Category:

Mold Prevention

How To DEEP CLEAN Your Washing Machine for Mold

by Catherine 10:04 pm

Hi, Guys!

I realize I hadn’t written a DIY post in a while, so today is where I do just that. Today, I am going to teach you how to properly DEEP CLEAN your washing machine for mold.

Wait! I have already talked about this, right? Well, sort of. I wrote a post about laundry and about cleaning your washing machine for mold periodically as a preventative measure and to remove an surface mold or grime. (Click HERE to read that post.) BUT, this post is different. This post gets into the nitty-gritty of taking apart and cleaning your washing machine. This post details a technique that you only should have to do every other year or so, if you are using my other cleaning technique. I have actually found that since I have been using the “maintenance cleaning,” we were able to wait almost 3 years before having to do this deep cleaning again. This is a rather large job and time-consuming, but is incredibly necessary for maintaining a healthy home, especially if you are mold sensitive.

10:04 pm 0 comment

Healthy Home Mold Prevention

Humidifiers and Mold: Are They Helping or Hurting Your Health?

by Catherine 3:00 am

Today I want to conquer a controversial topic: humidifiers, and more specifically, cool mist humidifiers. Ok, ok. I know that humidifiers are not exactly what you would call controversial, but in the world of mold-related illness, they actually are.

The whole reason this topic is coming up today is because a girlfriend of mine recently posted a request on social media looking desperately for help with her son’s allergies, chronic congestion and ear infections. She had seen her

The designs of many cool mist humidifiers are even geared toward children’s rooms, so that they become part of the decor. I highly caution you against falling into this trap. You don’t want to increase the moisture in a child’s room. Microbial and mold counts can climb quickly, causing health issues, like asthma.

pediatrician already and did not want to accept that putting her child on another antibiotic or on allergy medication for the rest of his life were her only options. She was seeking more holistic advice and answers from other Moms about things that had worked for them.

3:00 am 0 comment

Homemade Products Mold Prevention Uncategorized

Antifungal Rosemary Coffee

by Catherine 9:55 pm

I love podcasts. I love being able to absorb personal stories, health and society information, or to get lost in a true crime series while on the go. One of my favorite podcasts is the Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast. Ben is a celebrity trainer turned bio-hacker, who delves into nutrition, supplementation and “behavioral hacks” in order to achieve optimal human performance. His podcast speaks to elite athletes and mere mortals alike. His goal is to optimize health for the long run. On his podcast, he often interviews first-class athletes, doctors, and scientists on the cutting edge of their professions, who are really passionate about health, performance, and longevity. It is a really motivating and empowering podcast. So, while you may not necessarily be training for optimal performance, I think it is important to pay attention to the benefits of the these “hacks,” because they can help us get or remain healthy for our own performance challenges and longevity.

This week, I listened to Ben Greenfield’s interview with Dean Karnazes.

Dean Karnazes is arguably superhuman. He has run and raced hundreds of thousands of miles across the U.S. and abroad. His accomplishments include running multiple ultramarathons, 350 miles in a little over 80 hours without sleep, 50 consecutive marathons in all 50 states and much, much more. The most interesting thing about Dean, in my opinion, is his lack of burnout, even after all of those miles and all of those races. He just keeps going with unequaled passion and drive. It is remarkable.

9:55 pm 4 comments

Healthy Home Mold Prevention

Could Chlorine Be Prolonging Your Mold/Fungal Issues? Simple Tips on Limiting Chlorine Exposure

by Catherine 3:34 am

Summer is coming. We have started to hit warmer temperatures for days at a time, and the evenings aren’t getting as cold as they used to. It’s all very exciting, especially when your body craves the sunshine, warmth and boost of Vitamin D, like mine does. Another thing that summer brings for my family is lots of swimming. I love swimming and my kiddos especially love swimming, but since we had our mold exposure, pool swimming brings a new set of worries with it that I never even knew to think about before.

The culprit for those worries: chlorine. Let’s face it; most pools contain chlorine these days. Just as chlorine is excellent at killing bacteria, viruses and microorganisms, it is terrible for those of us susceptible to fungal issues, because it poses a chemical threat to recovering from our mold exposure, and it promotes Candida or fungal growth inside the body. To better explain, l will first talk about chlorine and what kind of chemical threat it can pose to your body:

Chlorine is a naturally-occurring chemical element and is one of the most abundant on Earth. It is the ninth largest chemical produced in the U.S. by volume and is known as the “workhorse chemical.” In the U.S., it is used as a chemical disinfectant in municipal water supplies, to manufacture everything from computer chips to crop-protection chemicals, and as a household cleaning aid in countless products. Chlorine’s highly reactive nature makes it extremely useful, but also, potentially dangerous. In other words, it quite literally reacts with anything it touches, be that bacteria to kill it, or your skin and lungs to irritate and burn them.

3:34 am 2 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Interviews Mold Prevention

Bathroom Ventilation: Everything You Ever Wanted and Needed to Know

by Catherine 3:16 am

I recently wrote a blog post detailing how to clean your bathroom ventilation fans properly for mold. (HERE is a link to that post on the blog.) Because ventilation, and especially bathroom ventilation (think an area with large amounts of moisture, warmth, and residue), are crucial to preventing mold growth in your home, I thought I would bring you a supplemental post to add to that one.

Today, I will share some helpful insights with you on how to pick the best fan for your bathroom and ventilation needs. To help me do that, I’ve enlisted some professional help. Let’s face it, I may know a thing or two about mold, cleaning for mold, and mold prevention, but when it comes to the intricacies of bath fans, I only really know what I have read. With that said, I would like to introduce you to Paul St. Pierre, founder of Bathfanreview.com.

3:16 am 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Homemade Products Mold Prevention Products

Eliminate Odors, Bacteria, and Fungus From Your Feet and Shoes: Part II and A Giveaway!!!!

by Catherine 10:41 pm

(Note: This post is Part II of a 2-part series on cleaning your feet and shoes for mold and bacteria. Today’s post features a Homemade Athletic Shoe-Cleaning Wash. To read Part I about making your own antibacterial and antifungal foot wash, click HERE. Read to the bottom of the post to find out how to enter the GIVEAWAY for 2 travel-size bottles of EC3 Laundry Additive.)

Today, I’m back with Part II of cleaning your stinky feet and shoes for mold and bacteria. This time, my post is all about shoes. Your shoes are constantly moist–either from sweat or from getting wet outside–and are constantly getting dirty and being exposed to bacteria, fungus and other microbes as well, just from normal wear and tear. And, as you probably know by now, moisture and dirt are a terrible combination when it comes to mold. The two create the perfect storm. Thus, knowing how to properly clean your shoes to address mold, especially your athletic shoes that your feet frequently sweat in, is imperative. Not only will using the right cleaning and antifungal ingredients on your shoes remove the current dirt, mold and bacteria, but it will also prevent additional contamination from being tracked into your home. (The minute dirty shoes touch your carpets, rugs or floors, everything that is currently on them, microbes, mold and all, is now right at home inside your house.)

Just as in my previous post where I gave you my special recipe for cleaning your feet, today, I will share my recipe and techniques for cleaning your athletic shoes. Many people I have already shared this recipe with claim that using this shoe wash got their athletic shoes sparkling clean, eradicated any unpleasant odors from them, and helped to prevent the spread and recurrence of athlete’s foot. I guess because this wash contends with the mold directly, it kills any fungus that would otherwise continue to fester inside the shoes and spread back to your feet again. Great! Another plus! Who wants athlete’s foot?!!!

10:41 pm 2 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Mold Prevention Products

The Benefits of Cleaning With Steam–The Antifungal, Antimicrobial Powerhouse

by Catherine 8:08 pm

As many of you know, my family deals with allergies, chemical sensitivities, and other types of scent- and product-related reactions in my house. All of those things increased exponentially after we lived in a mold-infested house for as long as we did. Now that we are all healthy again, and not living day to day with mold-related ailments, my son and I especially still have problems with cleaning products. The chemicals and smells in most household cleaners send my sinuses into overdrive, and give me headaches, while they make my son’s throat and skin start itching. Since I cannot just decide to give up on cleaning our home, my solution, other than mostly switching to natural, unscented products, like baking soda, white vinegar, and the EC3 products, that do not emit VOC’s, has been to use steam for many cleaning endeavors. I have both a handheld steamer and a steam mop (I use the Smart Living Steam Mop and the Smart Living Steam Jr.), so I am able to conquer most tasks with one of the two.

8:08 pm 7 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Mold Prevention

Steamy Showers AND a Mold-Free Home? Now You Can Have Both!

by Catherine 4:45 pm

One of my pet peeves is when I walk into the bathroom to find my husband taking a hot, steamy shower with the closet door open and the bathroom vent fan off. I literally blow my top! We are both extremely mold sensitive, and I know too well the dangers of the aftermath: The condensation from the steam on the ceilings and walls promotes mold growth in our bathroom, and then, our closet and clothes fill with the moisture and possibly start to mildew—a double whammy. In other words, prevention is key here, and mold can only grow where there is excess moisture; thus, where moisture is controlled, so is mold.

Since my husband is an ex-builder, I have access to his experience and understanding of the whys and wherefores of proper bathroom ventilation from a tangible, here’s where the fan should go, this size room needs this sort of fan, perspective. I pair that with my knowledge of mold and protecting my family from it, in order to offer some helpful tips for cleaning and using your bathroom fan to help win the battle over mold.

First, the basics: When you are purchasing or renting a home, or updating a bathroom, make sure an exhaust fan exists in the same room as the shower. In some older homes, ceiling ventilation is only in the toilet closet, especially if it is separate. A fan is needed in the same space as the shower to keep the air circulating and dry. Without air movement, condensation can form on walls and windows. Where water sits and cools, mold can and will grow. Also, make sure that the exhaust fan vents to the outside through the ceiling or roof. My husband has told me his stories of nightmare renovations, where the bathroom fans are ventilated straight into the attic, and sometimes even directly into the attic insulation. Moisture in the attic sits and creates a HUGE and possibly dangerous mold issue. (Note: Most attics are unconditioned spaces, meaning no direct heat or cooling applies. If your attic is a finished and conditioned space, it is highly unlikely that your bathroom fans would be vented into it. It is ALWAYS worth an inspection, though. This relatively inexpensive fix can save you LOTS in mold remediation down the line.)

4:45 pm 4 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Homemade Products Mold Prevention

Homemade Mold/Mildew Stain Removal Gel

by Catherine 3:37 am

Because I am often in mad scientist mode now that I have started this blog, writing and experimenting with products and techniques to find which things clean for mold best, I sometimes end up making products that once I have them, I don’t know how in the world I didn’t think of “inventing” them sooner. This cleaning gel is one of those inventions.

Before I begin telling you how to make it and what I use it for, I want to make sure that you know something about me. I take reader comments, input and suggestions very seriously. If a reader finds something I post helpful or informative, disagrees with something, or wants me to post more about a certain topic or cleaning technique, I want to hear about it. So, this post is the result of a recurring reader question concerning the EC3 Mold Solution Spra y and hard to remove mold/mildew stains on grout or tile. People love how the EC3 Mold Solution Spray wipes out the existent mold and eliminates the mycotoxins created by some of the more dangerous molds on contact, but they don’t love the way that the product leaves visible mold and mildew stains behind. In other words, you have to physically scrub the stains out, because the product does not bleach or lift the actual mold stains without a little added elbow grease. I addressed that once before in my post, How to Remove Stubborn Mold and Mildew Stains from Grout, but many people wanted to know if there was more of a “one stop shop,” or one product that could do it all without so many steps, and hard work that they could use. I am one for simplicity myself, so I went about trying to concoct a product that would “do it all,” so to speak.

3:37 am 2 comments

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Homemade Products Mold Prevention

How to Clean Your Yoga and Workout Mats for Mold and Bacteria

by Catherine 5:53 am

This post has been a long time coming. In other words, I’ve been neglecting doing this, finally got to it, and then wanted to share my experience and methods with you guys as soon as I could. And, since the New Year is upon us, causing many of us to reassess and to try to adopt new healthier habits, I thought this post would be very appropriate.

The activity in question–cleaning my yoga and workout mats for mold, of course. Not a chore that is very fun, but one that is extremely necessary, especially when you are highly allergic to any type of fungus, like I am. Or, when the telltale “mat stink,” coming from the combination of sweat (moisture and bacteria/fungus on your skin) and mold (the musty smell), becomes downright disruptive to your yoga practice.

Before I begin with my method, I want to share a few tidbits with you about lovely yoga and workout mats and why it is not only a good idea, but extremely necessary to do, both frequently and properly. According to a medical and microbiology professor at Rutgers School of Medicine, when tested for cleanliness, yoga mats have proven to be filthier, in terms of harboring bacteria and fungi than either airline seats or cell phones—two of the highest items on the contamination list. The reason being, yoga mats get more skin-to-skin contact than either of the other two items. Also, during exercise, more skin on your body is usually exposed; therefore, more skin is in contact with the mat. Human skin can foster many different organisms, among those are up to 14 different types of fungi. Combine that with sweat, an absorbent and porous surface, (aka the mat) and you have a recipe for bacterial and fungal disaster!

5:53 am 8 comments