Green Cleaning: Dealing With Mold

I just finished up a big research project on negative respiratory health outcomes related to mold and moisture in homes and how lack of inspection of rental housing is contributing to the poor health of lower income populations. And then I realized that not once had I actually looked around our house for mold.

See, the presence of mold or continuous moisture inside a home is pretty consistently associated with poor respiratory health outcomes like asthma, strong allergic reactions, sinusitis, bronchitis, common cold, as well as other issues like fatigue and problems concentrating. If we don't look around our homes, clean up mold when we find it, and make sure our landlords (if we are renting) are responsible for any larger maintenance issues, we run the risk of damaging our bodies. You would think I would have gone and looked around our house sooner, especially since I had a sinus infection a couple weeks ago followed by a persistent cough, but no, I was "too busy." Then yesterday I pulled up a set of shades we normally leave down in the bedroom, and I found this reminder to re-prioritize when it comes to health:

Eegad- I promise we're not slobs! We just weren't paying attention when we should have been.

Clearly, it was time to intervene. We only clean with vinegar, baking soda and other non-toxic cleaners in our house, and one of the ways that you can exacerbate respiratory problems is by using chemical cleaners. Fortunately, there are lots of good green cleaning methods for getting rid of mold. Plain white vinegar purportedly kills 82% of all mold, and tea tree oil is a strong disinfectant that is really good for getting rid of mold and keeping it from returning. That said, it is important to note that just cleaning up the mold doesn't necessarily get rid of the problem. Mold doesn't grow unless there is a moisture problem going on, and if you don't deal with the moisture problem, it will just come right back. Ususally it's a pretty simple fix, and often a seasonal problem. In our house, the place with the worst mold was this windowsill in the bedroom where we usually didn't open the shades during the day. That trapped all the condensation (from us breathing all night) between the shades and the window, leaving it nowhere to go. By opening those shades every day, the problem should mostly be solved. I did find minor mold growth on the living room windowsills, which get a lot of circulation, but moisture just gets trapped in the house regardless during the winter. It's a good reminder to open the windows for half an hour on the occasional dry sunny day to air things out.

Remember that mold isn't always obvious. Look in the places you don't normally pay attention:

• On top of/on the underside of windowsills that are above or below your eye line. 
• Behind furniture that sits up against a wall 
• In crevices that might retain moisture (I found some in our bathroom in the two-inch gap between the sink cabinet and the bathtub)
• In gaps between the lip of your kitchen sink and the backsplash- water collects here easily. 
• Behind blinds or curtains
• Inside cupboards that contain plumbing
• Under loose or peeling wallpaper

I did some reading on the safest, most effective ways of cleaning up mold, and went to work. I started by wiping off as much mold as I could with a rag soaked in pure white vinegar, using an old toothbrush to get hard-to-reach corners and cracks.

I started off using a rag cut from an old towel, but found I liked using flannel cloths better. Remember leave as little moisture as possible on the surfaces you are cleaning. I cracked all the windows as I cleaned them, to allow the vinegar to dry quickly on the sills.

You can use the method I did, or else put the vinegar in a spray bottle, spray it onto the moldy surfaces, and wipe it clean with a dry rag, then spray lightly again and let it dry.

The second solution I used was a dilution of tea tree oil, made with 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups of water. Again, you can spray this onto moldy surfaces to dry, or do what I did, and soak a flannel rag in it, ring it out, then wipe everything down and let it dry.

Please remember to wear a face mask or a handkerchief tied over your nose and mouth while you clean up mold. You are loosening up mold spores, and you don't want to breath them in.  It's also a good idea to wear gloves- vinegar can really dry out your skin.

Remember that taking measures to prevent mold growth is more efficient than cleaning it up after the fact (now I really sound like a public health advocate!). Here are things you can do to prevent moisture from accumulating in your home:

• Open all your blinds and curtains in the morning and leave them open all day
• Leave doors between rooms open during the day to allow air to circulate
• If you notice windows fogging up or condensation on the walls (this happens when I use the oven a lot), crack a couple windows to get some air circulating, and/or give the windows a wipe with a cloth to speed their drying. 
• Check your house regularly for water leaks, excess moisture, or standing water. Places to look are your bathroom, basement, laundry, and around and under your kitchen sink.
• If condensation is a constant problem in your home, think about installing a fan or two, or a more efficient heating system, or just use an electric space heater. If you rent, talk to your landlord and see what can be done. 
• Air out your house regularly. We live all summer with most of the windows open day and night, but in the winter I often forget to open the windows occasionally and get some fresh air in. Try to do this on dry days, though! 

I hope this is helpful- it's an aspect of household health that often gets overlooked, but I've just been reminded by my research how important it is to prevent mold growth. Cleaning up mold is a time-consuming and nit-picky job, but it's worth it to live in a healthy home.

Going By Bike: Goodbye Sheila, Hello Dorothy!

One of the many reasons I was excited to get back to life in Portland was because that means, for me, going by bike. I have commuted by cycle since moving to Portland for college, and the only car I have owned was Lucy, our faithful old van in New Zealand. Now that I'm home, I am so happy to be back on two wheels, riding familiar streets and enjoying Portland's awesome bike culture, with zero carbon footprint. Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the states, and you can get just about anywhere by bike, on designated low-traffic bike routes or in bike lanes on main streets. You can take your bike on the bus, streetcar or MAX (light-rail train system) with very little hassle, and there's a bike shop every five blocks or so throughout the city. These days, a lot of businesses are giving incentives for biking to work, and more and more people  are doing so because the cost of gas and the environmentally friendly nature of biking.

All of that said, I was stoked to get home and pull my bike out of storage, which I did last Monday.  Sheila, a 7-speed Centurion road bike that I bought used for $200 in 2003, has been my trusty steed for my entire life in Portland, and I've loved her dearly.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

We've clocked countless thousands of miles together, been in two wrecks together (one, a me-vs.-train tracks fiasco, the other due to a driver who made a right turn without looking first), and once hit a cat together (which is terrifying and emotionally heart-wrenching when you're in a car, and epically more so when you're on a bike. Don't worry, the cat was ok, just very sorry it jumped out of a bush right in front of us!).
 
However, in the months leading up to our departure for New Zealand, it became apparent that Sheila was getting increasingly decrepit, and as she had never been a great fit physically, I began to think that maybe I'd get a new bike when we got home. When we came home with less money than we'd anticipated, I thought I'd try and keep Sheila limping along for another year or two. Then on Monday I noticed that the rubber tread on one of her (admittedly ancient) tires was actually peeling off from the side of the tire, and knew it was only a matter of days before the tire completely self-destructed. I guess that's what five years of wear and tear and then nine months in storage will do. After biking around to a couple different shops for professional opinions, it became abundantly clear that the work it would take to keep this bike functioning well and safely for another couple years would amount to about $300-- approximately what it would cost to buy a nice used bike in better condition. Thus, I made the decision that it was time for Sheila to retire (at least from my use), and to go up for sale on Craigslist.

I assumed that I would have to go with another used bike due to my budget limitations, but today I am the proud owner of a brand new 21-speed Trek commuter bike that fits me to a tee, and cost me $455, six months of tune-up service included. I have always gotten amazing service from the Bike Gallery (of which there is a branch about 10 blocks from our new house! Also they are a local, family-owned business.), and once again they wowed me with their great deals and service and helped me find a bike that fits my proportions and needs and is very durable, and yet doesn't totally break the bank. She has been christened Dorothy, and is an absolute dream to ride.

This is one of those up-front investments that will pay for itself a hundredfold in the long run. If I can make a $200 used bike last for 8 years of constant use, surely this one will last me at least 20.

Getting around town by bike is one of those things that is absolutely integral to my life, and I hardly know what to do without it. Sure, sometimes it's a pain to ride up a big hill or make the 5-mile trip home after dark in the rain, and it can be tempting to drive, but ultimately I love traveling under my own steam, feeling my own physical power pushing me along. I love having exercise built into my day, and not having to set aside time to get a workout. I love being outside, smelling the flowers and feeling the sun, wind and rain, and laughing when the elements get a little too ridiculous (ever had to walk your bike home through 6 inches of unexpected snow? Or biked across a bridge in 40 mph winds? Sometimes you just have to laugh...). I love not having to pay for gas, parking, insurance, or any of the other huge expenses that go into owning a car. And I love knowing that my pedals don't need any petroleum products to make them go, and don't leave anything behind them but the traffic jams; no exhaust, no smog, no negative environmental impact. I also love that time on my bike is time to think. When I'm on my bike, I can't be doing anything else; it's just my time to pedal and think, and process what happened that day, or plan out what I need to do when I get to work or home, or just enjoy the scenery passing by while my body works out its kinks and burns off its day. I think it's the best kind of therapy, and I always feel great when I arrive at my destination!

I'm proud of my decision to get a new bike that is wonderfully comfortable for my body and makes riding easier (hills are so less intimidating now!). I know that this is a way to keep myself healthy, be kind to the earth and my fellow citizens, and save myself a LOT of money. This bike cost me $455 up front, and I already have my helmet, bike gloves and rain gear, and this morning I transferred my fenders, lights, and light brackets from Sheila to Dorothy. I do need a new U-lock, because my old one won't fit around Dorothy's slightly beefier frame. Apart from that, a bike takes approximately $60 worth of maintenance per year, and depending on what kind of tires you have and how much you ride, those need replacing every 2-5 years (at $25-40 per tire). One of my goals for the next year is to do most of my own bike maintenance, and their are loads of free clinics in town where I can learn, so hopefully this will cut down on my tune-up expenses. When I think that right now a tank of gas alone costs around $60 in Portland (for a sedan), the decision is already made for me.

Hopefully if you don't already go by bike, this will inspire you a little. I know for many people it's not an option- living out in the country, having a disability or injury or a job that requires a vehicle can make biking next to impossible. But if you're able, think about using a bike to ride to work even just a couple times a week, or to the farmer's market on weekends, or whatever. There are so many kinds of bikes, and ways of biking with kids and even babies (over 6 months old), and trailers and panniers for groceries and textbooks, that there is something available for almost everyone and every situation. Every little bit counts, and it can be such a fun thing besides. We all rode bikes as kids--how did that get to be a thing that people grew out of?