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Category: Mold Information

mold in car

Under The Hood: Investigating Car Mold

jlowy Leave a comment

Cars. You gotta love ‘em, right? Yet along with all their magnificence comes the potential for problems – enough, quite frankly, to Exhaust you (and your bank account).

If you’re wondering what on earth a blog dedicated to mold is doing talking about cars, then you’re in luck, as it means you’ve never experienced the godforsaken relationship between the two. For everyone else, however, you know what’s coming and it’s enough to drive you round the Benz.

Yup, that’s right. Car mold. The unsightly, smelly, unhealthy fungus encroaching on your beloved, dependable, otherwise obedient vehicle that should really, when you think about it, be mutually exclusive. Seats, carpets, steering wheel – nothing is safe – especially when you consider the perfect breeding ground that a car can become when locked up for an extended period during wet weather. It’s just not something you can afFord – especially if you’re hoping to use your car as a Pickup. “WHAT SHALL WE DO? you cry.” Pipe down, dear readers, we have – as ever – got tips by the Truckload in what we will this week call our Mold Manual.
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mold on wall

Mold: Driving you up the wall?

jlowy Leave a comment

As any seasoned reader of MoldBlogger will by now know, mold is most commonly caused by moisture, humidity and lack of ventilation. It stands to reason, therefore – what with the likes of plumbing leaks and badly insulated pipes – that walls commonly fall prey to this fungal fiend. Not only can this cause health problems but also structural ones, so definitely not something to ignore!

What else do you need to know?
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moldy lunchboxes

Mold and Lunchboxes: Everything you Need to Know

jlowy Leave a comment

Moldy Lunchboxes

A spattering of particularly concerning news reports has hit good old Google recently, concerning the discovery of mold in children’s lunchboxes. There is so much wrong about this we don’t know where to start, but start we must, so here goes.

A 2016 study conducted by e-cloth found that 73% of fabric lunch boxes contain shocking amounts of bacteria, with the researchers warning that, if left uncleaned, could cause mold-associated health problems that we have come to know and, er, hate – namely things like respiratory issues, migraines and itchy eyes. Equally alarming, however, was the presence of Staphylococci and Enterococci – particularly dangerous bacteria, usually found on toilet flushes, that the NHS warns could lead to serious cases of food poisoning.
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mold in appliances

Mold and Appliances

jlowy 2 Comments

Do you ever wonder how people coped before household appliances? It boggles the mind – especially as domestic chores can be hard enough even with the help of our electrical peers.

Yet there’s nothing more cringe-inducing than the thought of these much-loved appliances – designed purely to clean – being infected with its own antithesis: Mold. Of the 100,000+ types of mold, over 1,000 are found in US homes. Eeek. We would say it doesn’t bear thinking about, if the removal of this fiendish fungi wasn’t so important. And seeing as so many appliances work with water (think washing machine, dishwasher and freezer), it’s a problem that arises time and time again, due to “poor venting and high level of moisture in the appliance, high level of humidity in the kitchen, darkness and supply of food”, according to professional cleaning technician at Fantastic Services, Dean Davies.

Fear not, good reader. MoldBlogger is, as ever, awash with the tips you – and your appliances – need to survive.
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mold sickness biotoxin

Tell Me Everything I Need to Know About: Biotoxin Illness

jlowy Leave a comment

We keep our blog going for the benefit of our amazing readers and – often – we’ll get comments on a particular subject – sometimes even questions. We’d be doing a disservice if we failed to respond in full and so, this week’s blog is dedicated to one such reader who asked about the best plant-based and holistic sprays to eliminate mold spores to help her daughter who has been diagnosed with biotoxin illness. Being the thorough mold-warriors that we are, here we delve into biotoxin illness in its entirety – warts and all.
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moldy cheese

Say Cheese!

jlowy Leave a comment

Cheese has comprised some diets around the world for a long time. It’s invention has allowed milk to be preserved longer and has found it’s way into numerous modern kitchens. But what is it exactly that causes the milk to turn into cheese? Well, it is mold, along with bacteria and other microorganisms that create this dairy product…
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wallpaper bathroom mold

Wallpaper, Bathrooms, and Mold

jlowy Leave a comment

On first thoughts, you might think that wallpaper and bathrooms are mutually exclusive. How would one, after all, reconcile the notion that one of the most vulnerable rooms in the house to mold is also often wrapped up in paper? Surely that’s asking for a whole load of water-based, excess moisture, sodden-wall trouble?

And yet, for some, wallpaper is still a preference when it comes to decorating bathrooms. So, what’s going on?
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preventing mold after flooding

How To Prevent Mold After Flooding

jlowy 6 Comments

As if dealing with a flooded home wasn’t enough, you then have to worry about the very real possibility of the unwelcome intruder that is mold (when it rains it pours and all that – quite literally in this case!). And with floods holding the accolade of leading natural disasters in America today – unavoidable, even, in many regions of the country – it’s something that may be closer than you think. Read about the role of mold in post Hurricane Katrina deaths here. So, what should you do if the unthinkable happens and you have to deal with a flooded property?
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mold in hotel

Hotel Mold

jlowy 1 Comment

It’s happening; the holiday you booked months ago – comprising of both travel and accommodation – has finally arrived. You’ve spent countless hours researching, booking, packing and envisaging a relaxing time-out from life itself. It stands to reason, therefore, that the last thing you’d like to find on entering your home-away-from-home is mold.
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mold on bread

Moldy Bread

jlowy Leave a comment

You stumble downstairs bleary-eyed, first thing in the morning, desperate for a cup of coffee and slice of toast. Yet it doesn’t take too long for the realization to kick in that the fresh loaf of bread that you’ve been salivating over is not actually so fresh anymore and has decided to open its home up to mold.

It’s a universal scenario that is probably all-too-familiar, no matter where you are in the world. But is there more to it than meets the eye?
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how to keep fruit and veggies fresh longer

How to Keep Fruit and Vegetables Fresher for Longer

krystle Leave a comment

Summertime is well and truly here and, with it, the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. But like a contestant on America’s Got Talent who has only two minutes to change their destiny, the window of opportunity for some juicy summer berries or a crisp green salad – before mold and other unwanted visitors mark their territory – is tiny.

Luckily for you, we’ve put together a handy guide to ensure your five a day go the distance!
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summertime mold

Your Summertime Guide to Mold

krystle Leave a comment

The days are long, the sun is out and the beaches are having their moment; summer is well and truly here. Hooray! Yet, as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free, er, BBQ. For with all the fun of the summer comes the added risk of mold.

Yup, that pesky fungal growth really knows how to get everywhere, doesn’t it? Especially at this time of year. This is down to several factors, which we shall now explore:
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prevent mold

The Importance of Clean Air to Prevent Mold

krystle 1 Comment

Clean Air Day 2018 came and went last week, but it got us thinking:  If mold thrives off elements present in the air we breathe, surely there must be a connection pertinent to our cause. And we were right.

One of the largest factors in mold survival is the amount of moisture in the air, as it can – and will – grow anywhere and on any substance that dampness is present.

But did you know that, as well as causing mold, excess moisture in the home can also contaminate the actual air, too? Just think of the cold, musty smell often accompanying it. And according to Global Action Plan – the organizers behind Clean Air Day – mold in the home is a source of air pollution itself. Yet the relationship is actually more complex, as if mold is present, toxic particles will emanate from it and infiltrate the air you breathe – not to mention the fact that damp itself causes water vapor, which in turn encourages microbial growth, leading to yet more mold in an ongoing vicious cycle. Thus, this two-way relationship emphasises how important – both for the cleanliness of the air and the actual, tangible things surrounding it – controlling the level of moisture is.

Monitoring the levels of humidity in the home, therefore, is extremely important, and most experts believe that erring on the lower side of the 40-60% recommended bracket will help to prevent the build-up of mold – thus keeping the air clean, too.

But there are many other things you can – and should – do to reduce the growth of mold and – by extension – keep the air around you clean. You can breathe a (toxin-free!) sigh of relief, as we’ve done the hard work for you:
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what is black mold

Black Mold Symptoms

thewife Leave a comment

What is Black Mold?

“Black mold,” or stachbotrys as his mycologist friends like to call him, is actually a dark green mold, but not only did “Dark Green Mold” fail miserably at striking fear in the hearts of the public, Penicillium mold pretty much held the copyright to all-things-green. “Killer Mold,” too, fell short of fear-mongering. And “The Notorious B.M.” didn’t quite have the effect mycologists were going for, which could be why a dark green mold was given the nickname “black mold.” Or, more specifically, “toxic black mold.” But, what causes black mold? And why is it considered so toxic?
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I ate moldy bread

Help! I Accidentally Ate Moldy Bread (or Moldy Cheese)!

thewife Leave a comment

Is Moldy Food Dangerous?

I know why you’re here. There can only be one reason why you now find yourself reading an incredibly informative and superbly written article on moldy cheese.

You’ve bought into the American Dream, haven’t you? What was it? Student loans? A new car? Don’t tell me–the new iPhone? Look, it’s none of my business. We’ll just say you “fell on hard times.”

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green mold, green mold removal

What is Green Mold and How Do You Get Rid of It?

thewife 1 Comment

What is Green Mold?

Some mistakenly believe that any and all green molds are penicillin. Penicillin, however, is not a mold. Penicillin is an antibiotic derived from the mold known as penicillium chrysogenum. Many times over, a common statement is made in regards to foods that have mold growth: “Ah, it’s just penicillin. It won’t hurt you.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, contact with penicillium chryosogenum–like any mold–can cause serious health issues. For instance, penicillium molds often cause chronic sinus infections and inflammation within the lungs.

The truth is, there are several types of green mold–thousands, actually–and none of them are friendly. So, what exactly makes green mold, green?

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