Mold Everywhere! - Update on Step 2 Cleansing with Intranasal – 27
A week ago Sunday night I went to listen to a friend do her gig at the senior center. I haven’t been to the center since last spring when we sat outside during a BBQ with our grandson.
I arrived early so helped put some chairs out and put my stuff on one toward the front. After 10 minutes or so I felt winded. This is not completely out of character, but I noticed. So, I stood chatting with some ladies and my friend showed up and we’re all having a great time.
The festivities start and I sit down in my chair to be entertained. She did a great job.
During her presentation, though, I begin smelling mold. I lift up my hands and they were super moldy. I realized that I was probably sitting in a moldy chair in a moldy building.
Birds were chirping from a large vent that came into the room.
After 45 minutes of trying not to breathe while I’m laughing sitting in a moldy chair she finished, and I took off.
It seems that what Dr. Heidi told me would happen is happening. Without sugar on board I can smell mold at the drop of a hat.
I came home last night, stripped off everything I was wearing, put them in the washer with all of the usual stuff to kill mold and took a quick shower. I made sure I switched the clothes into the dryer before I went to bed even though it was late.
When I got dressed today, I pulled a shirt out of the closet and smelled it. I always do this. It smelled fine so I put it on.
As it warmed up to my body temperature, I noticed it started to smell like mold.
Before I left, I took it off and put on another shirt that smelled fine.
By the time I returned two-hours later I had noticed that it kind of smelled like mold as well.
So, I took everything hanging out of my closet and washed it. When this first started happening months ago I felt kind of crazy, like who does this? Well, somebody with a mold infection. I can’t leave anything moldy as is, no matter what it is, because it doesn’t get any better on its own.
Then I needed to figure out how the smell was getting in the closet. I think it was a combination of moving and not getting everything entirely dry between the
two places. I had to call for dryer repair in the new place because it wasn't completely drying. I thought I had taken care of that by pulling that section of shirts out. Apparently not.
Thus, the entire closet.
I also need to clean all of my unmentionables out of their drawer and wash those.
I will check the other drawers tomorrow to see if they smell okay.
Then, I will clean the closet and the drawer as thoroughly as possible with my mold cleaner. See the next post for an update on this.
Since the apartments were built in 2015 I do not believe there is mold in the apartment, per se, but I know if it goes uncleaned it can grow right inside my antique dresser drawers.
I don’t know if you saw or remember this, but I already had to sell my original antique dresser as mold had settled in every drawer and I couldn’t get it out.
I’m not letting this happen again if possible.
Now I have piles of clothes on my (thankfully) non-carpeted floor in the bedroom area and another set in the bathroom. It looks to me like a dozen reasonable-sized loads in the washer and dryer.
This is an extra bit of work that I get to do because of my health. I have done it before, and I will probably do it again. And, as you saw in my last post, after nearly a week down with the flu. Awesome!
The washer and dryer are front-loaders, which are mold growers.
Here is what I do to try and keep mold out of my laundry and therefore, out of my closet and drawers.
I clean the washer every month with Allfresh (there is actually an Allfresh Cycle on the washing machine – so they know there is a problem.)
I leave the washer open slightly when it’s not in use, so no moisture sits inside and festers.
I do not over-load the washer as that causes problems in the drying process.
If the washer ever smells off – which this one has not yet – I clean it with my mold cleaner.
Every load I use very little soap (a quarter-sized dollop), as recommended by the he-washers plus the EC3 mold cleaner for clothing.
I do not let the wet clothes sit in the washer but move them into the dryer ASAP.
If they do have to sit, again, I leave the door ajar.
I dry everything completely. If I put my hand in the dryer and I’m not sure, I run it longer.
If I need to split the load to dry it completely, I do that. This is not my favorite as you can’t let the partially dry clothes sit for too long or they smell off and have to be washed again.
If I need to hang clothing, I do not cram them on a rack but hang each on a hanger, open the shower curtain all the way and hang them far enough apart so they can dry completely or hang them - one each - on door handles.
I run the fan in the bathroom to keep the moisture out. It’s timed, so I turn it on every time I’m in there. I also have a Honeywell air purifier at the door of the bathroom and another small air cleaner in between the bedroom and living room.
Still, somehow, I had mold in my closet today.
Sigh.
Onward and upward!
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