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Some Ideas for Preventing Mold Allergies |
 Mold allergies are a particularly difficult problem to tackle because unlike food allergies, it is possible you may have an allergic reaction to mold that you never see. But mold allergy symptoms can make you sick and create a misery that just keeps coming back until you get to the heart of the problem. Unlike an allergy to milk or seafood, a mold allergy is a reaction to something that you would never intentionally have in your home.
But mold is part of nature and it can come close quietly and without notice. Then when mold allergy symptoms begin to bother you, it is easy to think the problem is coming from a dire illness or another kind of allergy. But one thing that a mold allergy has in common with other common allergy problems is that the best cure for mold allergy symptoms is prevention so that you never have to experience them at all.
A mold allergy resembles an allergy to pollen because generally you come in contact with the allergen through mold spores that are carried in the air or get into the water supply. Mold spores are microscopic so it is impossible to know if you are at risk for having an episode of mold allergy symptoms at any given time. The actual mold that is generating the spores may be on food, in a compost pile, in the garbage, growing on trees in the yard, under the house or in the attic or the walls.
The most obvious evidence of mold spores happens when your allergic symptoms take over. Since mold spores are generally breathed into the body, the most common symptoms of a mold allergy are coughing, itchy and watery eyes, wheezing and aggravation of your asthma problems.
The most obvious way to keep a mold allergy at bay is to eliminate the causes of mold so it doesn’t get a chance to take hold in your home. Mold does very well in humid conditions, which explains why it often grows under trees or in your garage or basement where humidity is allowed to go unchecked. A laundry room is also a place where mold can grow around the hoses that attach the washing machine to the wall. So your first line of defense against a mold allergy is to get the humidity level of your home down. Doctors recommend that having the humidity under 40% is a good target.
Natural ways to get the humidity down in your home is to encourage air circulation through the use of ceiling fans and simply opening windows to let good fresh air into the home. This is especially helpful in bathrooms where humidity will gather naturally. By keeping the rooms aired out, mold allergy problems can be nipped in the bud.
For rooms where you cannot get good air circulation, a dehumidifier can do a lot to keep the mold levels down and so combat mold allergies. These helpful units are especially good to use in out of the way spots of the home like in the basement or in a utility room where mold can develop unnoticed.
Stepping up your program of changing out the air filters in your home is not only good housekeeping, it is a way to make sure more mold allergy causing spores are caught before they get to you or your family. There is a specific kind of filter called a HEPA filter that is designed to fight allergens in the air. If you do some research, you can find many kinds of commercial products that will help you clean the air of mold spores to stop the occurrence of mold allergy symptoms in the home.
When you discover that you or a family member has a mold allergy, you can go on the warpath to get the mold out of every nook and cranny of the home. There are lots of hidden away places like under sinks and behind appliances that would benefit from a very thorough cleaning to get mold up and leave behind a clean and sanitary area. But to really become a mold free house, you may wish to engage a professional to come in and clean out the vents and even go under the house and up in the attic to attack mold wherever they find it and get rid of it.
Its good to some creative thinking to brainstorm every possible place in your home where mold could take up residence and generate the spores to set off your mold allergy problems. If you have an old home with a crawlspace under it, you will probably need professional help to get that area clean of mold entirely. But in light of how devastating mold allergy symptoms can be, any efforts you exert to make your home mold free will be worth it to put a stop to those mold allergy problems once and for all.
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