Is Mold Hazardous To Your Health? Common Mold Related Health Problems

Mold is everywhere. Check under the carpet, behind the walls, on the shower tiles, in the coffeepot, and there it is. It's an unavoidable part of life that can be controlled, but never totally eliminated.

Since we have to live with mold, it is important to be aware of mold related health problems. How can the presence of mold in your home adversely affect you?

While some types of mold contain toxins, most mold is non-toxic and not life-threatening. However, our natural reactions to mold cause many minor irritating problems, and there is some risk for potential long-term trouble.

If you suffer from asthma or any other breathing disorder, mold may be a very serious health risk for you. You should try to keep your home free of mold as well as possible, and talk to your physician about ways to limit the danger.

Here are some common mold related health problems:

Nasal Congestion. Most people are mildly allergic to mold. The most common symptom is a stuffy nose. Even though you do not have a cold, you may get a stuffy nose when you enter certain rooms or houses. If you suddenly get congested in certain parts of your home, this may be an indication that you have some mold growing somewhere that you can't see.

Headaches. Along with the stuffy nose, many people get headaches. Have you ever gotten a headache when you are in a dusty place? Mold works in the same way. If you have constant headaches for no apparent reason when you are at home, you may have a mold problem.

Itchy or Watery Eyes. Mold produces airborne spores which can irritate different parts of our bodies. Most commonly, these spores get into our nasal cavities or lungs, but they can also irritate your eyes. The symptoms include itchy, red or excessively watery eyes.

Difficulties Breathing. In very severe cases, you may experience a shortness of breath. This would only be the case if you have a serious mold problem. If you are working in an old building or in an exceptionally humid environment, you may experience shortness of breath due mold. In this case, the room needs to be aired out and it may be hazardous for you to spend time there until the mold is under control.

Skin Irritation. In some cases, mold spores may irritate the skin and cause a rash. This is not common, but it does occur.

Asthma. If you have asthma, constant exposure to mold can be a serious health problem. Mold spores will bring on asthma attacks and cause you breathing trouble. If you are asthmatic or especially sensitive to mold, you must keep your environment as mold-free as possible.

It has not been scientifically proven, but many medical professionals believe that continual exposure to mold in childhood may be a factor in developing asthma. For this reason, be extra careful about mold in your home if you have young children.

Mold grows all over the place, but especially in warm, humid environments. Your house may have a mold problem that you can't see, so it's important to pay attention to these symptoms and get rid of the mold!

For more resources on Toxic Black mold and for mold inspection and testing advice, please visit our website, where you will also learn about the symptoms of black mold

Mold and Colds - Mold Cleaning

Some have misunderstood black mold as being dirt or mildew. Mold and Mildew are the same, both need water to grow and a food source. Both can have spores that will cause allergies. Being around mold has caused many to have common symptoms close to a cold or flu. Be aware of mold symptoms and health effects is important to understand with black mold and mold removal. Toxic Mold or Black Mold or even mildew have all been associated to one thing, the black dirt that can appear on drywall, showers, tile, and carpeting. So it is important to understasnd how to get rid of black mold off a drywall. Mold needs a source to grow a little bit of moisture and one will begin seeing the spores amplify. Living with mold can be harful to one's health. Black mold can grow in the lungs and attach itself becoming a problem to the body. The immune system can break down and even mold has been known to be found in the blood stream.

The terms are in the same sentence because mold symptoms are very similar to cold symptoms. It can also be said that mold and colds are phrased to together because black mold can make you sick. This decrease in the immunity system will create a system to fail and breakdown.

Mold and Colds are cause mostly by having to much toxins in the system. Since mold are know to cause Fungisitis, which is known as moldgrowing in the nose. Colds become a dominant illness. The excess mucas which has spores which create fungus that can be bad to the system, especialliy if immuno-compromised. The stschybotris mold, aspergillus mold are all dominant and related with mold and colds. These are toxic molds that can thicken comfortably in homes and become an issue if not taken care of accurately.If looking for mold protection, be devout to take care of any water damage events that happen in the home or offices. If a wet drywall is left untouched and not detached, you will have black mold on your walls with in the near future. Once these toxic spores unite and sprout up they will let excrement in the air which you or your family can breathe in. Then mold and colds are working as one and induce problems in your system.

With colds, usually it is from immunity problem, stress, or over working and quite a few other things. Having mold in your system adds on to the body fighting to keep itself healthy. The mold spores will hurt the core and most likely a cold will be happening soon. Your nose will begin to get stuffy and you may have some excess mucas. The best thing to do is talk to a doctor who understands mold and you may want to look into an alternative solution such as an all natural mold removal product or hiring a qualified mold remediation company which help fond the source of the problem.

Entrepeneur and former scientist who is a certified microbial consultant with the IAQ. http://www.mold-removal.biz

7 Steps for Easy Elegance: Visually Enhance Any Room with Panel Molding

Panel molding dates back to the Georgian period of the 1700's. Georgian architecture is characterized by a sense of proportion and balance. Symmetry and adherence to the classical rules were valued as regular and desirable. Today, panel molding is used to break up large surfaces, which adds a formal feeling to most designs. It is also utilized as a border separating colors or textures. Visually enhance any room with decorative panel molding; from walls and doors to ceilings, these exquisite accents can be installed by the average do it yourself home owner.

As with any project, proper safety practices should be used at all times. That includes wearing hearing and eye protection as appropriate. If you need to use a respirator, dust mask or any other tool or equipment, always select the right one for the job.

Planning
When beginning any project, it is important to plan the layout. Establishing a plan keeps the job flowing smoothly. It is perhaps the most important step. Although installing panel molding requires that you have a good drawing that accurately shows the room and the pattern, you won't need to generate detailed blueprints. A pencil sketch on graph paper will do. Be certain that the measurements are accurate. Reference dimensions on the drawing to either the center of the room (or to a ceiling dome or ceiling medallion, etc..) or to the walls. This will depend on the dominant feature of your design. Although you may not have any interest in recreating an extravagant baroque ceiling for your own home, you can often find some great pattern ideas by studying the ceilings of historic castles and palaces. Look around your room and decide whether you will have full or split panels; single size or variable sizes, or symmetric sized panels. Panel molding is strictly a decorative element, so there are no rules to follow for the design. This is your opportunity to create a unique and individual design.

Ordering
When ordering your panel molding make sure that the pattern of the molding is compatible with the corners (if you are using corners) and that you have made adequate allowance for cutting waste. Remember to take pattern repeat into account when figuring cutting waste. I like to use a cut list for all trim work. It allows me to plan all of the joints before I start cutting. I use the same list to plan my order. Normally, panel molding is inexpensive due to its small profile. Therefore, you may want to save some work and order enough to eliminate as many joints as possible. You are also going to need adhesive, caulk, etc. to complete the installation.

Prefinishing
If you are not planning to finish (paint or faux finish) the ceiling and the molding at the same, you may want to prefinish the molding and then touch it up after installation.

Assemble Materials
Setup a work area close to the job and assemble your tools and materials. Look over the moldings to make sure they haven't been damaged either on shipping or on the job. Inventory your tools and supplies to ensure that everything you will need is there. If something is missing, stop and get it now rather than waiting until you need it, which inevitably is at the worst possible time.

Layout
Transfer your plan to the ceiling in full size. Layout the outline of the molding rather than the centerlines so the layout will be visible with the molding installed. Remember to reference patterns that surround ceiling domes or ceiling medallions, to the center of the feature they surround. Reference moldings that run parallel to walls to the wall (to minimize the effect of out of square or wavy walls).

Install
Because of their light weight no mechanical fasteners are required. Use an appropriate size bead of adhesive and temporary fasteners as necessary until the adhesive sets.

Finish Up
After the adhesive has set, remove the temporary fasteners or set below surface. Caulk the joint between the ceiling and the molding. Fill the holes made by the fasteners with non-shrink filler, sand, prime and paint.

Voila! Enjoy and relish in the glow of all the compliments you receive when others see how beautiful your room is with the simple addition of panel molding.