Wednesday, September 19, 2012

If You Wake Up Sneezing, Coughing, Tired--You Could Have Mold in Your Home

Do you wake up with eye irritation, coughing, sneezing, respiratory issues, headache, fatigue—even flu-like symptoms, tight chest, or dizziness?  Is there any kind of musty or mildew smell in your home?  You could be having symptoms of mold exposure.

Mold is everywhere. And just about all homes and buildings have some degree of mold. Mold feeds on moisture and organic material (any kind of material found in nature, wood, fibers, etc) and it’s almost impossible to prevent moisture from accumulating at least a little bit in homes. How much mold and what type of mold are the key factors to watch, however. If you are having any of the symptoms above in your home, especially when you wake up, you may have a mold problem. If it’s toxic black mold, your life could actually be in danger as this type of mold produces mycotoxins that have very bad health effects—such as damage to nerve and organ tissue.

So how do you find out how much and what type of mold is in your home? Well, the first step in mold removal / remediation is detection / identification. And one of the fastest and easiest ways to do this is to use a Mold Test Kit. These kits are simple test-strip type kits that you mail off and get lab-grade results in 3-5 days. And it’s cheap—usually around $50. 

If you do have mold or toxic black mold is present, you’ll then want to take several steps, in addition to installing a full home air cleaner system: 1) check the humidity level in your home, which can be done with an outdoor thermometer that has a humidity dial, or your local hardware store may have a humidity meter. The humidity should be in the 30-50% range ideally. If indoor humidity more than 50%, you’ll need to figure out why—there is probably a leak somewhere, which must be found/fixed-- steam or condensation on pipes could be part of the issue, as well. 2) Make sure your home a/c has an allergy rated filter (1500 or higher), 3) If you see any mold, the area needs to be cleaned with a strong solution of chlorine bleach/water—make sure you put on a respirator or mask before attempting any cleaning to prevent inhaling spores.

Once the area is cleaned, and if the area was painted, you may want to repaint with mold-killing paint such as KILZ. If you have black mold, we advise that you seek. Killing mold requires that the moisture / food sources be removed, and spores destroyed from every area that might be contaminated. This is where professional mold remediation services can be a great deal of help, as they are trained to effectively and safely remove toxic black mold permanently.

Again, to further safeguard yourself from the ill health effects of mold, we also highly recommend that you install a quality whole house air purification system to keep you from inhaling the mold spores and mycotoxins that cause allergy andasthma and other respiratory symptoms. One good whole house air purification system that is affordable and effective is the 6000 D AH Vocarb from Aller Air.. This unit attaches to the home HVAC duct and features a medical grade HEPA filter, activated carbon to remove organic vapors in the air (some of which can come from mycotoxins), plus optional UV lamp for extra mold, bacteria and virus killing power. This way, all of the air in your home will be cleaned, not just one room (as with portable air purifiers).

At Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com, we offer the best air purification / air quality products available, at the lowest prices possible with free shipping. And, we have air quality experts to help you make the very best air purification / air cleaning product purchase. Call us toll free at 1-800-701-2513 if you have any questions!

Air Purifiers and Cleaners.com
1-800-701-2513

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