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Catherine

Mold In the News: Public Health Department Offering Mold Test Kits

by Catherine 4:49 am

EC3 Test plates (not part of the news story) are also easy-to-use and accessible to anyone wishing to test their indoor air or environments for mold.

While this story comes to us from Nebraska, I find it so encouraging, because people concerned for their health initiated the change. According to the story, the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department got so many phone calls about mold testing, that they decided to sell the kits at their offices, immunization clinics and by mail. In other words, the health problems associated with mold are going mainstream. Not only that, but people are genuinely interested in finding out if their living environments are healthy.

The kits that the Health Department is offering are only capable of testing actual materials or visible mold and not air quality. The samples can be easily taken and sent to a reputable lab for third party results. (Quick Note: EC3 Mold Test Kits can collect both air samples and material samples, if you are interested in testing for mold yourself.)

I encourage you to read the short story and to get excited for the direction that the health care powers that be are beginning to take to acknowledge mold as a legitimate health concern.

Be Well!

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4:49 am 0 comment

DIY Mold Rinse for Your Dishwasher to Prevent Mold on Your Dishes

by Catherine 3:45 pm

Let’s revisit that dreaded moldy Sippy Cup story in the news…

Sippy Cups and cups with straws are convenient and great for preventing spills, but are difficult to get clean.

Recently, Mayborn USA recalled more than 3 million of their popular Sippy Cups due to over 3,000 reports of mold in the removable valves of the cups. Some 68 of these reports were from parents of children experiencing various mold exposure symptoms, including, but not limited to vomiting and diarrhea.

3:45 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Homemade Products Mold Prevention

Non-Toxic Solutions for Cleaning Your Grout and Tile

by Catherine 2:50 am

When our shower grout begins to show the telltale darkness and discoloration of mold and mildew, I almost can’t function until I clean it. In the past, I would spray it with Tilex or use a bleach pen, and then watch as the grout turned miraculously lighter and back to its normal color. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I performed this task, it always seemed to come back. Why? Wasn’t I killing the mold with the bleach? Shouldn’t that keep it away for more than a week or two?

The answer is no—bleach is not the answer, because it doesn’t eradicate the problem. Bleach actually does not penetrate porous surfaces, like grout. It just kills the top layer of mold/mildew, so the roots of the mold may still be there, and will return, sometimes, very quickly.

First, let’s address the obvious: Your bathroom and your shower or tub, in particular, is a perfect environment for mold. It is warm, airless (unless you keep the fan on), and damp—this equals mold, unless you maintain some established practices that will make your life easier.

2:50 am 0 comment

Mold in the News

Mold in the News: Fungal Infections at Hospitals and Mold in Sippy Cups

by Catherine 3:06 pm

Hospital, family agree to $1.35M settlement in mold death

The first story that I link to above in the title is heartbreaking. It involves the story of mold poisoning from a well-known hospital in Pittsburgh. The patient whom the article specifically addresses died of a fungal infection she acquired while in the hospital’s care. This story is especially poignant, because the heart transplant that brought her to the hospital was successful. While recovering from the surgery, she was placed in a section of the hospital where two other transplant patients with fungal infections had been treated. The room was a “zero-pressure” room, normally reserved for infectious diseases to prevent disease from spreading. Particles can become trapped in these rooms, and unfortunately for the patient involved, the particles that were trapped were mold spores that spread to her body. With an already compromised immune system, she fell victim to the same fungal infection as the other patients and died. The hospital has since been under federal investigation and investigation by the CDC.

I hope you will read this sobering story. It, unfortunately, points out the dangers of mold in the most magnified situation: Mold can be anywhere, even in a hospital designed to treat and help the sick. Our bodies are vulnerable to its effects when our bodies are healthy and well, but especially when we are immune-compromised and weak.

The dangers of mold are real, and they are serious. Please protect your environment and your health. It could cost you or someone you love a life.

Company Recalls Spill-Proof Cups Due to Risk of Mold

The second story that I link to in the title above involves a product that many Mommies know and love–sippy cups. The whole design behind the sippy cup, or the no-spill drinking tops that allow children to suck liquid out, but don’t allow it to spill, is what actually trapped moisture inside, promoting mold growth. Now, more than 3 million sippy cups made by Mayborn USA are being recalled and voluntarily replaced by the company, because of this mold issue.

The story reports, “Mayborn has received more than 3,000 reports of mold in the removable, one-piece, opaque valve of the cups, including 68 reports of children experiencing diarrhea, vomiting or other symptoms associated with drinking from a cup with mold in the valve.”

Mold can definitely make you sick, especially when ingested, so the fact that this is being recognized and aggressively addressed by the company is a step in the right direction, in my opinion.

I hope you will click through to the article and read this story as well. I will follow this in the next week with a post on how to clean your plastic cups, sippy cups, dishes, Tuberware, etc. for mold. Plastic children’s eating tools are especially important to safeguard, because small children have less developed immune systems.

Please feel free to email me and let me know your comments!

3:06 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Mold Prevention

How to Clean Your Purse/Handbag for Mold: Part II

by Catherine 4:26 am

Now that you’ve (hopefully) read my post about why you should clean your handbag, purse, folio, etc. for mold, and know how to clean it properly for more of a maintenance-type clean, today’s post outlines a more extensive and invasive cleaning method. I also finish this post with helpful tips and hints on keeping your handbag mold free.

I do want to warn all those with “investment” purses or handbags that this one is probably not for you, unless you feel that your purse has had a major mold exposure and either needs to be completely sanitized or needs to be thrown out. In other words, this intense-type of clean would only be a last resort for that type of purse.

The MAJOR Clean:

When your purse needs a more extensive, all-over, inside and out cleaning, this is what I would recommend. This process will clean any stains from your purse and remove mold and bacteria. I do want to add the disclaimer, that you clean your leather at your own risk. I DON’T recommend this procedure for an expensive investment-type bag. I will say that I have successfully laundered my own bags this way with zero damage and all clean wonderfulness, but I can NEVER guarantee that your leather will react and launder the same way. Please proceed with caution and possibly crossed fingers.

4:26 am 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Homemade Products Mold Prevention

How To Clean Your Purse/Handbag for Mold—Like IMMEDIATELY: Part I

by Catherine 6:46 pm

As I schlepped my purse with me to take the kids to school this morning, then to the doctor’s office, then to the gym, back home, then to my daughter’s ballet class, and finally to the ballpark for my son’s baseball game—with some public restroom breaks and a grocery run somewhere in between—I started thinking long and hard about what kind of bacterial and fungal hitchhikers I was picking up along the way. I mean, when I really think about it, my purse goes with me everywhere. It gets thrown on whatever bleacher, seat, or hook I can find, and then comes right home with me.

Whatever my purse is encountering, good, bad or ugly, I am most definitely also bringing right back into my home with me. While I make my friends and family members take their shoes off before entering our home, I recently realized that I am bringing my mold and bacteria-laden purse right in with me, no questions asked. I think nothing of putting my purse on tables where we eat and setting it on our furniture to boot. It’s pretty gag worthy, when you think about it.

Now that I’m always thinking about mold and preventing it from festering in our home, I have decided to make some changes about how I handle and clean my purse too.

6:46 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Mold Prevention

Mopping for Mold with Homemade Floor Cleaner

by Catherine 9:27 pm

When I’m mopping my kitchen, bathroom and wood floors, I’m always always thinking about mold and bacteria. I may be crazy, but I don’t think I’m the only one. I worry that I’m just pushing the dirt and grime back and forth and into new crevices and corners with my rag mop. My brain asks the questions, “When I dunk my mop in the bucket of hot water and cleaner, am I rinsing the grime off and killing the mold and bacteria, or am I putting it back on the floor? Am I actually cleaning my home of potential health concerns when I mop?”

Rather than continue to question the value of my cleaning, I decided to do something about it. First, I researched the best mop to be using—old school rag mop, steam mop, sponge mop, Wet Jet squirt mop—what is the best choice? There are two answers to this question: The first is a steam mop.

9:27 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Mold Prevention

Easy, DIY Projects to Prevent Mold Growth in Your Home

by Catherine 12:46 pm

I’m always interested in little Do-It-Yourself projects around my home to help protect my family from mold. Unfortunately, for those of us whose health declines almost immediately when exposed to mold, keeping our homes safe is a constant battle. But, if you look at mold from a more macro-cosmic point of view, like, mold needs a food source (any dead, organic material), oxygen and a temperature between 40 degrees and 100 degrees F to grow, you can evade it before it becomes a major problem.

Here is a list of actions to take, most should not require the assistance of a contractor or mold abatement professional, to make your home a less hospitable environment for mold:

Open all of your cabinets below water sources, in other words, your kitchen, laundry room and bathroom sinks. Get a clear view of the pipes and all back corners of the cabinets. Make certain there is no evidence of water, water damage or leaks. I check ours a few times a year. If you are opening these cabinets and smelling any musty or mildewy smells, you probably already have a leak. If you find any water, evidence of water, or leaks, remove everything from the cabinet and fix and seal the leak—this will require a plumber, unless you are extremely handy. Now the cabinet needs to be treated for mold, and everything in it needs to be thrown out or treated for mold, as well. To treat the cabinet for mold, dry it out completely. Then, I use the EC3 Mold Solution spray or a homemade spray with mold-killing ingredients to kill the mold. For more homemade mold mixtures, see my blog post on how to clean after a toilet overflow.

12:46 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Homemade Products Mold Prevention

DIY Mold Wipes–Easy-to-Make, Portable and Effective

by Catherine 10:52 pm

If you are ever stymied by trying to have a more portable way to clean for mold the way most folks clean for bacteria with their ever-ready canister of antibacterial wipes, I have created a simple recipe and solution to help you out.

Now why should you care? Why is it important to clean or wipe down for mold on the go? Why not just use antibacterial wipes and call it a day?

If you are allergic to mold, like my son, or your immune system has taken a hit from being exposed to a mold-toxic environment, like my husband, the slightest encounter can send you reeling. Antibacterial wipes are NOT ant-ifungal and do NOT kill mold. Thus, they are not a viable solution for people allergic or sensitive to mold. For those with these issues, According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the following reactions can happen almost immediately: sneezing, itching, runny nose and congestion, scaling skin, hay fever symptoms, and even an asthmatic attack. That is pretty serious. And while I can clean the heck out of my home and constantly test it to make sure it is mold free, I cannot always control the environments we are entering on a daily basis.

10:52 pm 0 comment

Mold in the News

Mold in the News: Mold Disclosure and Home Buying

by Catherine 11:12 pm

This topic is a trigger for me: People knowing about toxic mold in a home or work environment and not disclosing it to others who will be living or working there. For some, mold is a life or death situation. This is serious, and should be treated as such. I get so upset when mold is passed off as fixable with just a little bleach, or as just a moisture issue–as it is in this story.

Toxic mold could send an allergic person into a state of crisis–asthmatic symptoms, leaky gut, shortness of breath, brain fog, itching, hives, the list goes on and on.

This particular news story from Denver involves homebuyers and a property with a listing price that was “too good to be true.” They soon found out that realtors were not only aware of the mold’s existence, but they were also aware of its toxicity. The realtors and homeowners CHOSE, I repeat, they CHOSE to not disclose this, in order to sell the home.

This is where I need to take a step back and realize that health safety depends on the individual. Sometimes, even the best doctor won’t go deeper without the patient’s insistence.

I hope you will watch and read this news story–especially if you are like me and are moving soon, or have to move frequently. As important as the look, location and overall feel of a home, when you are in market to buy or rent, is its air quality. Hire professionals to inspect and investigate any home where you plan to live for leaks, previous leaks and damage, and for air quality. You can even do your own testing with the EC3 Mold Test Plates. It may cost a bit more in the beginning, but could save you from purchasing a potentially dangerous home.

Take care of yourself and your health.

11:12 pm 0 comment