It is Spring Time... Spring Cleaning musts to stay healthy

5/10/2016 (Permalink)

Spring Cleaning... Rid your home of mold

It is spring time… The flowers are opening, trees are blooming, birds are chirping and you want to open your home. Refresh the air that has been cooped up all winter long with little to no circulation. Your home still smells funny. Well with the spring comes spring cleaning. This cleaning is a deep down get into places you may never have. Because once summer comes those air conditioners are going in and your house will be shut up tight keeping the hot air out. 

Washing Machines

So over the holidays you got a fancy new washing machine. One of those front loaders that holds that queen sized comforter so you no longer have to go the laundry mat once a week or month because you put it off.  Or the one you got because the sensor on your old one did not sense when it was fully and your laundry room and basement were flooded beyond reproach. That is wonderful and it has been working like a charm but what in the world is that smell coming from the inside of it . You clean it with laundry detergent 5-6 times a week why on earth does it have an odor. The gasket and the glass that your cat marvels at as your clothes tumble around stay wet. The door is usually closed when you are not using it so the gasket and the glass stay wet. Coupled with the pieces of lint that fell off while the laundry was in there makes a perfect breeding ground for mold.  We suggest wiping the gasket inside and out weekly and giving your machine a once over with bleach and no clothes.  This will kill any of the bacteria that could be growing inside the crevasses.  

Refrigerator

Yes you know that place you use day in and day out for your family meals, the on the go rush out the door grab the apple place. There is a tray underneath it that will sit and collect condensation for you so that your floor is not ruined. Guess what, it collects condensation which is a fancy term for water. That water sits for weeks, months maybe years on end because you did not know it was there. Particles of food and dust get pushed into it when you sweep and it all starts to do what nature does best. GROW.. You mat not smell it right away or at all but trust us it is there. We have seen it at our own homes, yes even we get busy.  Make cleaning the drip pans part of your spring cleaning. Natural cleaning solutions work best our suggestion would be to mix hydrogen peroxide in a cup of water and spray the pan thoroughly. Take a rag and soak it in white vinegar and wipe clean. Make sure you are cleaning the floor around the pan as well leaving nothing to chance. Once a year should do the trick.

Dishes

            Yes your dishes can become moldy. What tends to happen is you ask your kids to help you and they “DRY” the dishes and they get put away in the cabinets. The water that is still left on them drips onto the shelving and sits there. Especially on holidays with dishes that are not used very often. Many times the water will stay on the dish in the bottom and just festers there until they are used again. If it is the shelving that gets wet, it goes un-noticed as many times it is over head. Ways to prevent this is to make sure dishes are fully dried before they are put away. Should you run into mold we suggest you clean all dishes in the cabinet and wipe the shoveling down with a wet rag soaked in vinegar and let dry thoroughly before  you put everything away.

Air Conditioners.

Ok so the spring air has turned to the heat of summer and you want to start up that air conditioner. Before you do it is advised you clean it through and through. Air conditioning units are made to trap pollen and dust along with moisture from the air. All of which is the food and water mold needs to grow. In as little as 24 hours in warm weather mold can start to grow and if you have a central air conditioning unit and you suspect mold you must call a mold remediation company to clean the duct work, drain pans and coils. Should you have a window unit remove the front panels, flush the drain pan and the coils with a 1:1 bleach to water ration and, use a HEPA vacuum to clean out the blower.

No matter what you have on your agenda for this spring and summer make sure you start off on the right foot by staying safe and clean. Should you have any question about things you find in your home never take chances call a mold remediation company to review your problem and provide you with the expert advice to make it like it never even happened