything off of the deck and scrub it before you do anything else, whether it’s applying the stain or the sealant. It needs to be as free of furniture, dirt, and other debris as possible. You can purchase a deck cleaning solution from your local hardware, home improvement, or department store and apply it yourself with a pump sprayer. Scrub it with a stiff bristled brush to get it as clean as you can and rinse it off with your water hose when you get finished. It is starting to look better already!
Follow the instructions on the deck sealant and this should include using a sprayer or a roller to apply it to the surface of the wood. You need to let it dry for a few days before walking on it, so start from the end of the deck furthest from a good entrance and work your way back.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
The easiest way to protect your deck is by waterproofing it with a deck sealant, but you can do this yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Doing it yourself is not very difficult and you should be able to manage fine, so this is great for anyone who is on a budget, but if money is not a concern to you and your time is, hiring someone else may be the way to go.
If your deck is newly constructed, then you will want to wait at least 30 days before doing anything like this to the surface of it, since new lumber needs time to adjust to your climate and get rid of any oils and moisture that may already be inside it. If you want to put a stain on the deck, this is probably a good time to do it, since the sealant will prevent the deck from soaking up most liquids.
Clean everything off of the deck and scrub it before you do anything else, whether it’s applying the stain or the sealant. It needs to be as free of furniture, dirt, and other debris as possible. You can purchase a deck cleaning solution from your local hardware, home improvement, or department store and apply it yourself with a pump sprayer. Scrub it with a stiff bristled brush to get it as clean as you can and rinse it off with your water hose when you get finished. It is starting to look better already!
Follow the instructions on the deck sealant and this should include using a sprayer or a roller to apply it to the surface of the wood. You need to let it dry for a few days before walking on it, so start from the end of the deck furthest from a good entrance and work your way back.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Cleaning Up The Sewage From Your Home
Cleaning up the sewage in your home after it has been flooded is a pretty ugly experience, but unfortunately for some homeowners that live in parts of the United States where floods are common, it can be something that they have to go through at least once. While you can have a professional service clean up after the flood for you, you can save a substantial amount of money by doing a lot of it yourself. You can use this saved money to purchase new furniture, clothing, food, or anything else that you could need after the flood is over.
Flood waters can contain all kinds of things that can be hazardous to your health. This can include chemicals, sewage, soil, bacteria, viruses, and etcetera. These are things that you do not want to have in your home and doing your best to get them cleaned up, even if it means hiring a professional, is something you need to do. You need to purchase the protective equipment necessary to keep yourself from getting sick due to all the different things left behind by the water, but this will not be very much. You will need some latex gloves, a pair of plastic booties to cover your shoes, a roll of duct tape, and some disposable plastic coveralls. The duct tape will be used to cover the gaps between the gloves, the boots, and the suit so there is no way that the sewage can get to your skin.
There is not much that you can do to save all the furniture in your home after the flood is over. This is mainly upholstered furniture that has a lot of padding, though, so your wooden furniture should be fine. Padding in upholstered furniture will soak up the flood waters and everything that it contains, including soil, bacteria, and everything else. You can reupholster some items that have little padding and take this as an opportunity to replace fabrics that you do not care for any longer.
For the cleanup process, you will require at least two buckets, depending on whether you have someone help you clean up the rest of the house or not. Try to keep this at an even number, since you will need to work with the buckets in sets of two.
Take a mop and dip it into the bucket with the cleaning chemicals in it and begin scrubbing the floor. Scrub it thoroughly and dip the mop into the rinsing water. Do not put the mop back into the bucket with the cleaners until you rinse it first. You do not want to introduce sewage into the clean water.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Flood waters can contain all kinds of things that can be hazardous to your health. This can include chemicals, sewage, soil, bacteria, viruses, and etcetera. These are things that you do not want to have in your home and doing your best to get them cleaned up, even if it means hiring a professional, is something you need to do. You need to purchase the protective equipment necessary to keep yourself from getting sick due to all the different things left behind by the water, but this will not be very much. You will need some latex gloves, a pair of plastic booties to cover your shoes, a roll of duct tape, and some disposable plastic coveralls. The duct tape will be used to cover the gaps between the gloves, the boots, and the suit so there is no way that the sewage can get to your skin.
There is not much that you can do to save all the furniture in your home after the flood is over. This is mainly upholstered furniture that has a lot of padding, though, so your wooden furniture should be fine. Padding in upholstered furniture will soak up the flood waters and everything that it contains, including soil, bacteria, and everything else. You can reupholster some items that have little padding and take this as an opportunity to replace fabrics that you do not care for any longer.
For the cleanup process, you will require at least two buckets, depending on whether you have someone help you clean up the rest of the house or not. Try to keep this at an even number, since you will need to work with the buckets in sets of two.
Take a mop and dip it into the bucket with the cleaning chemicals in it and begin scrubbing the floor. Scrub it thoroughly and dip the mop into the rinsing water. Do not put the mop back into the bucket with the cleaners until you rinse it first. You do not want to introduce sewage into the clean water.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Areas At Risk For Mold
If you own a home, then you have probably gone through your home looking for mold on at least one occasion and if you have not, then you really should think about doing this sometime soon. We have all heard about toxic mold on the news in one form or another and how harmful it can be to our health, but this is not the only issue with mold. Even if you manage to kill it, it can still cause allergic reactions in some people because the spores are still airborne and our bodies still recognize them as something they need to defend themselves against. Taking some antihistamine medication can help, but no one wants to take allergy medicine all the time if you really do not have to.
There are a number of signs that will show you that you should look for mold in different areas of your house, but you may not exactly know what you are supposed to be looking for. Go around your house and any room that is inherently moist should be scrutinized closely. Unless you have done a remodeling job recently and you have completely waterproofed the bathroom, then you should consider it as a possible breeding ground for mold. Other rooms that are inherently moist are the kitchen, laundry room, and the basement.
You should look for signs of moisture in the laundry room since it is likely to stay humid due to the amount of wet clothing and evaporating of water that stays in there all the time. Your dryer needs to be properly vented to the outside if it is not already, unless it is a ventless model. Always wash wet clothes as soon as possible and do not put dry clothes on top of them. You will most likely forget about them and they will mold after about 48 hours.
Your kitchen is another area that you should be concerned with. Areas around the sink and floor that are not waterproofed and even the ceiling should be suspect. The steam that comes off the stove when you cook damages the ceiling and can discolor it over time, so you should have an exhaust fan installed over the stove to help prevent this. These fans should also be put in other moist rooms of the house, especially the bathroom. This will keep you from having to repaint the ceiling as often as you would normally have to and even keep you from having to replace drywall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
There are a number of signs that will show you that you should look for mold in different areas of your house, but you may not exactly know what you are supposed to be looking for. Go around your house and any room that is inherently moist should be scrutinized closely. Unless you have done a remodeling job recently and you have completely waterproofed the bathroom, then you should consider it as a possible breeding ground for mold. Other rooms that are inherently moist are the kitchen, laundry room, and the basement.
You should look for signs of moisture in the laundry room since it is likely to stay humid due to the amount of wet clothing and evaporating of water that stays in there all the time. Your dryer needs to be properly vented to the outside if it is not already, unless it is a ventless model. Always wash wet clothes as soon as possible and do not put dry clothes on top of them. You will most likely forget about them and they will mold after about 48 hours.
Your kitchen is another area that you should be concerned with. Areas around the sink and floor that are not waterproofed and even the ceiling should be suspect. The steam that comes off the stove when you cook damages the ceiling and can discolor it over time, so you should have an exhaust fan installed over the stove to help prevent this. These fans should also be put in other moist rooms of the house, especially the bathroom. This will keep you from having to repaint the ceiling as often as you would normally have to and even keep you from having to replace drywall.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Facts About Toxic Black Mold That You Need To Know
One of the most dangerous molds that a person can have growing in their home or place of business is the one that we have all come to associate with the term “toxic black mold”. This is Stachybotrys chartarum and it is sometimes simply called “stachy” for short. The media has made it famous in the past few years and it has been largely responsible for the resurgence of the awareness of the dangers of mold. The health consequences of this mold living in your home are fairly dangerous and can even end in death in some extreme cases.
This mold is fond of growing on such things as wood that has been water damaged or in some cases, on paper or cardboard that has been piled up and allowed to be wet. It does not grow on plastic or on non-porous surfaces such as tile in the bathroom or the kitchen or on concrete or counter tops. Any wood or cellulose-based items that have been wetted and let to dry naturally will eventually become contaminated with mold and will probably end up spreading to the rest of your household. This particular kind of mold needs almost non-stop moisture or humidity to continue to live. It is typically a greenish-black color, slimy, and wet when it is found in the home and it needs such things as cotton, wood, or paper to grow for very long. Even though the wet spores of this mold do not get into the air very easily, if it is let to try, these spores will enter the air in your home as soon as the air is stirred by a fan or an air conditioner and this can be very hazardous.
This is one of the most dangerous kinds of mold that you can come into contact with. It has been known to kill a person’s brain cells and cause sicknesses that can have a similar effect as Alzheimer’s Disease. Symptoms of this include dizziness or disorientation of any kind, such as blanking out or forgetting what you were doing while you were in the middle of doing it or memory loss. If you are not old enough to be at risk to have Alzheimer’s Disease, it is advised that you see your doctor as soon as possible. If you are concerned that mold may exist, conduct some do-it-yourself mold tests in your home in order to rule out or identify mold as the cause.
Some common symptoms of mold exposure have been known to be pneumonia, headaches, bloody noses, or any other kind of respiratory issue. Mold also aggravates pre-existing conditions such as asthma or emphysema. Exposure for long periods of time can cause kidney failure, liver failure, or bleeding of the lungs in babies.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
This mold is fond of growing on such things as wood that has been water damaged or in some cases, on paper or cardboard that has been piled up and allowed to be wet. It does not grow on plastic or on non-porous surfaces such as tile in the bathroom or the kitchen or on concrete or counter tops. Any wood or cellulose-based items that have been wetted and let to dry naturally will eventually become contaminated with mold and will probably end up spreading to the rest of your household. This particular kind of mold needs almost non-stop moisture or humidity to continue to live. It is typically a greenish-black color, slimy, and wet when it is found in the home and it needs such things as cotton, wood, or paper to grow for very long. Even though the wet spores of this mold do not get into the air very easily, if it is let to try, these spores will enter the air in your home as soon as the air is stirred by a fan or an air conditioner and this can be very hazardous.
This is one of the most dangerous kinds of mold that you can come into contact with. It has been known to kill a person’s brain cells and cause sicknesses that can have a similar effect as Alzheimer’s Disease. Symptoms of this include dizziness or disorientation of any kind, such as blanking out or forgetting what you were doing while you were in the middle of doing it or memory loss. If you are not old enough to be at risk to have Alzheimer’s Disease, it is advised that you see your doctor as soon as possible. If you are concerned that mold may exist, conduct some do-it-yourself mold tests in your home in order to rule out or identify mold as the cause.
Some common symptoms of mold exposure have been known to be pneumonia, headaches, bloody noses, or any other kind of respiratory issue. Mold also aggravates pre-existing conditions such as asthma or emphysema. Exposure for long periods of time can cause kidney failure, liver failure, or bleeding of the lungs in babies.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Water Damaged Vehicle Facts that You Need To Know About
If you are looking to buy any kind of vehicle, whether it is a car, truck, or a piece of farm equipment like a tractor, one of the things that a lot of people do not think about checking into is whether or not it has been flooded before. Even if a vehicle has been flooded, a record of the flood may not be obtainable from a vehicle history report. If the owner of the car did not report the flooding of the vehicle to the insurance company, then it will not appear on a vehicle history report, such as one obtainable from Carfax.com. There are, however, other ways to check to see if the vehicle you are considering buying is water damaged. It is not as difficult as it might seem to detect whether a vehicle has been water damaged or not, although if you do not know what to look for, you can be duped in a New York minute. How can you tell if a car has been water damaged? Here are a few tips.
The first thing that you should do is check and see if there are any signs of rust in the trunk, dashboard, glove compartment, and under the seats. Check also for silt and mud. These are dead giveaways that the car has been flooded.
Also take a good look at the upholstery in the car. If it does not appear to match the interior or if it fits loosely, then it might be a replacement for the original material that was in the car.
Open the car door and put your head inside and inhale deeply. There should not be a musty odor in the vehicle and you should also not smell any air fresheners. Air fresheners are usually used by car dealers and individuals who have something to hide.
Test all the electronic components of the vehicle and make sure that they work. The turn signals, heater, windshield wipers, and etcetera should be checked several times to insure that they work correctly and are reliable.
Check underneath the dashboard and move some of the wires back and forth. Bend them. If they have been wet before they will be brittle and will probably crack as you flex them.
Last, but not least, have a mechanic that you trust do an inspection of the car. Always do this before you purchase any used vehicle to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the car that the owner did not tell you about.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
The first thing that you should do is check and see if there are any signs of rust in the trunk, dashboard, glove compartment, and under the seats. Check also for silt and mud. These are dead giveaways that the car has been flooded.
Also take a good look at the upholstery in the car. If it does not appear to match the interior or if it fits loosely, then it might be a replacement for the original material that was in the car.
Open the car door and put your head inside and inhale deeply. There should not be a musty odor in the vehicle and you should also not smell any air fresheners. Air fresheners are usually used by car dealers and individuals who have something to hide.
Test all the electronic components of the vehicle and make sure that they work. The turn signals, heater, windshield wipers, and etcetera should be checked several times to insure that they work correctly and are reliable.
Check underneath the dashboard and move some of the wires back and forth. Bend them. If they have been wet before they will be brittle and will probably crack as you flex them.
Last, but not least, have a mechanic that you trust do an inspection of the car. Always do this before you purchase any used vehicle to make sure that there is nothing wrong with the car that the owner did not tell you about.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
The Miracles Of Mold
Mold has been around for millions of years and while certain varieties of it can be quite harmful to our health, there are other varieties that have been used by human beings for years in order to improve our quality of life in one way or another. It has been used in foods, medicines, and to help decompose organic matter.
Many different kinds of foods have been made with mold over the years, one of the most famous of which is cheese. Blue cheese was invented quite by accident a long time ago when mold had started to grow in a block of cheese that had been left to age. It is salty, crumbly and is a somewhat acquired taste, if the blue mold veins of the cheese do not stop you from tasting it in the first place. Roquefort and gorgonzola are also made with molds. The culturing of just the right kind of mold to make these blue cheeses has become a science over the years and these moldy cheeses are often referred to as the “kings” of cheese.
Aspergillius oryzae or “koji-kin”, as it is known in Japan, has been used for centuries to create the Japanese alcoholic drink of sake. Without the magical koji, they say, there is no sake. Sake is not the only type of drink that uses the koji mold as an ingredient. It is sprinkled on top of steamed rice and provide the enzymes that are needed for making the sugar the yeast needs to grow. The mold has an immensely important role in the creation of sake and any brewer proud of his drink is sensitive about its handling. Depending upon the flavor wanted in the sake, the koji-creation process can be affected by different temperatures, the kind of rice used, the mineral content of the water, and other factors seriously affect the final product.
Penicillin was created by Alexander Fleming back in the early 1900’s by accident and it has been used by countries worldwide since then in order to help the human body fight all kinds of infections. While some people have been known to be allergic to penicillin, allergic reactions are not so common as to stop doctors from prescribing it.
Aside from the uses that human beings have made of mold, its natural role is to decompose dead organic matter in its natural environment. This is one reason that it often finds its way into our homes, because our homes tend to be made of wood and sheetrock that has paper on it. This is what mold feeds on and until we start making our homes out of synthetic materials, we will probably have a hard time keeping mold out of them.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Many different kinds of foods have been made with mold over the years, one of the most famous of which is cheese. Blue cheese was invented quite by accident a long time ago when mold had started to grow in a block of cheese that had been left to age. It is salty, crumbly and is a somewhat acquired taste, if the blue mold veins of the cheese do not stop you from tasting it in the first place. Roquefort and gorgonzola are also made with molds. The culturing of just the right kind of mold to make these blue cheeses has become a science over the years and these moldy cheeses are often referred to as the “kings” of cheese.
Aspergillius oryzae or “koji-kin”, as it is known in Japan, has been used for centuries to create the Japanese alcoholic drink of sake. Without the magical koji, they say, there is no sake. Sake is not the only type of drink that uses the koji mold as an ingredient. It is sprinkled on top of steamed rice and provide the enzymes that are needed for making the sugar the yeast needs to grow. The mold has an immensely important role in the creation of sake and any brewer proud of his drink is sensitive about its handling. Depending upon the flavor wanted in the sake, the koji-creation process can be affected by different temperatures, the kind of rice used, the mineral content of the water, and other factors seriously affect the final product.
Penicillin was created by Alexander Fleming back in the early 1900’s by accident and it has been used by countries worldwide since then in order to help the human body fight all kinds of infections. While some people have been known to be allergic to penicillin, allergic reactions are not so common as to stop doctors from prescribing it.
Aside from the uses that human beings have made of mold, its natural role is to decompose dead organic matter in its natural environment. This is one reason that it often finds its way into our homes, because our homes tend to be made of wood and sheetrock that has paper on it. This is what mold feeds on and until we start making our homes out of synthetic materials, we will probably have a hard time keeping mold out of them.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Some Notes About Mold For homeowners And Tenants
No matter whether you are a landlord, tenant, homeowner, or an employer, there are some general facts about mold that everyone should be aware of. Everyone knows that exposure to mold can be a very dangerous thing, but not everyone knows the most important things about it that can be the difference between a mold infested home, a lot of lost money, bad health and a healthy, happy home.
One of the most important things that you should realize is the fact that no matter what you do, you cannot remove all of the mold from your home. Mold has existed for millions of years and will continue to exist for millions more; you cannot completely stamp it out from where you live or work because it is truly everywhere. The only thing that you can do is stop it from taking root in your home and becoming a nuisance.
Make sure that the ground at the base of your home slopes away from it so water flows away from the foundation. Water that is allowed to settle at the foundation will seep inside the home and allow mold to begin to grow.
Pay attention to the mold warnings that you see on the news sometimes. If you are elderly or have small children, especially those with asthma or other respiratory conditions, you should not go outside if the spore count is high.
In order to discover just what kind of mold you are dealing with in your home, you need to have a mold laboratory test the mold that you have sampled into a do-it-yourself mold kit. Only they can tell you just what kind of mold you are dealing with and whether or not it is dangerous.
Something important to remember is that mold is not always visible and does not really need standing water in order to grow. Actually, most kinds of mold do not need any more than the condensation that can form on the cold pipes in your basement or on your windows. It requires only some high amounts of humidity, food, and warmth.
Lastly, if you move into a home or an apartment and mold exists on the property, you should understand that it is not your responsibility to have the mold removed, it is the owner’s simply because if you choose to move out, the mold will still be there.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
One of the most important things that you should realize is the fact that no matter what you do, you cannot remove all of the mold from your home. Mold has existed for millions of years and will continue to exist for millions more; you cannot completely stamp it out from where you live or work because it is truly everywhere. The only thing that you can do is stop it from taking root in your home and becoming a nuisance.
Make sure that the ground at the base of your home slopes away from it so water flows away from the foundation. Water that is allowed to settle at the foundation will seep inside the home and allow mold to begin to grow.
Pay attention to the mold warnings that you see on the news sometimes. If you are elderly or have small children, especially those with asthma or other respiratory conditions, you should not go outside if the spore count is high.
In order to discover just what kind of mold you are dealing with in your home, you need to have a mold laboratory test the mold that you have sampled into a do-it-yourself mold kit. Only they can tell you just what kind of mold you are dealing with and whether or not it is dangerous.
Something important to remember is that mold is not always visible and does not really need standing water in order to grow. Actually, most kinds of mold do not need any more than the condensation that can form on the cold pipes in your basement or on your windows. It requires only some high amounts of humidity, food, and warmth.
Lastly, if you move into a home or an apartment and mold exists on the property, you should understand that it is not your responsibility to have the mold removed, it is the owner’s simply because if you choose to move out, the mold will still be there.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Is Mold Affecting Your Allergies
So many people in the world suffer from allergies that it is often hard to completely get away from them, no matter what kind of medications you might be prescribed by your physician. Most allergy symptoms can be seen from spring to the late fall because the majority of allergies can be attributed to grasses, pollens, and different kinds of mold. Most grasses, flowers, and molds cannot grow during the winter time. Even though some types of mold can withstand cold temperatures, most cannot continue to live in temperatures that are below freezing, though they can lie dormant for quite a long time. If they are allowed to thaw, they can be just as live and dangerous as before they were frozen.
Unfortunately, not all places in the world are touched by freezing temperatures and so mold often grows year round, affecting not only the allergies, but also the general health of the people who live in a building infected by it. The allergy symptoms caused by mold can be anything from sneezing to runny noses to skin rashes. Perennial allergic rhinitis can also be brought about by the presence of mold, however mold usually causes allergy symptoms only when it is present in a fairly high amount. Mold allergy symptoms are often made worse by the consumption of any kind of food that has been made with a fungus such as mushrooms or even foods like bread and beer. Cheese made with mold, particularly bleu cheese, can also bring about the occurrence of these symptoms.
Compared to the number of species of mold on the planet, there are not too many kinds of it that are highly allergenic, but there are a few dozen. Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Penicillium are three kinds of molds that tend to cause many allergic reactions. Penicillium is the only genus that has both a medicine and a disease named after it, however.
If you have allergies, something that you probably do on a regular basis is watch for the grass, pollen, and mold spore counts that appear on the news every day. These are important to pay attention to because if you are elderly or have a small child who is allergic, going out into a day when there is a high count of anything you may be allergic to could be either an irritating day or end up aggravating your allergy until you need to go to the hospital. Severe allergic reactions are rare, but they can happen.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Unfortunately, not all places in the world are touched by freezing temperatures and so mold often grows year round, affecting not only the allergies, but also the general health of the people who live in a building infected by it. The allergy symptoms caused by mold can be anything from sneezing to runny noses to skin rashes. Perennial allergic rhinitis can also be brought about by the presence of mold, however mold usually causes allergy symptoms only when it is present in a fairly high amount. Mold allergy symptoms are often made worse by the consumption of any kind of food that has been made with a fungus such as mushrooms or even foods like bread and beer. Cheese made with mold, particularly bleu cheese, can also bring about the occurrence of these symptoms.
Compared to the number of species of mold on the planet, there are not too many kinds of it that are highly allergenic, but there are a few dozen. Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Penicillium are three kinds of molds that tend to cause many allergic reactions. Penicillium is the only genus that has both a medicine and a disease named after it, however.
If you have allergies, something that you probably do on a regular basis is watch for the grass, pollen, and mold spore counts that appear on the news every day. These are important to pay attention to because if you are elderly or have a small child who is allergic, going out into a day when there is a high count of anything you may be allergic to could be either an irritating day or end up aggravating your allergy until you need to go to the hospital. Severe allergic reactions are rare, but they can happen.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
