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1

The Indoor World Must Be Cared For

The Way Children Are

When we observe children, they demonstrate very little awareness of germs, dust, other dangers — or anything potentially harmful to them.

If we watch long enough, we’ll certainly see children playing in the filthiest of places (trash cans, toilets, etc) — without a second thought.

In this way, don’t be like a child! Your indoor environment can become harmful quite easily. This is especially true if your immune system has been compromised due to illness.

Buildings Are “High Maintenance”

Perhaps you aren’t “high maintenance,” but the buildings we live in are. Buildings cannot maintain themselves and, therefore, it is up to us — their inhabitants — to maintain them.

Taking care of our buildings is no small task. Buildings have become more complex in modernity — with increasing mechanical automation.

Current designs also tend to favor complexity, often to appear more ornate or impressive from the street, and thus create a structure that is more difficult to “stay on top of.” More moving parts means more to keep track of, and more to understand.

Microfiber: Uncomfortable On Your Hands?

If microfiber cloth is uncomfortable on your skin — consider wearing some gloves. Microfiber towels are that worth it.

For what it’s worth, microfiber used to bother my skin, too. My skin has improved so much over the last few years (thanks in large part to getting out of sick environments, as well as gut health and nutritional improvements) that things like microfiber don’t bother me at all.

Dust Quickly!

A whole room — or the entire house — can be wiped down rapidly if you know where to focus.

Tops Of Things

Make sure you get the tops of things, where dust collects.  With microfiber, it can be so easy to clean the tops of everything in a whole room quickly.

I consider the floor to be a “top” when I’m dusting, simplydue to the way dust settles on it. 🙂

Bottoms Of Things

Focus also on the bottoms of things (that’s where they touch other surfaces).  Bags, lunchboxes, and boxes that regularly touch the floor are as dirty as shoes.

Handles

Handles are where the hands are. Be sure to wipe them down (and disinfect them) frequently.

Embrace hard surfaces.  Carpets, rugs, and cloth furniture work against you, and increase toxic exposure in the home.  

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4

Swiffer

Swiffer Pads = Microfiber

A dry Swiffer is merely microfiber on a stick.  

It can trap a lot of nasty stuff.

With hard floors and a Swiffer, you can remove dust from your floors in minutes.

Hard surfaces + microfiber = WIN.

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5

Cleaning Products

Benefect Decon 30

This is perhaps the best cleaning product I’ve ever used.

As its namesake suggests, Benefect Decon 30 completely disinfects (99.99%) in 30 seconds. The company claims it is safe to use on food-prep surfaces — without even needing to wipe off before preparing food.

The active ingredient is thymol, the main component of thyme essential oil. Botanically sourced, you get harsh-chemical performance from an all-natural product.

There is only a very faint, pleasant, scent of thyme oil when using this product, and it fades quickly.

Vital Oxide

This is the second-best cleaning product I’ve used. It’s a very, very close second to the Benefect.

It’s also more affordable than Benefect.

Vital Oxide essentially claims everything that Benefect claims: 99.99% disinfection, safe to leave on food-prep surfaces without rinsing, safe to use around people and children.

The label describes this as a hospital-grade disinfectant, and it’s also used on farms to prevent disease in livestock. I’m having really good results with this one, as well.

Vital Oxide has a very, very slight “clean” scent. I don’t think it smells like a fragrance, at all. Having had MCS, myself, I don’t think the scent would bother most folks with chemical sensitivities.

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HEPA Vacuums

Vacuum well and often, in multiple directions.  

A vacuum with a HEPA filter is necessary to trap spores — otherwise spores will be spread each time you vacuum.  

Always empty a vacuum OUTSIDE the building/home, and be careful to minimize spread of dust and dirt while emptying.

Carefully change or empty a vacuum’s bag and filter outside.

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Don’t bring the dirt, spores, and germs you just vacuumed back inside the house!

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7

Ozone

Ozone is a powerful oxidizer.

Ozone machines emit ozone in high quantities, which dries the air, oxidizes toxins and chemicals, and also kills bugs (including bed bugs, lice, and dust mites).  

An ozone particle is so reactive that it steals an electron from other particles and alters their chemical identity. As an oxidative agent, it is second only to fluorine gas.

Great For Prevention

Mold does not like ozone, and therefore it can be a potent element in the prevention of mold growth.  

However, if you have mold growth already occurring, ozone will likely not ever eliminate it entirely. Instead, it will merely slow the spread and proliferation.

Only Decent Coverage

Ozone cannot reach all areas equally; it must be blown around a room.  

Even then, it will not reach behind objects, behind books, or other hard to reach spaces very well.

Ozone will not get inside walls very much at all.

There is some evidence ozone can destroy mold spores, although it apparently takes high concentration.  

Ozone won’t “kill all the mold.”  It simply won’t.  This doesn’t mean it isn’t useful to discourage mold growth — especially in prevention or making a bad situation temporarily somewhat more tolerable.  

Ozone also doesn’t change the environment in which the mold developed, with regards to chronic moisture, humidity, condensation, and trapped air (although ozone does have a drying effect on the air when present).

Be sure to leave the area during treatment and for 60 minutes after an ozone session ends.  When the session is over, open a window to let in fresh air. Ozone can turn harmful chemicals into even more harmful versions of themselves, so be sure to air rooms out after a session.

Wall outlet ozone generators produce very small amounts of ozone.  I recommend having a few of these and using them regularly — especially in bathrooms.

PRO TIP: Place your ozone machine near an HVAC intake vent.

This will expose your HVAC system to ozone.  Again, this will not “kill all the mold,” but regular treatments can discourage and temporarily inhibit mold growth.

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8

The HVAC System

HVAC systems perpetually create condensation and continuously take in dust and mold spores.

Dust, spores and condensation are recipe for microbial growth — especially on the evaporator coils and drainage areas.

HVAC Filters

Choose Better Filtration (MERV 8)

Dust has no place in an HVAC system. Therefore, quality filters are important.

A higher MERV rating will more effectively keep finer particles out of the system.

However…

MERV 8 Is Probably Best

MERV 8 seems to be the best solution for most typical HVAC systems.

Higher ratings than MERV 8 will cause average systems to run 24/7, never getting enough airflow to really heat/cool your housek — causing the system to run continuously. A lack of airflow could also impede the unit’s ability to dehumidify the indoor space.

Therefore, a MERV 8 filter will trap mold spores without affecting airflow too much.

A system designed for stronger filters will have a beefier fan to move more air through a thick filter.

A MERV 8 is the best filter most systems can handle.

The Filter I Use

Nordic Pure claims all of its filters are electrostatically charged for even better performance.

Change Filters Frequently

HVAC filters need to be changed every three months.

That’s a bare minimum. Change every 1-2 months for even better protection of the HVAC system.

Clean The Evaporator Coils

Evaporator coils need to be cleaned every 6 months.

Most HVAC systems’ coils never get cleaned.

If you’re due (or over-due), call a professional soon and schedule an appointment to have the coils/evaporators of your HVAC system deep cleaned. 

How It’s Done:

• Foam is applied to the entire structure, eating through built-up mold and bacteria. 
• If lots of moldy gunk has built up on the coils, it may take several applications to do the job. 

Be sure to inform the HVAC Pro that you want the job done completely — even if it takes multiple applications (and extra paid time on the job).

Tip

Inquire whether the service provides 1) a total cleaning or 2) one application of product.

Best PraCTICES

All air conditioner coils should be cleaned every 6 months (including autos).  This rarely happens in most buildings and homes — and that should be worrisome.

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Daily Habits

Wear Clothes Once (per wash)

Wear clothes once, and then wash them.  There’s no need to allow clothes to collect more than one wear’s worth of dust, spores, or toxins.

Make The Bedroom A “Clean Room”

Ideally, your home will be as clean as possible, but certainly, think of your bedroom as a “Clean Room.”  

Don’t bring shoes, jackets, dirty clothes, belongings (purses, etc) into the bedroom. Consider cleaning smartphones, laptops, and electronics before bringing them to the bedroom.

Extra Filthy Areas

Door handles, light switches, smartphones, shoes, countertops are touched a lot and by dirty hands.  

Smartphones accompany their owners to a bathroom several times a day.  Most phones rarely get sterilized, but they should be cleaned almost every day.

How To:

• Door handles, light switches, and floors should be cleaned weekly
• Countertops and floors should be cleaned multiple times per week
• Benefect Decon 30, and Vital Oxide are excellent for surfaces
• Vinegar is a safe, though weaker, option
• Isopropyl alcohol is quite antimicrobial, but could harm surfaces
• Keep shoes by the door and wash them frequently — don’t wear them through the house.

Shower Frequently

Bathing is essential to keeping the body clean of the spores, toxins, and dust that you may react to.  It also washes away microbes that live and reside on the skin.

How To:

• Take 1-2 showers per day.
• Mind the humidity from the shower — always use the exhaust fan.

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11

Cleaning Automobiles

Not Designed To Stay Clean

Automobiles can become problematic because cars are a trapped space with:

• Infinite nooks and crannies
• Built in HVAC system
• Materials contain many toxic materials

Maintaining Your Car

• Wipe down surfaces with microfiber multiple times a week and every time you suspect your car has been exposed to questionable objects or even people who live in mold.  
• Change the cabin air filter every 8-12 months
• Use all-weather liners on floorboards and trunk.
• Use this compact shop vac to vacuum your car weekly. It’s so fun to keep it clean.

While Driving

A dashboard automobile ozone unit may help make your auto air more hostile to mold growth, especially in the car’s HVAC system.

Garages are notoriously moldy. Parking a car outside allows fresh air to seep in, UV light to sterilize the exterior, water to rinse, and lets your car avoid possible contamination from moldy garage air.  

Crack or open windows as much as possible while driving.  

Minimize your use of the car A/C.  

Never store containers with liquid in a vehicle — they are prone to leak.

Is Your Car Already Exposed?

If you suspect your car is contaminated, heavy ozoning may help a little, and weekly deep-cleaning will help to a fairly large extent, but finding a different car may be the only long-term solution — especially as you begin thinking about remediation or moving.

Ozone, vacuum (with shop vac), and disinfect (with Benefect or Vital oxide) the car weekly. This is also what you should do for prevention!

Purchasing A Car

Look for well-kept cars with leather seats and no discernible smell.  Spend at least 30 minutes inside the car, and be sure to test the A/C (both heat and cooling).

Always demand to see the CarFax from dealerships and private sellers (even though they aren’t perfectly reliable).

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12

Showers

Showers can easily become mold central — all it takes is a little neglect.

Be sure to minimize your storage of items inside the shower.

Spray shower with disinfectant cleaner after every shower.

Pull the shower doors or curtain to a position allowing for all surfaces can air out and dry.  

Always run bathroom exhaust fan during and after a shower.  

Clean shower regularly and inspect weekly for mold growth.  

Don’t allow areas to remain perpetually moist.  

Avoid allowing the drain to become lined with sludge and treat your drains with enzyme-based drain cleaner regularly.

Wall-outlet ozone generators are highly encouraged in bathrooms.  

Shower heads can become contaminated — take them apart and clean them with disinfectant.

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13

Drains

Dark, Wet Tubes

Drains are perpetually wet, dark tubes that easily incubate mold spores.  They are often a secondary source of mold in a building;  Once a building is already inhabited by mold, the drains become the next logical home.

Protect Drains From Organic Matter

Fungus in your drains just needs a food source to go with all the constant moisture. Therefore, don’t let food and other organic matter into your drains.

Garbage disposals are inherently problematic — drains simply should not have organic matter in them.

Drain flies are a clear warning sign that drains are unhealthy.

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15

Toilets

Toilets Need Constant Attention

Mold is especially likely to grow in the toilet bowl, but it can also grow inside the tank! Toilets need to be sprayed weekly, and deep-cleaned every month (at the minimum!).

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16

Laundry

Spores

Spores can generally be removed with several washes with:

• Hot water
• Detergent
• Vinegar/borax/EC3 (pick one!)

VOC’s & Mycotoxins

The offensive odors produced by mold can cause neurological symptoms in those who are sensitive. The compounds are often toxic, as well — making their presence more significant than a mere allergen.

Clothes can simply absorb the odors and mycotoxins from the air in your moldy house. They can also be exposed via sweat.

Oftentimes, when “moldy” folks sweat, their sweat includes these toxins — which then become infused in the fabric of their clothes. These nauseous compounds can be irritating to those wearing the garments and people nearby. It can seem nearly impossible to remove the VOCs and mycotoxins from clothes once they’ve been exposed.

Your Best Bet

Your Washing Machine

Washing machines can become clogged and risk leaking. Leaving clothes in a washer is a recipe for permanent mold in the machine.

If You Have The Money…

O3 Laundry Ozone Washer System

Saturate your washing machine’s water with enough ozone that some people choose to wash their laundry without detergent.

Now, I recommend using laundry detergent. But why not increase the cleaning and disinfectant action of each wash?

I suspect this will provide the entire washing machine with an extra layer of protection from fungus growth in the entire wash basin and drain line, as well.

Mold Can Grow In The Drain Line

Dirty water has to leave your washing machine through the drain line, and this line usually has a filter to catch lent and fabric threads before they leave the machine.

It’s a very good idea to get behind your washer and clean/disinfect this filter several times per year.

This completes Cleaning.
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