posted
Now that winter and rain have been here a while, we're developing some mold on most of the window sills in our house. I can't clean it myself because it makes me sick, since I've had mold poisoning before (from a large amount in a moldy basement) and have chemical sensitivity.
No one has had the time to help me clean it yet, but how toxic is it for a person like us to be in an environment with a small amount of mold like that? I'm particularly concerned about the mold on the window sill in my bedroom, since it's near my bed. How airborne does mold on window sills become?
Just wondering if most of you have window mold too and aren't affected, or if you super careful about cleaning up every ounce of mold in your house.
Posts: 125 | From U.S. | Registered: Sep 2010
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Hoosiers51
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posted
I had this same problem in one of my places. I had a LOT of moisture on the inside of one of my windows in winter, due to the temperature difference between inside and outside. I got a dehumidifier to prevent it from coming back. The mold/mildew/whatever was just kind of on the surface, hadn't penetrated any surfaces that I could tell, so I used the dehumidifier as prevention, once I soaked the area with a spray bottle of some "mold killer and mold prevention" spray I got at Lowe's.
Also, as an alternative or in combo with the dehumidifier, there is this thing call "Damp Rid" that you can buy at Lowe's, Home Depot, probably Walmart, etc. It's a little canister (looks like a mini bucket) of these flakes that absorb moisture. I put that in the bedroom, by the window, and it didn't bother me (no chemical smell or anything like that from the canister). It actually seemed to help the moisture. I think those things are only like $5.00!?!? Talk about bang for the buck.
I think it all depends on what species it is. It could be really bad, or not (I am not an expert, keep in mind). The best thing is to just not disturb it, if you can't clean it yet. Disturbing it makes the spores spread everywhere, making the air much more toxic. So I would think the harmful stuff is "not very" airborne, compared to what it could be. But again, I don't know, and of course I'd get rid of it as soon as you can.
I would definitely get that Damp Rid asap. Might as well cut off the moisture, which is feeding the mold. That should at least prevent things from getting worse.
For what it's worth....I was worried that what was in my window was making me sick, but once it was gone, my condition didn't change. It was black in some areas (possibly dark brown?), but white or maybe green or pink in others. So I'm not sure how harmful my strains were.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Hoosiers51
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Also, as a silly side note....don't knock over a Damp Rid container! The moisture in the air combines with the flakes to form this gel, and when I knocked it over, the gel got on the carpet, and left an insane stain, because the carpet somehow absorbed the gel. It was strange.
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linky123
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posted
Mold can be really bad for many lymies. Our church has a mold problem and it made me so sick, we had to find a new church.
I have learned from a good homeopath about an essential oil called thieves. It comes in a cleaner and is very effective at killing mold.
You can make a spray with it to use for cleaning. Maybe you could get someone to do it for you since it makes you so sick?
My son is growing some plants indoors for his science fair project. I noticed some white mold growing on the mulch on top of the wet soil. I also noticed we are all having respiratory problems.
We have a diffuser that you can plug in an electrical outlet. I put a few drops of oil of thieves in it and it diffuses through the room and kills the mold spores.
There are studies that support the effectiveness of thieves against mold.
You might want to google and take a look.
We use Young Living brand. It is not cheap, but is effective.
My daughter takes the oil in a capsule daily to protect her lungs. It is strong stuff, and if taken internally should be done with the advice of a good ND.
Good luck!
-------------------- 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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Hoosiers51
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This is the Damp Rid, so you or whoever goes to the store knows what the label looks like:
It looks like some of them ARE scented....so I would recommend not getting a scented one (mine wasn't). Those artificial scents are very chemical-y.
As a side note, the spray I got at Lowe's that I sprayed on the wall/surface: It was labelled as having no harsh chemicals (whatever that means), but it is worth noting that it had no chemical smell and didn't seem to bother me, personally. And a lot of smells and/or chemicals do bother me. If it had any kind of crazy warning labels, I wouldn't have bought it, but everything worked out okay.
Thieves would probably be good too, I have heard of many Lymies using that for mold.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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sammy
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posted
I know that this is not an ideal solution but if no one is willing to help then you may have to clean it up yourself. You could try wearing a mask (a box of them cost a few dollars at pharmacy), wear gloves if you have them, and spray the window down with some bathroom cleaner. That should kill the mold spores then you can just wipe it off and throw the towel away.
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The oil diffuser with Thieves sounds interesting. I just want to make sure I understand one thing about it. It is safe to run this in the house while people and pets are inside?
Posts: 186 | From colorado | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
Some never get better until mold issues are addressed.
And by "addressed" that can mean possibly moving to a different home. It sounds extreme, but there are CFS doctors that even recommend this.
I don't have mold issues as far as I know, but this is my understanding.
Posts: 967 | From A deserted island without internet access | Registered: Sep 2009
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linky123
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Member # 19974
posted
N2,
Yes, thieves is an essential oil made of cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary. It is safe when used in the diffuser.
Smells good too. I use it in my house quite a bit. I am quite sensitive to chemicals and use the cleaner as well.
It also has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Google how it got it's name; it's quite interesting.
Forgetfulgirl,
You could probably put on a mask, as mentioned above (use a good one) and just spray the mold with the thieves.
Leave it alone for a while and it should kill the mold without rubbing and stirring things up. You or a helper could come back later and wipe up the excess, or you might even want to leave some on the window sill to prevent more mold from forming.
-------------------- 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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linky123
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posted
I don't know how much mold it takes to make us sick.
I guess you just have to pay attention to your sx. Do you get worse when around the mold? Do you feel better when away from your home?
I would think an area like your windows would be manageable with some help as mentioned by those on the thread. If it's not a problem anywhere else in your house, maybe you can get rid of the window problem and be ok.
-------------------- 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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