There's more lurking unseen on the surfaces of your home than just bacteria. There's also household mold.
Mold is a type of fungus, a single-celled organism which grows in colonies like the fuzzy, slimy growth you eventually see on neglected food. Spores are everywhere - on the surfaces around you, on your skin, floating on every breath you take.
That's not so bad; mold, like bacteria, is a part of the natural world and often has beneficial effects. Penicillin, of course, is the most widely known example, but there are many others. Mold and bacteria are responsible for cheese, for example, and you can't make bread without yeast. Candida albicans, a form of yeast, is an essential component of a well-balanced, healthy digestive system. The koji molds, part of the Aspergillus family, are used in Asian cooking to make soy sauce and soybean paste. Other molds are responsible for the creation of foods like quorn (Fusarium venenatum)and tempeh (Rhizopus oligosporus). Penicillium is also used to make cheese. Monascus purpureus, when grown on rice, creates Red Rice Yeast, which has recently been found, in combination with fish oil and other healthy life changes, to be as effective in lowering cholesterol as medication.
However, there's a much darker side to mold. Certain types excrete mycotoxins, which are highly toxic. Exposure to these mycotoxins, especially in areas with high moisture and poor air circulation, can cause a wide variety of symptoms, some of them dangerously severe. For example, a 1999 study by the Mayo Clinic found that nearly all chronic sinus infections - 37 million or more - are caused by molds.
A variety of common household molds, including Cladosporium, Penicillium, Mucor, Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Alternaria can become invasive. However, Stachybotrys chartarum and Stachybotrys atra are what we commonly refer to as black mold. According to environmentalhealthhazards.com, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists these maladies associated with exposure to Stachybotrys mold spores:
1) Respiratory problems, such as wheezing, and difficulty in breathing
2) Nasal and sinus congestion
3) Eyes-burning, watery, reddened, blurry vision, light sensitivity
4) Dry, hacking cough
5) Sore throat
6) Nose and throat irritation
7) Shortness of breath
8) Chronic fatigue
9) Skin irritation
10) Central nervous system problems (constant headaches, memory problems, and mood changes)
11) Aches and pains
12) Possible fever
13) Diarrhea
14) Possible hemosiderosis (an iron overload disorder)
15) Immune suppression
Luckily, Stachybotrys, which requires 55% relative humidity to thrive, doesn't grow on things like vinyl or ceramic tile. It's not the green mold on that peach in the vegetable drawer, and although the mold that builds up in your shower is black, relax: that's not it, either.
Keeping the surfaces of your home clean and dry is a good start, but a good, deep sanitizing from time to time is a good idea, too. Mold can build up underneath your carpet, between walls and in other hidden, moist areas of your home. If you find a large deposit somewhere, don't underestimate this icky enemy: make sure you arm yourself with information and take precautions, like gloves and a mask or respirator, before you tackle the problem. Better yet, call in cleaning professionals who deal with problems like that every day. Better safe than sorry.
For top-quality and affordable Colorado Springs Carpet Cleaners choose Carpet MD 4968 Chariot Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80923 (719) 659-4794 -- Visit our website http://www.CarpetMD.net -- IICRC certified and trained, we will do a deeper cleaning and guarantee your satisfaction. (Most other carpet cleaners are not properly trained and certified and will leave behind dangerous chemicals.) Read our reviews and call us today!
Mold is a type of fungus, a single-celled organism which grows in colonies like the fuzzy, slimy growth you eventually see on neglected food. Spores are everywhere - on the surfaces around you, on your skin, floating on every breath you take.
That's not so bad; mold, like bacteria, is a part of the natural world and often has beneficial effects. Penicillin, of course, is the most widely known example, but there are many others. Mold and bacteria are responsible for cheese, for example, and you can't make bread without yeast. Candida albicans, a form of yeast, is an essential component of a well-balanced, healthy digestive system. The koji molds, part of the Aspergillus family, are used in Asian cooking to make soy sauce and soybean paste. Other molds are responsible for the creation of foods like quorn (Fusarium venenatum)and tempeh (Rhizopus oligosporus). Penicillium is also used to make cheese. Monascus purpureus, when grown on rice, creates Red Rice Yeast, which has recently been found, in combination with fish oil and other healthy life changes, to be as effective in lowering cholesterol as medication.
However, there's a much darker side to mold. Certain types excrete mycotoxins, which are highly toxic. Exposure to these mycotoxins, especially in areas with high moisture and poor air circulation, can cause a wide variety of symptoms, some of them dangerously severe. For example, a 1999 study by the Mayo Clinic found that nearly all chronic sinus infections - 37 million or more - are caused by molds.
A variety of common household molds, including Cladosporium, Penicillium, Mucor, Aspergillus, Rhizopus and Alternaria can become invasive. However, Stachybotrys chartarum and Stachybotrys atra are what we commonly refer to as black mold. According to environmentalhealthhazards.com, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists these maladies associated with exposure to Stachybotrys mold spores:
1) Respiratory problems, such as wheezing, and difficulty in breathing
2) Nasal and sinus congestion
3) Eyes-burning, watery, reddened, blurry vision, light sensitivity
4) Dry, hacking cough
5) Sore throat
6) Nose and throat irritation
7) Shortness of breath
8) Chronic fatigue
9) Skin irritation
10) Central nervous system problems (constant headaches, memory problems, and mood changes)
11) Aches and pains
12) Possible fever
13) Diarrhea
14) Possible hemosiderosis (an iron overload disorder)
15) Immune suppression
Luckily, Stachybotrys, which requires 55% relative humidity to thrive, doesn't grow on things like vinyl or ceramic tile. It's not the green mold on that peach in the vegetable drawer, and although the mold that builds up in your shower is black, relax: that's not it, either.
Keeping the surfaces of your home clean and dry is a good start, but a good, deep sanitizing from time to time is a good idea, too. Mold can build up underneath your carpet, between walls and in other hidden, moist areas of your home. If you find a large deposit somewhere, don't underestimate this icky enemy: make sure you arm yourself with information and take precautions, like gloves and a mask or respirator, before you tackle the problem. Better yet, call in cleaning professionals who deal with problems like that every day. Better safe than sorry.
For top-quality and affordable Colorado Springs Carpet Cleaners choose Carpet MD 4968 Chariot Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80923 (719) 659-4794 -- Visit our website http://www.CarpetMD.net -- IICRC certified and trained, we will do a deeper cleaning and guarantee your satisfaction. (Most other carpet cleaners are not properly trained and certified and will leave behind dangerous chemicals.) Read our reviews and call us today!
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