Mold in the Winter

I just discovered something very eye-opening today. I found out that mold can actually grow during the winter season! I always thought that mold and mildew only grew during the summer, or when the weather is hot. Turns out, mold grows where it's wet. I had to learn this the hard way, sadly.

A few weeks ago, it was raining here and there was a leak in my roof. I didn't really think twice about it, just cleaned it up and got it fixed. However, to my surprise this morning, I was greeted by some nasty mold in the corner of the wall. Of course, I looked online for some cleaning tips. After I washed it off and threw away my clothes and the washcloth, I dried it with a dehumidifier and put my mold air purifier right by it. Thank goodness I have a few air purifiers on hand, though. Could you imagine what my house would be like if I didn't have an air purifier? Because air purifiers kill mold spores, I can rest easy knowing that there won't be anymore mold or mildew in my home tonight! Whew!

Children and Allergies: Some Useful Tips

Allergy season is upon us, and that means protecting you and your family from allergy related sickness. Children are of course, very susceptible to allergies and on any given day over 10,000 children miss school because of allergies. Forty percent of all kids suffer from a nasal allergy and millions more have food and skin allergies.

This is equally as hard on the child as it is the parent. Play dates can quickly be effected because of both outdoor and indoor allergies. Indoor allergies can range from dust mite fecal matter to pet dander. If you are hosting children, especially allergy sensitive children, over to your house it is important to be prepared with a variety of allergy precautions.

Always have anti-allergen fabric spray on hand. This spray can reduce allergens and is usually both fragrance and dye free so it is safe to use around children and animals. It has been developed to not irritate skin either. Be sure to wash fabric toys and blankets with an anti-allergen bleach as well because it can help destroy allergens that are found in fabric fibers and on hard surfaces.

Be sure to vacuum whatever room you plan on hosting the get together. Be sure to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to complete this task. This filter can eliminate 99.97% of dust, debris, dander and allergens down to 0.3 microns and comes recommended from a variety of health authorities.

Also, be sure to check out if the child has any allergic reactions in their diet. Food allergy and improper diet often speed up the effects of other allergies. Consult your child’s physician on planning a proper meal to help prevent and reduce the effects of allergens.

There are also some products on the market that offer superior sterilization over specific items, like toys, furniture and blankets.

Germ Guardian NS2000 Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer



The Germ Guardian NS2000 Dry Heat Nursery Sanitizer is a perfect example of this. Toys are a prime location for germs, bacteria and other known allergens. This product allows you to sanitize toys, pacifiers, bottles among other infant instruments that they often come in contact with.

This tool can eliminate 99% of bacteria within 30 minutes making it both quick and effective. It uses dry heat to sanitize and kill bacteria without using any chemicals. Extremely easy and safe to use, the NS2000 shuts off automatically once the cleaning cycle is complete and will never shrink or fade colorful fabrics or melt plastic and rubber items. It has a proven success rate in killing germs that cause pneumonia, RSV, earlobes, diarrhea, colds, and flu and has been tested by third parties to help verify their results.



Germ Guardian LW18 UV-C Sanitizer Wand

For a more portable sanitizer you should look at the Germ Guardian LW18 UV-C Sanitizer Wand. All you have to do is run it over surfaces to kill 99 percent of bacteria and viruses. It also helps eliminates allergens like mold and dust mites as well as odors.

Utilizing UV-C light that is used in hospitals for superior sanitization, all you have to do is hold the wand over an object for 20 seconds at a distance of about 2 inches for quick and effective sterilization. The wand has a maximum of 8,000 hours of use and can be programmed from anywhere between 5-60 minute intervals. The LW18 UV-C Sanitizer Wand is the perfect tool for a quick bacteria and allergen sweep before a childes play date.

UK Study Shows Correlation Between Asthma and Indoor Mold

According to a recent issue of Thorax, an international journal of respiratory medicine, a group of scientists in Wales performed a randomized, controlled trial investigating the effects of indoor mold on asthma patients. Prior to this study, it was not entirely clear whether there was a causal relationship between indoor mold and asthma, but these Cardiff University researchers found that the removal of indoor mold resulted in improvement of asthma and rhinitis systems, as well as decreased medication use among asthmatics.

The houses of asthma sufferers were randomly separated into groups: one where indoor mold was removed by the application of fungicide and a fan; and the other where no intervention had taken place for 12 months.

The results were astonishing: at six months, the group living in the homes with the fungicide and fans experienced significantly decreased symptoms of coughing and wheezing when compared to the control group. After 12 months, the intervention group saw increased reduction in medication and inhaler use, and improvement with rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms. Therefore, the scientists found that there was definitely a correlation between mold and exacerbated asthma and respiratory symptoms.

Jenny Versnel, Asthma UK's executive director of research and policy, stated that the study highlighted the importance of keeping houses dry and well-ventilated, as she noted, "This can reduce exposure to certain asthma triggers such as mold spores which are found in damp places."

Asthmatics and sufferers of respiratory problems can eliminate indoor mold and prevent the growth of future colonies through a few preventative steps. Because mold primarily thrives in areas with moisture, flooding, leaky pipes, faulty plumbing without proper ventilation, and unvented combustion appliances can all lead to mold growth. Proper ventilation and decreased humidity is critical in controlling mold. In addition, the use of an air purifier with a UV light such as the Alen T300 can also help destroy mold and other biological contaminants through the use of intense heat.