HOW TO DEAL WITH ALLERGY TO MOULDS: BASIC AVOIDANCE MEASURES
In your own home, the key ways of reducing moulds are to:
• Keep your environment as dry as you are able
• Remove obvious sources of mould spores
• Keep a constant warmth if possible
If you cannot afford the money or time to keep your whole home free of moulds, then concentrate on one or two rooms, especially your bedroom, and try and confine damp, wet activities (like drying laundry) to certain areas away from where you spend most of your time. The most useful things to do first are the following basic avoidance measures:
Dry laundry outside the home if possible. If you use a tumble dryer, locate it outside the home if you can, or at least away from the living areas, and make sure it is well vented to the outside. Put any damp cloths or towels straight on to a heat source to dry off fast. Do not leave damp towels or cloths lying around.
Dry off any condensation and damp standing on windows, walls or work surfaces – a quick wipe in the morning or after a bath or shower does the trick. Open windows and doors to air for a while – good ventilation for at least a short period each day helps to dry things out, even on damp days. Keep plugs in sinks, basin and bath plugholes –this stops moulds wafting up.
Use extractor fans if you have them when bathing, doing laundry, or cooking, to ventilate and get damp out fast.
Airing beds and keeping them dry is a very effective way of reducing mould levels in bedrooms, and away from where you breathe at night. Humans shed about half a litre (nearly a pint) of fluid in sleep each night, and moulds like damp, warm places.
Fix obvious sources of damp and drips. If you have any persistent problems with rising or penetrating damp, or any leaking taps or pipes, then sort them out. Many millions of mould spores can be generated from small areas of damp.
Using gas fires or paraffin heaters can create condensation and damp problems, since they generate water when they burn. Do not use gas fires or paraffin heaters if you can avoid them. Solid fuel fires generate water, but the damp is usually drawn up the chimney and dried off, so they do not cause damp. Electric heating produces a dry heat and is advantageous. Gas central heating, and other forms of central heating, do not cause water problems. Do not use humidifiers on radiators. They can be a source of moulds and raise humidity.
Gas and paraffin cooking appliances also create damp when used, but, because they are usually not operated as long, nor as intensively, as heaters, they cause less problems with damp. If you use them, always ventilate well to clear the damp they create.
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