One of the most frequent and serious causes of fruit rot in strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries is gray mold. This can affect not only the fruit itself, but also the petals, fruit caps, and flower stalks. There is not another disease as serious as this one during a wet, warm growing season. This is the most extreme during the years that have a prolonged cloudy and rainy period during the fruit’s blooming season or harvest.
Young fruit blossoms are typically the most susceptible to the infection and they usually start to show infection in a cluster of fruit. Blossoms generally show the fruit infection as a soft, light brown, and quickly growing spot on the fruit. If it is let to remain attached to the plant, it will shrink, dry up, and become covered in a powdery, gray substance. This is where the disease gets the name of gray mold.
Fruit that are the most commonly affected are located toward the middle of the plant where the leaves and branches cause the humidity to be high and air circulation to be low. When strawberries rest upon the soil or when one strawberry touches an infected one or just a dead leaf, the fruit rot will begin.
Mature fruits are also susceptible after they are picked, but the younger green fruits may become just as infected; however, the disease isn’t usually detected until later when the fruit is ready to be harvested. Mature fruits are likely to be infected because of bruising or the breaking of the skin and if the conditions for the disease are favorable, mature fruits can become completely rotted as little as 48 hours after being picked.
To prevent gray mold from growing on your fruit, you should select a site to plant your fruit that has a good amount of soil drainage and air circulation. They should also be exposed to direct sunlight.
A good amount of straw mulch should be put between the plants to reduce the amount of contact the healthy fruit has with the soil.
Keep your fruit garden weeded, since it will slow the air movement in the canopy of the plant. Fruits need to be dry to reduce the chance of infection.
Remove any berries that have become diseased, but do not leave them in your garden. Take them away and make sure they do not come into contact with anything else you are growing.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Examples Of Mold Diseases That Most Never Heard Of
The names of diseases that are caused by mold typically end in the suffix “mycosis” and while you might not think that such diseases are that dangerous, but think again. These are serious illnesses that can lead to irreparable damage to different organs in your body and can even result in death in some extreme cases. Those at risk to contract them are generally those who have a weakened immune system, small children, the elderly, and anyone whose body is weak, such as a person who is undergoing chemotherapy or is recovering from a recent surgery. Mold contaminated surgical instruments can also transmit these diseases if they are not properly sterilized
Most of the diseases that are caused by mold begin with some flu-like symptoms like coughing, pain in the joints and muscles, fever, and chills. The medications used to treat these conditions can cause the very same symptoms that the disease does and can also end up causing some kidney, liver, skin, and eye damage if their usage is not monitored. Any doctor that prescribes such antifungal medication will probably require frequent lab work to be done on the patient to catch these side effects before they get out of hand.
Aspergillosis is a disease that are caused by molds belonging to the genus of Aspergillus and these molds are typically found not only outdoors, but can also be found indoors, as well. They have been known to produce what are called “aspergilloma” in any pre-existing cavity in the body such as those arising from cancer, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, or similar conditions. Aspergilloma often have no symptoms for quite a while, but when they do finally show themselves, they can include coughing up blood, weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath.
Another condition that commonly affects our pets (but can also affect humans) is called Blastomycosis. This disease can cause pneumonia and other kinds of respiratory infections in humans and animals and can spread to the rest of the body. When the mold spores enter the body, they become yeast and since yeast itself is not contagious, you should not worry about your pet giving it to you if they are showing signs of it. The cutaneous form of the disease shows itself as lesions on the skin of the body and if they are left moist and untreated, it can cause much damage to the surrounding bone and tissue.
These are only two of the diseases that can be caused by mold. There are others that are just as serious. If you suspect a mold infestation in your home, perform some do-it-yourself mold tests and have the results determined by a laboratory specializing in mold.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Most of the diseases that are caused by mold begin with some flu-like symptoms like coughing, pain in the joints and muscles, fever, and chills. The medications used to treat these conditions can cause the very same symptoms that the disease does and can also end up causing some kidney, liver, skin, and eye damage if their usage is not monitored. Any doctor that prescribes such antifungal medication will probably require frequent lab work to be done on the patient to catch these side effects before they get out of hand.
Aspergillosis is a disease that are caused by molds belonging to the genus of Aspergillus and these molds are typically found not only outdoors, but can also be found indoors, as well. They have been known to produce what are called “aspergilloma” in any pre-existing cavity in the body such as those arising from cancer, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, or similar conditions. Aspergilloma often have no symptoms for quite a while, but when they do finally show themselves, they can include coughing up blood, weight loss, fever, and shortness of breath.
Another condition that commonly affects our pets (but can also affect humans) is called Blastomycosis. This disease can cause pneumonia and other kinds of respiratory infections in humans and animals and can spread to the rest of the body. When the mold spores enter the body, they become yeast and since yeast itself is not contagious, you should not worry about your pet giving it to you if they are showing signs of it. The cutaneous form of the disease shows itself as lesions on the skin of the body and if they are left moist and untreated, it can cause much damage to the surrounding bone and tissue.
These are only two of the diseases that can be caused by mold. There are others that are just as serious. If you suspect a mold infestation in your home, perform some do-it-yourself mold tests and have the results determined by a laboratory specializing in mold.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Most Are Unaware Of The Dreaded Diseases Caused By Mold
If you hear of an illness that ends in “mycosis”, it was probably caused by a mold. Those who are particularly at risk to contract this class of diseases are those with compromised immune systems and this often occurs in people who have a cancer of the blood, chemotherapy patients, those with HIV or AIDs, anyone with serious blood disorders. Even though these diseases are far more likely to affect those with compromised immune systems, they can develop after a person has surgery or any other invasive procedure. It can also be transmitted by contaminated surgical instruments.
Generally the first symptoms of these mycotic diseases are those that are similar to the flu, such as chills, coughing, pain in the muscles and the joints, and fever. Medications that are antifungal can cause some of these symptoms, as well, even though the fungal infection that it is intended to treat cause these exact same symptoms. These drugs can also cause kidney damage and end up affecting the eyes, skin, or liver and a doctor will probably ask for labwork often in order to catch some of these serious side effects before they become out of control.
Some of the diseases that can be caught from a mold are histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, blastomycosis, and aspergillosis. These are serious fungal diseases and should be treated as such.
Aspergillosis is caused by molds in the Aspergillus genus and tends to be found in many places including buildings, plants, food, water, and soil.
Blastomycosis is caused by Blastomyces and is found soils that are rich in nutrients and very moist. It has been known to affect both animals and humans.
Candidiasis is caused from the mold Candida and can cause mouth infections or genital yeast infections, but it is even more serious when it ends up invading the bloodstream. Candida is found in the intestines naturally, however.
Coccidioidomycosis is caused by the mold coccidioides and this is found most often in the dry soil in the southwestern United States, and central and South America. It starts as a flu-like disease, but can infect the lungs and infect the other organs in the body, including the brain.
Cryptococcosis is caused by Cryptococcus and associated the most with Eucalyptus trees and bird droppings. It typically begins in the lungs, but has no symptoms until it spreads to the rest of the body.
Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma and tends to infect the lungs. Like other fungal infections, it includes flu-like symptoms and can spread to the rest of the body.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Generally the first symptoms of these mycotic diseases are those that are similar to the flu, such as chills, coughing, pain in the muscles and the joints, and fever. Medications that are antifungal can cause some of these symptoms, as well, even though the fungal infection that it is intended to treat cause these exact same symptoms. These drugs can also cause kidney damage and end up affecting the eyes, skin, or liver and a doctor will probably ask for labwork often in order to catch some of these serious side effects before they become out of control.
Some of the diseases that can be caught from a mold are histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, blastomycosis, and aspergillosis. These are serious fungal diseases and should be treated as such.
Aspergillosis is caused by molds in the Aspergillus genus and tends to be found in many places including buildings, plants, food, water, and soil.
Blastomycosis is caused by Blastomyces and is found soils that are rich in nutrients and very moist. It has been known to affect both animals and humans.
Candidiasis is caused from the mold Candida and can cause mouth infections or genital yeast infections, but it is even more serious when it ends up invading the bloodstream. Candida is found in the intestines naturally, however.
Coccidioidomycosis is caused by the mold coccidioides and this is found most often in the dry soil in the southwestern United States, and central and South America. It starts as a flu-like disease, but can infect the lungs and infect the other organs in the body, including the brain.
Cryptococcosis is caused by Cryptococcus and associated the most with Eucalyptus trees and bird droppings. It typically begins in the lungs, but has no symptoms until it spreads to the rest of the body.
Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma and tends to infect the lungs. Like other fungal infections, it includes flu-like symptoms and can spread to the rest of the body.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Dallas Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
What Is Blue Mold And how Does It Affect Me
Blue mold is a fungus that commonly affects fruits that are put into cold storage; the mold develops quite slowly at these cold temperatures. When it is brought to room temperature, green mold (which does not grow well in cold temperatures) predominates most infections where both molds are present. Blue mold is actually Penicillium italicum and is not as serious as the green mold that occurs in Florida. The spores become airborne and grow large colonies on the surface of fruit that have become infected. They will go on to contaminated the equipment, water in any tank the fruit comes into contact with, the packinghouse, transit containers, any storage room, and eventually the retail market area if the infected fruit is allowed to travel that far.
The fungus survives outside of the fruit packing industry in soil debris and since the spores are airborne, they can infect fruit on the tree or on the ground whose skin is damaged. Any infected fruit that is boxed with healthy fruit will cause the whole carton to become infected and care should be taken to remove any diseased fruit from the lot as soon as possible. Before it makes it to the retail market, any diseased fruit must be removed. The cycle of producing spores and infecting fruit can be repeated a great number of times in storage rooms and fruit packing houses and since this is true, it will eventually develop a strain that has a resistance to any chemical fungicides.
The symptoms of blue mold appear similar to sour rot or green mold; a small area of decay begins to form and this manifests as a soft, somewhat watery spot. These lesions will enlarge to about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and white mycelium will form in the center. Blue spores will begin to form shortly afterward and these are easily turned airborne by either moving the fruit around physically or by a simple air current in the room.
To reduce the incidents of blue mold, both harvesting and handling of the fruit needs to be very careful. High populations of blue mold spores cannot be let to gather in the storage rooms or packinghouses. Any fruit that is infected should be removed from the area where clean fruit is located immediately and put in a different facility used especially for disposing of it. Equipment should be sanitized on a daily basis.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
The fungus survives outside of the fruit packing industry in soil debris and since the spores are airborne, they can infect fruit on the tree or on the ground whose skin is damaged. Any infected fruit that is boxed with healthy fruit will cause the whole carton to become infected and care should be taken to remove any diseased fruit from the lot as soon as possible. Before it makes it to the retail market, any diseased fruit must be removed. The cycle of producing spores and infecting fruit can be repeated a great number of times in storage rooms and fruit packing houses and since this is true, it will eventually develop a strain that has a resistance to any chemical fungicides.
The symptoms of blue mold appear similar to sour rot or green mold; a small area of decay begins to form and this manifests as a soft, somewhat watery spot. These lesions will enlarge to about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and white mycelium will form in the center. Blue spores will begin to form shortly afterward and these are easily turned airborne by either moving the fruit around physically or by a simple air current in the room.
To reduce the incidents of blue mold, both harvesting and handling of the fruit needs to be very careful. High populations of blue mold spores cannot be let to gather in the storage rooms or packinghouses. Any fruit that is infected should be removed from the area where clean fruit is located immediately and put in a different facility used especially for disposing of it. Equipment should be sanitized on a daily basis.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Mold Fun Facts
Mold is everywhere around us. Be it indoors or outdoors. It is simply there. There is no such thing as a mold-free environment on this planet, or any other. There are three things that mold absolutely must have to survive. And the only time that mold is visible to the naked human eye is when large colonies begin to grow and gather. Previously stated was the fact that there are three things that mold need to survive.
First of all, mold requires nutrients. And if the mold was in an outdoor environment, these nutrients would most likely be acquired from organic matter like dead animals or dead plants. This is natural and necessary so that debris that builds up from the cadaver of the animal or plant. The mold causes decomposition and that helps the fertilization product in plants. The mold can also inhabit discarded trash such as cardboard, paper, pieces of drywall, fabrics, and other kinds of dust.
Another key element that is essential to the survival of mold is moisture. The decaying of organic matter requires moisture. As does the digesting of the organic matter by the mold. In fact, the highest numbers of cases of mold infestation occur during the summer time, when there is high humidity, and therefore higher condensation. This condensation gathers inside of a house. Winter time is also a bad time for homes, because certain areas can become drafty, and that can lead to condensation build up.
Something else that mold requires is something that there is an unlimited supply of. And that would be: time. Mold simply requires the time to grow. It can start a colony, after it has gained a sufficient amount of nutrients and moisture, in up to twenty four hours. And if something like a wet towel or piece of clothing is simply allowed to sit, then the mold is simply being handed enough time to gather in size and in number.
The last thing mold requires in order to survive and continue to spread is heat. Most molds do not even require an exponential amount of heat in order to spread. However, a good number of molds need it. Molds have been known to remain dormant at extreme temperatures while not growing. They stay in a kind of suspended animation. This goes for cold temperatures as well. They can be exposed to temperatures near two degrees Celsius, and they would revert to this state of suspended animation.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
First of all, mold requires nutrients. And if the mold was in an outdoor environment, these nutrients would most likely be acquired from organic matter like dead animals or dead plants. This is natural and necessary so that debris that builds up from the cadaver of the animal or plant. The mold causes decomposition and that helps the fertilization product in plants. The mold can also inhabit discarded trash such as cardboard, paper, pieces of drywall, fabrics, and other kinds of dust.
Another key element that is essential to the survival of mold is moisture. The decaying of organic matter requires moisture. As does the digesting of the organic matter by the mold. In fact, the highest numbers of cases of mold infestation occur during the summer time, when there is high humidity, and therefore higher condensation. This condensation gathers inside of a house. Winter time is also a bad time for homes, because certain areas can become drafty, and that can lead to condensation build up.
Something else that mold requires is something that there is an unlimited supply of. And that would be: time. Mold simply requires the time to grow. It can start a colony, after it has gained a sufficient amount of nutrients and moisture, in up to twenty four hours. And if something like a wet towel or piece of clothing is simply allowed to sit, then the mold is simply being handed enough time to gather in size and in number.
The last thing mold requires in order to survive and continue to spread is heat. Most molds do not even require an exponential amount of heat in order to spread. However, a good number of molds need it. Molds have been known to remain dormant at extreme temperatures while not growing. They stay in a kind of suspended animation. This goes for cold temperatures as well. They can be exposed to temperatures near two degrees Celsius, and they would revert to this state of suspended animation.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold Fun Facts
Mold is everywhere around us. Be it indoors or outdoors. It is simply there. There is no such thing as a mold-free environment on this planet, or any other. There are three things that mold absolutely must have to survive. And the only time that mold is visible to the naked human eye is when large colonies begin to grow and gather. Previously stated was the fact that there are three things that mold need to survive.
First of all, mold requires nutrients. And if the mold was in an outdoor environment, these nutrients would most likely be acquired from organic matter like dead animals or dead plants. This is natural and necessary so that debris that builds up from the cadaver of the animal or plant. The mold causes decomposition and that helps the fertilization product in plants. The mold can also inhabit discarded trash such as cardboard, paper, pieces of drywall, fabrics, and other kinds of dust.
Another key element that is essential to the survival of mold is moisture. The decaying of organic matter requires moisture. As does the digesting of the organic matter by the mold. In fact, the highest numbers of cases of mold infestation occur during the summer time, when there is high humidity, and therefore higher condensation. This condensation gathers inside of a house. Winter time is also a bad time for homes, because certain areas can become drafty, and that can lead to condensation build up.
Something else that mold requires is something that there is an unlimited supply of. And that would be: time. Mold simply requires the time to grow. It can start a colony, after it has gained a sufficient amount of nutrients and moisture, in up to twenty four hours. And if something like a wet towel or piece of clothing is simply allowed to sit, then the mold is simply being handed enough time to gather in size and in number.
The last thing mold requires in order to survive and continue to spread is heat. Most molds do not even require an exponential amount of heat in order to spread. However, a good number of molds need it. Molds have been known to remain dormant at extreme temperatures while not growing. They stay in a kind of suspended animation. This goes for cold temperatures as well. They can be exposed to temperatures near two degrees Celsius, and they would revert to this state of suspended animation.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
First of all, mold requires nutrients. And if the mold was in an outdoor environment, these nutrients would most likely be acquired from organic matter like dead animals or dead plants. This is natural and necessary so that debris that builds up from the cadaver of the animal or plant. The mold causes decomposition and that helps the fertilization product in plants. The mold can also inhabit discarded trash such as cardboard, paper, pieces of drywall, fabrics, and other kinds of dust.
Another key element that is essential to the survival of mold is moisture. The decaying of organic matter requires moisture. As does the digesting of the organic matter by the mold. In fact, the highest numbers of cases of mold infestation occur during the summer time, when there is high humidity, and therefore higher condensation. This condensation gathers inside of a house. Winter time is also a bad time for homes, because certain areas can become drafty, and that can lead to condensation build up.
Something else that mold requires is something that there is an unlimited supply of. And that would be: time. Mold simply requires the time to grow. It can start a colony, after it has gained a sufficient amount of nutrients and moisture, in up to twenty four hours. And if something like a wet towel or piece of clothing is simply allowed to sit, then the mold is simply being handed enough time to gather in size and in number.
The last thing mold requires in order to survive and continue to spread is heat. Most molds do not even require an exponential amount of heat in order to spread. However, a good number of molds need it. Molds have been known to remain dormant at extreme temperatures while not growing. They stay in a kind of suspended animation. This goes for cold temperatures as well. They can be exposed to temperatures near two degrees Celsius, and they would revert to this state of suspended animation.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold Dangers
Insurance companies, as well as other various groups in the country, would be thrilled at the prospect of fooling you into believing that mold is not as dangerous as the media would tell you. However, mold is most likely even more dangerous than speculated. While mold has been around far longer than human beings, that does not mean it does not cause us medical and financial complications. And if anyone has tried to tell you that the problem is not as serious as stated, you may want to inform them of just how dangerous of a problem mold really is.
Mold affects far more than simply the appearance of your home. There are serious health ramifications as well. Some of these include, but are not limited to, fatigue, allergy symptoms, damaged vision, and sinusitis. The allergy symptoms are the most common health complication brought on and usually appear in the form of runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and in some cases rashes. If these symptoms are not experienced when you are outside of your home, however, then it could be something in your living environment causing these reactions. It comes highly recommended that you see a doctor when you are able to determine that it is indeed something in your home causing these symptoms. There you can receive a proper diagnosis and recommendations on how to deal with the ailment.
It is very important that you protect pets and loved ones from mold, as well. It has been known to kill pets, and especially infants by way of lung bleeding. Elderly people, especially those who are in poor health and with respiratory problems, are at a high risk for health ramifications of mold. If someone is HIV positive, has AIDS, has any other kind of immunity debilitating diseases, or are recovering from surgery, then they are at extremely high risk for mold-related health problems.
In the region of Southeast Asia, some of the most dangerous infections are caused. This includes penicilliosis, which most commonly affects HIV positive and AIDS patients. It is caused by mold in the genus penicillium, a genus which is best known for including the species of mold used in penicillin, which was invented due to an accident in the 1940s.
Now, there are ways to make sure that your home and loved ones are safe from mold. A do-it-yourself home mold test taped to the grill of one of your air conditioning vents is a good idea. You can put tests in other rooms as well.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Water Damage Restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors
Mold affects far more than simply the appearance of your home. There are serious health ramifications as well. Some of these include, but are not limited to, fatigue, allergy symptoms, damaged vision, and sinusitis. The allergy symptoms are the most common health complication brought on and usually appear in the form of runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and in some cases rashes. If these symptoms are not experienced when you are outside of your home, however, then it could be something in your living environment causing these reactions. It comes highly recommended that you see a doctor when you are able to determine that it is indeed something in your home causing these symptoms. There you can receive a proper diagnosis and recommendations on how to deal with the ailment.
It is very important that you protect pets and loved ones from mold, as well. It has been known to kill pets, and especially infants by way of lung bleeding. Elderly people, especially those who are in poor health and with respiratory problems, are at a high risk for health ramifications of mold. If someone is HIV positive, has AIDS, has any other kind of immunity debilitating diseases, or are recovering from surgery, then they are at extremely high risk for mold-related health problems.
In the region of Southeast Asia, some of the most dangerous infections are caused. This includes penicilliosis, which most commonly affects HIV positive and AIDS patients. It is caused by mold in the genus penicillium, a genus which is best known for including the species of mold used in penicillin, which was invented due to an accident in the 1940s.
Now, there are ways to make sure that your home and loved ones are safe from mold. A do-it-yourself home mold test taped to the grill of one of your air conditioning vents is a good idea. You can put tests in other rooms as well.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Texas Water Damage Restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors
Learn How To Identify What Kind Of Mold You Are Dealing With
Mold is bad for us, we all know that, but just what different kinds of mold are there? They have been around since before the time of Christ and yet some people do not think that they need to be taken seriously as a real health threat. It grows everywhere and its one purpose in the natural world is to decompose dead organic matter. It is in our homes and on our lawns, on our food and on our clothes. You cannot truly do anything to completely get rid of it, but what you can do is educate yourself about what kinds of mold there are, what they can do to you, and how you can get rid of them.
There are about three different categories that a mold is classified into: pathogenic, allergenic, and toxic. The line between pathogenic molds and toxic molds is a little difficult to discern, but the allergenic mold class is not as dangerous as the other two.
Allergenic molds can either cause allergies or make allergies that a person already has even worse. It can make such things as asthma and emphysema aggravated and more difficult to deal with. The very young and the elderly particularly have a problem with these molds, because their immune systems are not as strong as a healthy young or middle aged adult. Symptoms include typical allergy symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, skin rashes, and etcetera.
Toxic molds produce what are called mycotoxins and even though these kinds of molds are not as common as allergenic or even pathogenic molds, they are extremely dangerous. These molds can even cause the death of a person if the circumstances are extreme enough and while “toxic black mold” has become a common term used in the news, it is usually referring to Stachybotrys atra or some other variant of Stachybotrys. This mold is typically found on wet items, especially on wet paper or woods. This mold has also been known to cause a baby to bleed from the lungs.
Pathogenic molds are molds that tend to cause opportunistic infections in people, such as penicilliosis, which is the third most common opportunistic infection in HIV patients in southeast Asia. This is a serious problem and anyone with a weakened immune system is very much at risk for contracting this condition, even if you are simply traveling to the region for a few days.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Orlando water damage restoration companies and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
There are about three different categories that a mold is classified into: pathogenic, allergenic, and toxic. The line between pathogenic molds and toxic molds is a little difficult to discern, but the allergenic mold class is not as dangerous as the other two.
Allergenic molds can either cause allergies or make allergies that a person already has even worse. It can make such things as asthma and emphysema aggravated and more difficult to deal with. The very young and the elderly particularly have a problem with these molds, because their immune systems are not as strong as a healthy young or middle aged adult. Symptoms include typical allergy symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, skin rashes, and etcetera.
Toxic molds produce what are called mycotoxins and even though these kinds of molds are not as common as allergenic or even pathogenic molds, they are extremely dangerous. These molds can even cause the death of a person if the circumstances are extreme enough and while “toxic black mold” has become a common term used in the news, it is usually referring to Stachybotrys atra or some other variant of Stachybotrys. This mold is typically found on wet items, especially on wet paper or woods. This mold has also been known to cause a baby to bleed from the lungs.
Pathogenic molds are molds that tend to cause opportunistic infections in people, such as penicilliosis, which is the third most common opportunistic infection in HIV patients in southeast Asia. This is a serious problem and anyone with a weakened immune system is very much at risk for contracting this condition, even if you are simply traveling to the region for a few days.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Orlando water damage restoration companies and
Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Natural Born Mold Killers Can Save You From Chemical Exposure
While there are a lot of different commercial chemicals that are used to kill mold, a lot of people do not like to use a lot of household chemicals in their homes. There is a belief that the more we use chemicals in our daily lives, the more harm they will end up doing us and since there may be some truth to this, some people have found other ways to kill mold besides the cleaners that we find in department and grocery stores.
Three natural ingredients have been found to kill mold quite effectively, but two of them are quite expensive and one is, well… kind of stinky.
The most widely available and inexpensive of the three natural ways to kill mold is vinegar. It is by far the cheapest natural method and the most simple to use. Distilled white vinegar is the best kind to use because it has no color to it and there is no risk of discoloring anything you might put it on. Vinegar will reportedly kill around 82 percent of molds in your home. While it will not kill all kinds of mold, it will kill most of the kind that you find indoors and if it does not kill it, you will most assuredly know. All you have to do is put the mold into a spray bottle, spray it on the area of mold and if you can stand the smell, let it stay on the surface without rinsing it. The smell should go away after a few hours and the mold should have died soon after.
Another way to kill mold, even if it is a bit expensive, is tea tree oil. You can find this at most health food stores and it has a little more broad of a spectrum of fungi that it will get rid of than vinegar. Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up to blend the two and spray on anything that has mold on it. Do not rinse it off. This should make about two cups and it should last indefinitely.
The last way to do this is by using grapefruit seed extract. The advantage of this is that grapefruit seed extract has no smell to it. 20 drops of the extract and two cups of water in a spray bottle should do the trick. Follow the same directions for
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Three natural ingredients have been found to kill mold quite effectively, but two of them are quite expensive and one is, well… kind of stinky.
The most widely available and inexpensive of the three natural ways to kill mold is vinegar. It is by far the cheapest natural method and the most simple to use. Distilled white vinegar is the best kind to use because it has no color to it and there is no risk of discoloring anything you might put it on. Vinegar will reportedly kill around 82 percent of molds in your home. While it will not kill all kinds of mold, it will kill most of the kind that you find indoors and if it does not kill it, you will most assuredly know. All you have to do is put the mold into a spray bottle, spray it on the area of mold and if you can stand the smell, let it stay on the surface without rinsing it. The smell should go away after a few hours and the mold should have died soon after.
Another way to kill mold, even if it is a bit expensive, is tea tree oil. You can find this at most health food stores and it has a little more broad of a spectrum of fungi that it will get rid of than vinegar. Combine 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake it up to blend the two and spray on anything that has mold on it. Do not rinse it off. This should make about two cups and it should last indefinitely.
The last way to do this is by using grapefruit seed extract. The advantage of this is that grapefruit seed extract has no smell to it. 20 drops of the extract and two cups of water in a spray bottle should do the trick. Follow the same directions for
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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