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Revision as of 21:29, 27 October 2009
Defining Mold
Everyone has come across mold now and then. We’ve all gone to make a sandwich
and pulled out a moldy piece of bread. Mold can be found on cheese, inside
plastic food containers, and in refrigerators. Mold can grow in toilets, tubs,
and sinks. I went to take out my garbage the other day and saw mold in the
bottom of my garbage can in the kitchen. Mold can grow anywhere. Health problems
can happen when mold starts to form in your home.
Mold is a kind of fungus. In fact there are more than five thousand differing
kinds. These organisms are extremely tiny and can’t be seen without the aid of a
microscope. They exist by breaking down organic matter. Mold multiplies when
millions of miniscule spores are given off. Mold is a fundamental and
instrumental component of nature. It aids in digesting plant waste, wood, and
other plant foliage. Mold is very vital to our environment and if it wasn’t
around our ecological community would fall apart. Sadly, it isn’t as valuable in
our homes.
When mold multiplies, it disperses miniscule spores that come into our homes. As
soon as it encounters an appropriate setting, it starts breaking down your
sofas, rugs, wallpaper, and other things that provide a very damp and stuffy
atmosphere. We used to have wallpaper in our bathroom and the ventilation in our
bathroom wasn’t that good. Besides the wallpaper peeling off from the walls,
mold was growing on the wallpaper as well as other areas in that room. You can
diminish the rate at which mold grows in your home by cleaning regularly and by
maintaining a dry environment. Mold does well in damp places where there is no
light.
Many times, we are not even aware that mold is developing in our homes. When we
do become cognizant of the fact that we do have mold in our homes it may be due
to a stagnant smell permeating through the air. Another way the presence of mold
is detected is when someone in our home develops an allergic reaction or
physical ailment of some kind. Symptoms may be a stuffy nose, sneezing,
coughing, inflamed skin, headaches, and other signs that aren’t pleasant.
It is important that you don’t breathe in the miniscule spores that mold gives
off when it is tampered with, as in cleaning. These spores are so small that
they can get into your body by way of your skin. How else can mold get into our
bodies? By the food we eat if any mold is on it. Mold could be growing on our
fridge and we touch it, it could then contaminate any food we may handle. Mold
also grows inside your child’s little tub toys that squirt water. After your
kids take a bath, make sure all the water is out of these rubber toys. Otherwise
if there is mold in them, the next time your child squirts them they may be
squirting out some mold as well.
Mold is not normally dangerous to individuals with good health, although those
who suffer from asthma and allergies can become very sick and even have asthma
attacks. If you believe any breathing problem or illness you have is from mold,
you should schedule a visit with your doctor.
Most molds in your home can be eliminated by cleaning with natural products
specifically targeted toward mold.
By: Bradley Skierkowski