Home Fight with Allergens: Mites, Dander, Mold

Houses closed up for heating or air conditioning create a battle ground for millions of Americans. Even when you think you're safe in your home, dust mites, pet dander, and mold can make life every bit as hard inside as outdoors if you're an allergy sufferer.

Although it will take concentrated effort, there are ways to lessen your risks when it comes to household allergens, and the most effective place to begin is in your bedroom. That's the main room where dust mites make their home, and where you spend a considerable amount of time every day. Dust mites live on dead skin, and you can easily have two million of them living in your bed and on your pillows.

You can fight back against exploding dust mite populations by washing your linens in hot water once a week during July and August, when mites become the number one cause of indoor allergies in America. You could also use allergen-proof pillow cases and bed covers (although some recent research has suggested that they may not as effective as we'd originally been led to believe).

Another place to look is on your children's collection of stuffed animals. They can contain millions of dust mites, and they rarely, if ever, get washed. In order to fight back, give those stuffed critters a bath in the washer if they're machine washable. If they're not, put them into plastic bags and then let them sit in the freezer for at least twenty-four hours. That should be long enough to kill most of the mites a stuffed animal might be harboring.

More than ten million Americans are allergic to cat dander, which makes it a serious problem across the country, and nearly every U.S. household contains at least some cat and dog allergens, even if those homes don't contain pets. Cat dander is far and away the most likely to cause problems, especially light-haired female cats, according to recent studies. Dogs and rodent dander also causes significant allergy problems for Americans, although not as often as cat dander.

Keeping animals off the household furniture, and especially off your bed, which is already home to dust mites, can go a long way toward controlling your home's pet dander problems. Washing your pet at least once a week is also an effective way to keep the amount of pet dander in your home down to a manageable level.

Indoor mold spores are invisible, but they can cause problems for allergy-prone people at any time of year. Your home's greatest concentrations of mold spores can generally be found in the basement, as well as in your bathrooms and closets. If you are the type of person who likes to bring lots of greenery into your home, mold spores can also hide in your houseplants, as well.

The best way to fight mold is to roll up your sleeves and start scrubbing, using a mixture of water and bleach. Reducing humidity in your home can also help minimize mold populations. A dehumidifier or air conditioner can be helpful tools for fighting mold.

It can be a frustrating experience, but you can win the battle against allergens in your home if you're willing to put forth the effort.

Jeanette Fisher, interior design teacher, has researched the effects of the environment on emotions for over 15 years. For Environmental Psychology information, see http://www.environmentpsychology.com.

Jeanette J. Fisher

Metal Injection Molding Produces Precise, Complex Components

For the last 25 years, the metal injection molding industry has grown at a steady rate. In the 70s it was predicted that the MIM process would grow at the rate of 18 to 22% per year. But because of some challenges with the materials, known as feedstocks in the industry, the initial growth was slow. Typically feedstocks were mixed by the individual companies involved in making metal injection molded components. The inconsistency in the mixing of the feed stocks led to part variation that was unacceptable in a wide variety of precision applications.

As more and more components were designed using the metal injection molding process, larger manufacturers became interested in developing feed stocks. Two major players were Allied Bendix and BASF. This enabled companies without metallurgists and large technical staffs to become involved in the process. The number of companies producing metal injection molded parts grew.

Then with the advancement in digital process controls, processing equipment became more exacting with greater process control. Now, plastic injection molding machines and furnaces are able to produce complex shapes with greater consistency.

So what types of components are good candidates for the metal injection molding process? The answer to that is it depends upon the configuration of the part. But in general terms, if a part can be plastic injection molded, it can be metal injection molded (as long as the part does not have any undercuts).

A wide variety of materials can be molded. Carbon, alloy and stainless steels are molded day in and day out with titanium catching up quick. Lots of development is being done with titanium for medical devices.

The industries using a lot of MIM components are firearms, medical device, dental equipment and electronics. Most of the parts are relatively small, less than 1 1/2" in length. But we have molded parts 7" long.

Even though most materials have 18% shrink, dimensions are very consistent. Tolerances can be held to plus or minus .001 for small critical dimensions.

Remember, tooling for this process is virtually the same as plastic injection molding. So small precise parts are good candidates for the MIM process. MIM tools cost the same as plastic molding - $15,000 - $50,000 and up. But if you are looking at components that get machined and you can eliminate machining costs, you can pay for tooling very quickly.

If you have an application that fits these general parameter, visit the website www.metalinjectionmolding.com for more information about the process.

Carl Kruse is a speaker, author and sales engineer in the product development field. He can be reached at www.manufacturingtips.com or by e-mail at carl@krusetechnologies.com

Tips in Removing Mold in Your Home

Molds are not only disgusting to look at, but they can also carry a lot of diseases. Exposure to mold can lead to colds, respiratory complications, nasal problems, and sinus congestions. It can also cause sore throats and skin problems. If a family member suffers from asthma, molds can also trigger the attacks. Molds are also known to cause allergies.

Identifying Mold Removing mold can be a tedious tasks and the first step in eliminating mold is to identify if it exists in your household. You would know that your house has mold if you smell a musty odor and see a mass of green or black slimy stuff. Mold is actually fungus that may float in the atmosphere much like pollen. They are usually found in moist and humid areas like the floors of your bathroom and outdoor patios or gardens. If you really want to detect mold in your house you can try reliable sampling. This may be quite expensive since this procedure can require special equipments and needs careful training of staff.

Where Mold Resides Molds can be found in hays, grass, or leaf piles. Molds also grow in most organic resources like wood and paper. If our house has areas that are wet most of the time, chances are, mold will grow there. Walls can be one place where mold breeds. Painted walls that are washed from rain are also one place where mold can live. Molds can easily creep under cabinets and carpet padding. There are also some instances that molds can even penetrate the kitchen of your homes. When this happens, be alarmed. Since the kitchen is one place where you prepare your foods, it can be quite dangerous to cook foods in an environment with mold.

Removing Mold When removing molds, remember that your safety should come first. Always use a respirator or mask to act as an air filter and prevent mold spores from getting into your lungs. Use eye protectors and rubber gloves. After using these types of safety equipment, it is best to dispose them immediately after use.

It is important to dampen or sprinkle some water on materials with mold. This can prevent airborne mold pollens from spreading into the air. You can use non-ammonia detergent or soap to clean hard surfaces. Hard surfaces include plastics, glass and metals. You can also use these in cleaning counter tops, kitchen, or bathroom tiles. It is important to note that you should never mix ammonia with bleach because they may give off fumes that can be toxic and harmful to your body. It is sad to say, though, that it is not possible to remove mold from carpets or paper. Porous materials are usually impossible to clean if they have molds. There is no better way to remove these kind of moldy materials but to throw them away.

In walls or other wood structures, you can remove molds by scrubbing. But do not expect them to be completely gone. You can scrub them or sand them. Make sure that you use protective safety tools when you do this. Clean these stuff in a well-ventilated area, away from other equipments.

Use a commercial disinfectant after you have removed the molds. Bleach and water solution can also be used as disinfectant. The cleaning solution should contain one-fourth bleach for every gallon of water. Apply the solution in the material infected by mold and allow the solution to do its work for fifteen minutes. If there are too much molds in the material, you can use one and a half cup of bleach per one galloon of water. Be sure that you are in a well-ventilated area when cleaning. After several minutes, rinse the area with water and allow the material to dry. You can use fan or dehumidifier if you want them to dry immediately.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://mold.home-webzone.com/ where you can learn more about household mold.

Moldy Homes Are A Great Investment

Have you seen this in your classifieds? -"Will pay $$$ for moldy homes. Call 555-555-5555"

Have you seen this in your classifieds? -"Will pay $$$ for moldy homes. Call 555-555-5555"

All you have to do is watch the news and you know about mold problems. We hear about Ed McMahan suing because his moldy home killed his pet dog. We also hear about Erin Brockovich and Sandra Bullock's problems with their brand new moldy home.

* Mold has been traced to people dying in moldy homes.

* Mold has been proven to be the leading cause of sinus infections

* (Mayo Clinic 1997) http://www.mayo.edu/proceedings/1999/7409a1.pdf

* Mold will destroy the wood in a house.

* Mold loves to grow on wallpaper and drywall.

* We have actually seen it grow on glass.

People have had to move out of these houses. Sometimes even letting the bank take back the house because repair costs are prohibitive for most homeowners. As we all know, the home insurance policies aren't covering these damages any more.

Not all people stuck with these problems give their homes back to the bank. But many times they are motivated sellers. And people who invest in real estate love motivated sellers.

Before now, divorce created most of the motivated sells. Move over quarrelling couples.

But the title of this article tells us that mold creates a great investment. How can that be true if mold destroys the health of the homeowner?

The answer is that mold can be fixed inexpensively.

The people who want to move out have been told that it will cost up to $80,000 to get their home fixed. Some people actually do spend this money and find out they still have the mold problem.

Why?

Because most mold abatements are made by construction companies. Many of these companies are mold specialists because they have taken a 3 day weekend class. It takes a Mycologist up to 8 years of college to learn the minimum amount of knowledge required to understand mold in the home.

Eight years versus 3 days. HHHmmmm !

Knowing how to tear down walls isn't the same thing as knowing how to eliminate mold.

So if someone hesitates at paying these unreasonable prices, they become a motivated seller.

Opportunities are made from these problems.

Want to find these houses? Go to your bank's home loan office. Advertise in your paper. They are everywhere.

Of course, you don't want to buy just every house. You just want sick houses, not dead houses.

* Go into the crawlspace and stick a screwdriver into the floor joists. Are they rotted?

* Look at the dry wall is it just green or is it falling apart?

* Is the roof sturdy? Can you see light coming through holes in the roof?

* If the building isn't falling apart, you have a "diamond in the rough."

* Contact a mold specialist. A Mycologist, not a contractor. They can walk you through eliminating the mold, step-by-step.

* We know a family quoted $80,000 to fix a moldy home.

They solved the problem for 85 cents. That house just needed some duct tape on their A/C ductwork to cover up cat scratches.

* Most repairs aren't that cheap. The average house is around $2000 to do an $80,000 repair.

Contractors also tend to spray chemicals that are more dangerous than the mold. They will often say something like this - "Its EPA approved."

My old EPA law instructor said that EPA approval just means that it won't kill MOST people.

A Mycologist will use something that kills the mold but won't hurt the homeowner. Mycologists are aware of the effect of these chemicals on people.

It is a matter of focus. Are you focused on the house [an inanimate object] or are you focused on people?

If you can buy a house worth $100,000 for $30,000 and fix it up for $2,000 there is $68,000 profit. Rent the house or sell it for a profit. They find another moldy home and do the same thing again and again.Dr GW Graham For 30 years, Dr Graham has been helping people treat and prevent disease by showing them how to live in a clean environment.