A home isn’t clean if the air inside it is filled with pollutants like mold spores. When you’re deep cleaning your home, remember that it’s not just about clutter and shine. It’s about preventing and removing mold- which can have an impact on your health.
Michael Rubino, an air quality expert who helps bridge the gap between the air in our homes and its direct impact on our health, has remediated over 1,000 homes and helped over 3,000 critically ill people recover by working with a team of experts. He is available for interviews to discuss four things to add to spring cleaning:
- Clean appliances: If the appliance in question involves any sort of water or liquid, it offers an excellent environment for mold to grow. To help prevent this and avoid a contamination issue, deep clean these machines to remove random mold spores, particles a colony could use for growth, pooled moisture, and mineral buildup. Appliances that should be tackled include the coffee maker, dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator water spout, and blender.
- Focus on all grout and caulk: As these are often near areas with some form of moisture, it’s important to keep them clean to remove any mold spores or particles that colonies can use for growth. Tackle these areas with 8% hydrogen peroxide and microfiber rags. While cleaning, take a close look at the grout and caulk to make sure it’s not cracked or aging. The older it is, the more porous it becomes, offering a perfect opportunity for mold to begin growing. If any issues are visible, fix them or replace the grout or caulk as soon as possible to prevent any issues.
- Take care of the mattress: Take everything off the mattress, HEPA vacuum it, and flip it to the opposite side. This aerates the mattress, which prevents moisture buildup and removes any particles that have made their way onto the surface. With mold’s ability to grow in 24–48 hours, maintaining a dry mattress free from particles is crucial so that colonies don’t develop where we sleep. While cleaning, check for any visible mold growth or a musty, earthy smell that could indicate a hidden problem.
- Machine wash bathroom items: Things like bathmats, towels, washrags, and the shower curtain constantly get wet while the bathroom is in use. Add in the plethora of particles such as organic matter, dust, and skin cells that mold can use for growth, and they become perfect habitable locations. To avoid this, throw these items in the wash with a botanical cleaner such as EC3 Laundry Additive.
“Mold, bacteria, and toxins are slowly killing people in their homes because we, as a society, don’t consider how much our indoor air quality affects our health,” says Rubino. “Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, according to the EPA. As the World Health Organization reports that 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air, this data indicates a serious problem with our indoor air quality. We are in an epidemic that cannot continue to be overlooked. We must work as a society to make poor indoor air quality a national health issue, unite industries that can have a direct impact, and encourage people suffering from unexplained illnesses to check their environments.”
MICHAEL RUBINO is an air quality expert who helps bridge the gap between the air in our homes and its direct impact on our health. Rubino works with over 100 doctors globally to not only raise awareness but also provide solutions to correctly identify and remove the pollutants causing this global health crisis. As President of All American Restoration, Rubino specializes in working with people who are immunocompromised or have acute and sustained reactions to mold exposure and has helped heal over 1,000 families—including celebrities and athletes. He is also a council-certified Mold Remediator by IICRC and ACAC and is a contributing member, sponsor, and speaker for the Indoor Air Quality Association. He is the author of The Mold Medic and a contributor to MindBodyGreen. Rubino has been featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s The goop Podcast and goop’s website, Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered podcast, Luke Storey, Forbes, USA Today, and Bloom TV, to name a few. He hosts the YouTube series, Mold Talks, where guests include medical experts as well as mold recovery patients, including media icon Atoosa Rubenstein.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
