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Author: krystle

mold growth

How Does Mold Grow and What Conditions are Best for Mold Growth?

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What Conditions are Best for Mold Growth?

Keeping mold from growing in your home is an important consideration for a healthy, safe environment to live. The first task in keeping mold at bay is discovering what areas and conditions might encourage mold growth. Molds are pervasive everywhere, and thrive in wet conditions. How does mold grow? Mold grows best when moisture and humidity are present. When mold spores encounter a damp surface most advantageous for fungal growth, they can begin to grow and thrive.
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the smell of mold

What Does Mold Smell Like?

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What is that smell?

There are numerous aromas our olfactory organs are subjected to each day. Whether it be the smell of food cooking or baking, the distinct aroma of herbs or essential oils, or the unpleasant reek of yesterday’s trash, our nose encounters a host of various scents, both appealing and unappealing. While our sense of smell has many purposes, it is often overlooked as an alarm system. In fact, when it comes to personal safety, our nose is an excellent source for warnings against danger—not just burnt toast. Are there smells that can alert us to potential health hazards or signal that the environment we are in is not safe? Certainly. Aside from the distinct smell of smoke or gas, mold’s pungent odor is a helpful indicator that your health, as well as the health of those living with you, is at risk.

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baby allergies mold

Mold and Babies – The Importance of Mold Removal

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Is Your Baby at Risk from Toxic Mold?

This time of year brings lots of sneezes and wheezes to young babies as the warm weather is replaced with colder temperatures. Going outside may seem like a bad idea to those parents whose children suffer with seasonal allergies or are susceptible to colds and flus. You may be tempted to stay indoors. But what if staying inside is actually worse? If mold is present in your home, your baby could be at a higher risk indoors.
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diy mold removal

DIY Mold Removal vs Professional Mold Remediation

krystle 4 Comments

DIY vs Professional

Are you a “DIY-er” at heart? A lot of people love the thrill of taking on home projects from building their own furniture to remodeling a kitchen. DIY can be a great hobby, involve the entire family and save a lot of money. But what about when it comes to major issues like mold remediation?

Mold inside your house is a serious condition. If you’ve seen some or suspect it in your home, you may be wondering what the best method is to remove it. No matter what, mold is definitely different than your typical home maintenance project. When it comes to mold remediation in your home, should you try to DIY or should you call in the professionals?
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mold in houston

Essential Steps to Take After Your Home Floods

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Hurricanes, Rain, and Mold

What happens to a city when a storm system dumps an entire year’s worth of rain in just 3 days? In late August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated the city of Houston, Tx and surrounding areas. The storm left 33 trillion gallons of water on U.S. soil before finally weakening. As you can imagine, the flooding experienced in Houston was intense. Many lives were lost. Homes were ripped apart, bridges collapsed and dams gave way. Even though the hurricane is now in the rear-view mirror, the health catastrophe continues to unfold in slow motion. While the focus of the news was on the shear amount of rainfall in the city (upwards of 50 inches in some locations), mold will be an issue for months and potentially years to come.

So, the question remains: after the wrath of a big storm has passed, what should a homeowner or renter do to keep mold from growing in their homes? Here are the essential steps to consider after your home has been flooded.
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mold expert

MoldBlogger Interview: Lisa and Ron Beres

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Q. Being advocates for healthy homes, how often do you get contacted concerning black mold and how to remove it?

Lisa: We get contacted quite often for mold inquiries from people all across the country, but most people are unaware if they actually have mold, the scope of the problem or how to properly remove it. Many people will experience hay fever like symptoms, but if they can’t see visible mold, they tend to think it doesn’t exist or isn’t a real threat.

Ron: We always start by advising the person test, not guess. Too many people unknowingly put themselves and/or their loved ones in danger by ignoring the visible signs of moisture or water damage and/or a musty smell. They assume it will go away on its own. Many people wait too long before addressing the root cause of the issue – typically a leaky water source.
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mold types and classes

A Closer Look at Mold – Types, Classes, and Tips to Clean it

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A Closer Look at Mold – Types, Classes, and Tips to Clean it

  1. Mold can grow almost anywhere! You might not see it but it could be there!.
  2. All types of mold prefer areas low on light and high on moisture – behind drywall/sheetrock, within wallpapers, carpeting, bathtub stains and etc.
  3. Mold spores or mold toxins can be present in food without you ever knowing.
  4. Many anti-biotics are manufactured thanks to mold types like Penicillium & more.
  5. Baking soda, borax, ammonia, oregano oil, neem seed oil, they all can help you clean up and get rid of mold, but bleach and peroxide will not handle Class A types of mold.
  6. The early stage of being sick from Mycotoxin will show no physical symptoms but it can affect the brain cavity.
  7. There is no such thing as mold allergy. You either fight it as a virus, or you end up sick (or even very sick).
  8. Mold toxins are even more dangerous if you use steroids, anti-biotics or even immune suppressing products.
  9. Candida Albicans is detected in the stomach and mouth of 40% to 60% of adults.It emits toxins, able to cause cancer.
  10. Most types of mold prefer to grow in a low pH environment, while Candida does it at pH of 7.
  11. NOBODY IS IMMUNED TO HEALTH RISKS FROM MOLD TOXINS!

Yellow. Green. Brown. White. Black. Mold comes in these and many other colors, just like a box of crayons. However, unlike crayons, these invasive fungi are nowhere near as fun to work with. If your property has been affected by this highly persistent growth, simply wiping it away will not solve the issue. Below, we will discuss the effects of mold on health, its common varieties, and the cleaning techniques that you can use to prevent the growth from coming back.
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health problems due to mold

How to Prevent Five Common Health Problems Caused By Mold

krystle 3 Comments

The Health Effects of Mycotoxins

No one is very comfortable with the idea of mold. It’s slimy and smells bad and just is generally distasteful. Even the word “mold” is an ugly sounding word. You wouldn’t even imagine eating a piece of cheese or slice of bread that has mold on it. And yet, when it comes to mold in their home, many people are surprisingly complacent. The smell might be annoying, but not annoying enough for many to want to spend time, money, or effort getting rid of it. This idea is potentially disastrous; despite being seemingly innocuous, mold in the home can be very dangerous. Even if you don’t come into physical contact with the mold, it can still affect you. A number of different types of mold especially forms of black mold, release airborne spores known as mycotoxins, which can enter the human body through the respiratory system and cause a number of adverse health effects.
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prevent mold construction

How to Prevent Mold During Construction

krystle 1 Comment

Preventing Mold During Construction

One of many things to take into account when building a house or any other facility is the growth of mold during the construction. Mold is everywhere, so it stands as huge and possible threat that can slow the construction and increase costs of replacing affected materials as well as costs of remediation. Depending on climate and location, some construction sites are more susceptible to moisture that later result in moldy buildings. The least expensive way to deal with the mold is the prevention and certain measures undertaken before and during the construction can go a long way.
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mold allergies

How Carpet Cleaning Reduces Asthma and Allergies

krystle 2 Comments

Reduce Your Asthma and Allergies Symptoms – Clean Your Carpet!

The most common allergens that may trigger asthma, like pollen, pet dander, mold and dust mites, settle indoors unobstructed and make allergy sufferers’ day-to-day lives a real challenge. The microscopic antigens thrive on a variety of surfaces at home, such as carpets, upholstered furniture and heavy curtains. Or when there is nothing to trap them, the invisible airborne allergy culprits simply become part of the indoor air composition we breathe.

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mold in dehumidifier

5 Reasons to Buy a Dehumidifier

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5 Reasons to Buy a Dehumidifier

When you’re looking to make a change in your life, buying a dehumidifier is probably not the first item on your list of resolutions. It’s a distinctly un-sexy purchase, that’s for sure. But when it comes to your health and well being — not to mention the safety of your home and the preservation of your belongings — a dehumidifier can have a huge effect on your life.

Here are five reasons it might be time to spring for one.
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mold removal tips

Mold Removal Tips

krystle 1 Comment

Mold Removal DIY Steps

What do you do when you’ve spotted mold in your home? You’ve heard of all the negative effects mold can have on your health and it can really ruin the appearance of a room, so of course you want to get it cleaned up quickly. For larger mold infestations, you’ll have to call in the professionals, but if you’re looking to clean up surface mold you can handle it up yourself with just a few steps.
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spring cleaning

The Most Important Areas to Hit During Your Spring Cleaning

krystle 2 Comments

The Importance of Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is a great way to give your home a refresh after spending much of the winter holed up indoors. In some cultures, there is even a deeper meaning to spring cleaning as you clear away the physical and spiritual “dust” of the winter and old year. No matter when or why you do it, there are some very important areas to hit during this deep cleaning ritual.
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How to Get Rid of Mold Naturally

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How to Get Rid of Mold Naturally Infographic

Mold is invasive, and it can creep into unlikely places. From sippy cups to condensation pipes, mold can grow wherever there’s moisture. Unfortunately, people can have serious reactions to mold. Some people are simply allergic, and others develop respiratory issues over time after being exposed too long to mold.

How to Get Rid of Mold Naturally

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