Cleaning Tips

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.

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.

Deciding what to do with belongings that have been exposed to mold can be a daunting task. This recent article from the Sinusitis Wellness blog tackles the difficult decision and offers tips to help. This article addresses the issues, both sentimental and financial, that are at play when you have to chose between your health and your stuff.

While I try to address cleaning for mold from every angle that I can think of on my blog, additional perspectives are always helpful. At the end of the day, the most important thing is your health. In my opinion, holding onto a personal possession doesn’t seem as important when you think about it that way.

Because I have family members who have been so negatively affected by mold and poisonous mycotoxins (Mycotoxins are microscopic drops of oils produced in 10% of all molds), I’m no longer afraid to just throw things out that I feel are too contaminated to be a part of our home. I do realize, though, that many of my readers are not at that point yet. I also realize that there are things that contain sentimental, if not monetary value, that are very hard to part with. If that is the case, this article is definitely for you….and so is this blog!

I hope you will continue reading and help me to build a dialogue that helps you and others who are also struggling with mold sensitivities.