Showing posts with label Leaf Mold Allergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leaf Mold Allergy. Show all posts

Sunday, 20 February 2011

Air Purifiers For Mold Allergy Relief

Mold - the microscopic fungi that invades your home to expose you and your family to severe health risks. Although mold comprises the "blue" of bleu cheese, it is neither tasty nor inviting when it's invading your home. Now more than ever, allergy and asthma sufferers (and even those who aren't allergic to mold) are looking for a solution to their mold troubles.

Are air purifiers the answer to mold problems?

Inside the home, molds like Alternaria, Aspergillus Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Stachybotrys grow frequently in places that are warm, damp, and dark. However, mold itself does not trigger allergic or asthmatic reactions. Instead, the microscopic mold spores (seeds) floating through the air cause coughing, wheezing, stuffy and runny noses in those who are allergic. These awful mold spores make indoor and outdoor air quality unbearable for some. As tiny mold spores float in the air and evade the protective mechanisms of your respiratory system, you'll find comfort in the fact that there are effective ways to reduce and eliminate mold in your home.

Most air purifiers combat the multiplying presence of mold using a very powerful weapon: the HEPA air filter. HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters excel at trapping microscopic particles. True HEPA filters must meet strict standards of efficiency, capturing a minimum of 99.97% of pollutants at 0.3 microns.

As mold spores range between one and five microns in size, HEPA filters are certified and proven to remove virtually all airborne mold spores. Thus, air purifiers provide mold allergy relief. Ensure that your air purifier contains a HEPA filter by looking on the package. Each HEPA filter is marked accordingly and represents the strict guidelines for which HEPA certification requires.

HEPA filters eliminate mold spores by filtering the airborne spores from the air and trapping them within the HEPA filter. To effectively filter mold spores, place the air purifier where mold is frequently found: basements, bathrooms, kitchens, and rooms with upholstered furniture. Replace your HEPA filter frequently, as advised on the packaging, to ensure that your air purifier will continue to provide air free and clear of mold spores.

Austin Air Allergy Machine air purifiers include HEPA filters which consistently rank as #1 in the world. Also included in the Austin Air Allergy Machine air purifiers is a special patented HEGA (High Efficiency Gas Adsorber) filter which eliminates not only airborne contaminants like pollen, mold spores, and pet dander, but also odors, gases, and smoke. This innovative combination provides fresher, cleaner air for you and your family.

For industrial strength protection against airborne contaminants, the AllerAir 6000 series air purifiers come with effective HEPA filters as well as two antimicrobial filters to eliminate mold, viruses, and bacteria. AllerAir air purifiers also come with an activated carbon filter which eliminates Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), chemicals, gases, and odors.

However, nothing can top the air cleaning abilities of the NQ Clarifier air purifiers. The NQ Clarifier air purifier is the only air purifier that provides five stages of unmatched filtration. Within the NQ Clarifier's five stages of air purification are: a Polyester Pre-filter, a True HEPA filter, a carbon filter, a carbon post-filter, and two ultraviolet lamps that efficiently kill airborne microorganisms. The NQ Clarifier air purifier offers hospital-grade filtration that will guard against chemicals, VOCs, odors, pollen, bacteria, viruses, and of course, mold spores.

Also, to ensure that your home remains mold-free, use hygrometers and humidity gauges to monitor and manage the humidity levels in your home. Mold loves humidity and thrives in areas that are damp and dark. After testing your home's humidity levels, use dehumidifiers to lower the humidity if necessary, and place HEPA air purifiers in problem areas.

Air purifiers offer the perfect solution to filter out airborne mold spores. But don't forget to vacuum! Vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters will eliminate mold spores on your carpet and rugs. Vacuum regularly with your HEPA vacuum cleaner to ensure that your rugs and carpets remain clean of mold colonies.

And for the nasty black spots and smears of mold colonies on countertops and shower heads, use special cleaners like M-1 House Wash, M-1 Sure Cote, or MoldZyme.

Don't let mold take over your home. Breathe easier with a HEPA air purifier.

Thursday, 17 February 2011

The Best Mold Allergy Treatment - General House Cleaning

If your nose becomes runny at random parts of the day, and you find that your family is becoming more and more susceptible to common respiratory illnesses like colds, coughs, and sinusitis, but your doctor cannot put a finger on the exact cause, you may have a mold allergy to deal with. Medications for allergies may help clear the symptoms, but if your home is infested with mold, you are not exactly getting rid of the same toxic particles that may cause more severe and fatal health concerns later on. Besides, it can be pretty taxing to keep returning to the doctor for a prescription.

So, there really are ways you can go about getting the perfect mold allergy treatment plan, which is cleaning up your entire home. Here are the things you can do to make sure you protect your family from diseases caused by molds. Here are some suggestions:

1. Get rid of everything old. Old means that it has probably been kept too long in a corner or the basement storage and forgotten about. You don't really need them, so de-clutter all areas in your home. Places where a lot of mold can grow are libraries, cabinets under the sink, storage areas, basement and the attic. These places get very little sunlight, and dampness may occur due to climate, so they're the perfect breeding ground for mold.

2. Trash old books. You may not believe this, but flip through some really old books, and you will see tiny brown to black spots. These are molds. They take advantage of the cellulose in paper, because it serves as nutrients for them.

3. Hold off on organic fruits and veggies. It's a pain, especially when you're committed to living healthy. But here's the truth about non-organic fruits and vegetables. They have been treated with pesticides and fungicides, so they are less susceptible to fungi like mold. Remember, you aren't really sure where the molds are coming from. They have roots too tiny to be seen by the naked eye. You can go back to organic products when you and your family have resolved the mold allergy issues.

4. Inspect your hardwood floors for dark spots. If they weren't there before, they are probably mold. Molds thrive on materials that have carbohydrate material, like wood. If you have mold issues on your hardwood floor, there's a major possibility that there are also molds growing within the walls that surround these floors. Hire a contractor to open up these walls, clean and bleach them, and patch them back up. This may cost a little, but is nothing compared to your health if you ignore the mold infestation within the walls.

5. Clean your kitchen and bathroom tiles with bleach. Scrub, scrub, scrub away! Be sure to get into those little spaces between tiles. The black soil-like matter you see there are actually molds.

6. Get rid of drapes in your rooms. When it rains, moisture can accumulate on the windows, and can be absorbed by these drapes. Because they may not be exposed to direct sunlight, drapes or curtains can be the perfect thriving place of molds too. Replace these drapes with shades, or Venetian blinds.

7. Replace damp rugs in the bathroom and in other parts of the house regularly.

8. Hang towels to dry in the sunlight after using them after shower.

9. Reposition steaming appliances where the windows are. For instance, crock pots are better used where moisture can escape instead of accumulating on walls and ceilings.

10. Finally, inspect your sofas, mattresses and furniture for mold. Have them bleached and upholstered, or if the molds are too much, consider replacing them.