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Archive for June 20th, 2009

Mold Allergies

A single mold spore is a tiny, microscopic little thing that usually thrives in damp places. Yet for its diminutiveness in size, mold spores can be deadly to people who have allergic reactions to them.

Most allergies start with airborne allergens. And while mold spores often stick to walls and surfaces, because they are so tiny, they can easily float in the air when disturbed. A person with mold allergies can easily breathe these mold spores, permitting them to pass through the nasal passages and to the lungs, triggering an allergic reaction.

Mold allergies are even more common than pollen allergies. That’s because pollen allergies are often seasonal, like ragweed during the fall, grass pollen in the spring, and cedar fever in December or January. With mold allergies, however, it’s different. Molds can affect you at night, with little regard to seasons. And while pollens are released during the day when sunlight dries the pollen and the wind picks them up and spreads them around, mold cannot tolerate sunlight and hence only goes off during the night. The process is called “sporulation,” which is different from pollen’s pollination.

The highest mold counts occur in our homes around 2:00 a.m. because that’s the time when spores blow out of our air-conditioning systems and spread throughout the house. The first thing that happens during the onset of mold allergies is swelling in the mucus membrane. This is then followed by the release of adrenaline, your emergency allergy hormone. The release of adrenaline is also the reason why you suddenly find yourself waking up in the wee hours of the morning and wondering why you can’t breathe through one nostril.

To control allergic reaction to molds, the first step is to recognize the triggers. Because once you do, you’ll at least know when to avoid them. You can also have an allergist test you for positive response to mold. However, the problem with this is that there are far too many species and mutant varieties of molds that it’s difficult to test you for every single one of them. One thing you should know if you have mold allergies is that molds need a place to grown on and a source of nutrients.  Damp places are their personal favorites, but the dust in your air conditioning system may also provide them with nutrients to support them.

Here are common places where mold colonies may thrive:

•    Damp areas, leaks, etc.
•    Dusty or musty papers, cardboard, carpet, upholstered furniture and bedding
•    Damp wood, such as house framing wet from rain during construction, or for that matter, before the construction even began
•    Air conditioners insulation, coils, and drain pans, even in furnaces and automobiles
•    Pans under frost free refrigerators
•    Poor filters

Another place where molds may grow is your car. Researchers have noticed that many people suffered mold allergies in their cars with symptoms like sinus problems, asthma, drippy nose, and headaches. The cause of this was attributed to leaky windows or doors, often the result of aged weather stripping. This causes water to leak in and wet the carpet of upholstery, contributing to mold growth.

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Mohawk Flooring – Makes the Room

Mohawk Industries is the leading producer of flooring worldwide. Mohawk flooring Industries is a leading producer of yarn, carpets, area rugs, bath mats, ceramic tiles, and vinyl floorings, laminate flooring, and hardwood flooring. The company provides goods for all significant market segments, distribution channels and price points.

Mohawk (laminate) flooring is renowned for its ability to combine exceptional styles, patterns and colors. No one can tell the difference between real hardwood flooring from the Mohawk laminate flooring because they look so much alike. Thanks to Mohawk laminate flooring’s decorative patterns
that comes in a variety of colors, textures and styles to choose from, every room of your home is distinctively and beautifully designed.

These Mohawk floorings are easy to clean. You can even use tough household cleaners even though Mohawk flooring is laminate hardwood. The advanced quality of these laminate floorings help them in maintaining their glamour and vivacity for a long period of time. Mohawk has specially designed Mohawk Floor Care Essentials Hard Surface Care Kit for proper maintenance of Mohawk laminate floors. In order to prevent scratches, abrasions, and dents, it is necessary to clean these laminated floors by using Mohawk’s Micro fibre “Dry” Mop Cloth or Micro Fibre “Wet” Mop Cloth. For tough stains, you can use nail polish remover. But on most stains on Mohawk wood floors, just use a damp cloth, and simply wipe away.

Mohawk offers hardwood warranties for pre-finished solid, engineered, and longstrip floors: manufacturing defects and finish warranty; and structure and moisture warranty exclusively for pre-finished engineered and longstrip floors.

The three distinguishing layers of Mohawk flooring are capable of resisting moisture absorption to a certain extent which also provide the floorings stability and firmness. Due to Mohawk flooring’s backing, it prevents any moisture from the subfloor to seep through and cause damage to its bottom layers. When you install Mohawk (hardwood) flooring in your home, you won’t have to worry that the color will fade if it is exposed to the sun for long periods of time. Mohawk flooring is incredibly tough and is made to withstand the wear and tear of the most hectic household. Pets, small children, and moving furniture – none of these will damage the beautiful finish of Mohawk (hardwood) flooring.

Today, Mohawk sells floor covering and textiles for every room in the home and for every commercial application. Harwood flooring, laminate flooring, ceramic tile flooring, stone and marble flooring, vinyl sheet flooring are among the newest Mohawk product offerings. Mohawk (laminate) floorings have gained immense popularity. Mohawk is recognized as one of the strongest flooring brand. As its slogan says, Mohawk flooring – makes your room.

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