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Breaking the Mold
May 17th, 2005
By Sal Stein
Now there are some people out there who might think that good housekeeping
should only be done to impress the neighbors or satisfy your parents into
thinking that you can finally keep your room clean.
There is little thought of the fact that bacteria and mildew can be living
off of Mold that has festered and created an environment that leaves the
door wide open for disease and infection.
Happy Spring.
Often times bleach is used to killed germs and bacteria during fits of
spring cleaning, but in fact, bleach may be doing more harm than good -
and may not even being doing the disinfecting job you wish it to do.
Bleach is filled with harmful chemicals not approved by the EPA and
aren’t effective in killing mold at its root.
Mold exists not only on a surface level, but beneath the surface as well.
It has roots and a food cycle that can regenerate itself after only a day
of cleaning. Since it is the sprig time as well as allergy season, mold
can help to trigger your allergies and cause severe respiratory problems.
When cleaning for mold, you need to understand that moisture is the
vehicle which mold uses to enter your environment. Wherever there is a
high level of moisture, mold can grow. Unwashed dishes can be a breading
ground for mold and bacterial infections, which can be picked up by
airborne bugs like mosquitoes and flies.
In the summer months it should be known that mold can enter through screen
doors as well as vents and air conditioning systems, so it is important to
keep these things clean and fresh in these summer months - Cleaning
them after and before each use is highly recommended.
After you shower or take a bath make sure that the room is properly
ventilated before leaving the house. Once all the moisture is let out,
clean and dry the area to make sure you don’t leave wet surfaces
behind. A common mistake made by those looking to disinfect is to mop
and not dry the floor. The moisture you are leaving behind may be doing
more harm than good, as mold spores settle into the damp areas and plant
their roots.
If you are planning on doing an interior painting job in the name of
spring cleaning, make sure you add a mold protector to your paint before
applying your coats. Mold can grow between coats of paint and feed off
of the moisture, growing roots that can deteriorate the inside of your
walls, and create a breeding ground for infection within the very walls
that are protecting you.
How about that bathroom rug you step out of the shower on? If that is
not dried out every day, mold can root down between the bristles.
It may not be a good idea to use rugs or carpets in areas where moisture
can gather. This is a hidden breading ground for fungus and mildew that
is never seen by the human eye and is often times left behind by
vacuuming.
Try using a non-bleach foaming mold remover when cleaning your
carpets.
Think about what you may be stepping on.
As spring time now is in full bloom, the allergy season is heightened
because of the existence mold, which can harness and mutate.
For those with a weak immune system, the presence of mold can penetrate
and usher in disease and infection at a quicker pace.
If you are taking care of someone who is ill or bedridden, you need to
make sure that their room is always aired out and is without built up
moisture. The germs they are breathing out could be bounced back at
them in a mutated form, this time mixed with whatever else may be
sitting on the mold.
If you thought your mother was being paranoid about cleanliness, perhaps
she knew that there are over 100,000 classifications of mold that exist
in the world. Now for nature, they are an essential, playing the part
of a natural recycler - helping with the decomposition of leaves,
wood and other organic materials that need to be broken down and
recycled.
However, when mold comes into your house and starts altering the chemical
state of things, it is not recycling - It is destroying and corroding.
Make sure all surfaces and fabrics are kept dry for the summer time heat
and humidity. A little bit of extra work could save you thousands of
dollars and years of your life. When mold spores are distributed, they
are done so in an airborne fashion, releasing spores in the air which
you and your family are breathing as well as stepping on and eating.
If you smell as musty smell or start to see little black specs in your
bathroom, know that your mold problem is already out of control. What
you see on top is nothing compared to the roots that have already dug in
and started to change the ecosystem of your house.
Scared? You should be.
Stop letting a breeding ground for disease and infection into your house.
April showers are bringing more than May flowers.
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