This Mold Center provides you with a quick list.of our most effective mold solutions and our most popular mold articles on mold
prevention. We cover mold overview, mold prevention and mold cleaning. For the entire selection of useful mold
articles go to our Learning
Center or the archives of Allergy Consumer Review.
Mold Solutions
Dehumidifiers will help dry moist areas and lower humidity levels which should be maintained at about 50% relative humidity or lower to prevent mold and mildew growth. By using a dehumidifier you take away mold's ability to replicate. The best overall
models for the home for humidity control are the Santa Fe dehumidifiers and the Comfort-Aire 65 Pint Low Temp. There are plenty of other models to choose from if you need bigger or smaller dehumidifiers for your mold problem.
View: Mold Dehumidifiers
Once mold exists, it's likely airborne and to get it out of your breathing air you need air purifiers. For small areas the best solution is our Airfree Onix 3000 Air Sterilizers but if you have a big area, a model with HEPA filtration is necessary. HEPA filters remove airborne particles ranking from .03 microns and larger. The best air purifier with HEPA filtration for mold is the IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier. There are a lot of different options so please browse our mold air purifiers.
View: Mold Air Purifiers
Vacuuming with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absolute) filter vacuums reduces mold spore concentrations in damp areas and carpets. A HEPA vacuum properly traps mold spores that can remain or be spread into the air. The best upright vacuum for mold is our Sebo Automatic X4 Upright. An excellent canister choice would be the Miele Callisto. There are an extensive amount of other effective options varying in style and price, see our complete HEPA vacuum cleaners selection for all of your choices.
View: Vacuum Cleaners
While large mold problems are better handled by professional cleaning crews, if your mold cleanup is basic in nature,such as moldy grout, you'll save money by doing it yourself with one of our vapor steam cleaners. Our steam cleaners will destroy the mold while simultaneously cleaning, eliminating allergens and deodorizing. The best possible steam cleaners you can buy are Ladybug 2200S Steam Cleaner with TANCS (TANCS is registered as disinfectant with the EPA and uses zero chemicals). The best value is our exclusive WhiteWing Steamer Vapor Steam Cleaner. To choose from our entire selection visit our vapor steam cleaners page.
View: Vapor Steam Cleaners
If the level of moisture is completely uncontrollable with dehumidifiers and you must sleep in a high moisture environment, you should have a mold and mildew resistant mattress. Wool and latex are both natural mold resistant materials these mattresses help prevent a mold problem and we recommend the Royal-Latex Mattresses line as the best overall mold resistant bed.
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If the level of moisture is completely uncontrollable with dehumidifiers and you must sleep in a high humidity laden environment and need extra padding on your mattress, you should use latex mattress pads.They are are helpful since they are naturally mold resistant and surrounded by organic wool that discourages the growth of mold and mildew. Do note that if you are not using a mattress that is wool and or latex like above and also have high humidity, you might need to use a vapor steam cleaner to rid your mattress of mold spores. For mold resistant mattress pads we recommend Royal-Pedic Quilted Pillow top Organic Mattress Pads.
View: Mattress Pads
A nontoxic, chemical-free, hypoallergenic wool comforter inhibits the growth of mold and mildew since wool naturally repels moisture. Again, we recommend controlling your humidity levels with dehumidifiers since by controlling the humidity level alone will eliminate the need for a new bed, mattress, mattress pads etc. If you must live without a dehumidifier we recommend Euphoria Organic Wool Comforters.
View: Comforters
These mold test kits will help you identify a number of molds which contribute to asthma, allergic reactions and respiratory health problems so you'll know where your problem areas may be.
View: Mold Test Kits
Mold Guides
- Mold Guide Simple steps to relieve and prevent household allergies such as mold, dust, dust mites and dander...
- Mold Solution Guide Molds such as fungus mold and slime mold are most often found in areas that have high humidity levels such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms or damp basements (especially after flooding). It is important to try and prevent mold and mildew growth, and if it's too late...
Mold Overview
Mold, mildew, fungi and bacteria are the
leading biological pollutants generated in a home.
Molds such as fungus mold, and slime molds are most
often found in areas that have high humidity levels
such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms or damp basements
(especially after flooding). It is important to try
and prevent mold and mildew growth, and if it's too
late, try mold remediation and mold removal.
Because mold and mildew release mold spores
in the air that can float throughout the house, it can
cause severe allergic reactions such as watery eyes,
runny nose and sneezing, nasal congestion and fatigue,
especially to those with a mold allergy. In fact, when
mold starts to reproduce inside a home, it can eat away
at the structure, cause thousands of dollars in damage
and possibly make family members sick from mold exposure.
However, the situation is not hopeless. There are several
mold cleaning, prevention, and mold removal methods
to deal with this persistent problem that really do
work.
The Mold Center provides the most popular
information found in our Learning Center to help you identify molds such as slime mold or fungus
mold in your home or office and explain what you can
do to prevent mold growth from occurring. Be sure to
visit us often for new mold facts and information on
mold removal and see below for our list of best selling
mold cleaning products for battling this problem.
Mold
Prevention
The key to mold prevention and mold & mildew removal is to eliminate moisture. Basements must
be dried out, and humidity levels should be maintained
at about 50% relative humidity or lower to prevent mold
growth. Dehumidifiers can be very useful. Vapor
steam cleaning or vacuuming with High Efficiency
Particulate Absolute (HEPA)
filter vacuums can reduce mold spore concentrations
in damp areas and carpets, but if not done properly
mold spores can remain or be spread into the air. See
our Mold
Solution Buyers Guide for a complete selection
of products to keep your home mold-free.
We have collected several helpful articles
on mold prevention in this section. One of the best
is a concise FAQ on Molds and
Allergies by Dr. R. Vincent Miller.
Why
Dehumidification is Important to your Heath? This is an article by Mercia Tapping, President of Allergy
Buyers Club, which discusses the advantages of a dehumidifier
for reducing a high humidity level in your house that
can breed mold and dust mites. For more information
on the features and benefits of whole house and single
room dehumidifiers, be sure to look at our Dehumidifiers
Comparison Guide.
Mayo Clinic researchers say they have
identified mold as the leading cause of most chronic sinus infections (a condition that affects over 37 million people in
the
U.S.
). More specifically, it is not an allergic reaction to
mold, but rather an immune system response
to fungus.
Mold
Cleaning
Ever wonder if the mold that grows
in your bathroom and basement is harmful or
not? Thad Godish's article explains what type of mold
this is and how you can get rid of it. Also, Stan Halpern,
Environmental Cleaning Consultant, provides you with
plenty of good tips for Mold
Cleaning.
Here are some other helpful links on mold
cleaning
(these pages will open up in a separate window):
Popular Mold Articles
- Mold Allergy by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation and Moisture and Biologicals by the Montana University Education Project are both excellent FAQ
articles that will answer a lot of your questions about what to
do about mold.
- Is
Indoor Mold Contamination a Threat to Health is an in-depth
2-part article by Harriet Ammann, a senior toxicologist for Washington
State Dept. of Health, that gives a comprehensive overview on types
of mold and characteristics as well as recommendations for reducing
mold in homes.
- Is
Mold a Winter Problem? Reveals that mold can grow even in
cooler weather especially in our HVAC systems.
Here are some
other useful links concerning mold (these pages will open up in
a separate window):
Flooding is
a real concern in many home and basements in the
United States
and excessive water saturation
can lead to mildew and mold contamination. Here are some reference
links to help with mold removal caused by water or flood damage
(these pages will open up in a separate window):
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Air Purifiers for Mold
HEPA Vacuum Cleaners for Mold
Steam Cleaners for Mold
Mattresses for Moist Areas
Mattress Pads for Moist Areas
Comforters for Moist Areas
Mold Test Kits
