What do you do when you see some black mold creeping up in the shower, or underneath the kitchen cupboard? Do you reach for bleach or some other heavy-duty cleanser? It’s tempting, for sure, but let’s take a closer look at what’s in those cleaners. They could be just as bad as the mold itself.

Mold feeds on moisture, which is why we often see it in bathrooms, around sinks and drains and in beachside communities, like Laguna Beach, where there’s a lot of moisture in the air. Mold is not just unsightly, it can cause allergies and trigger asthma, and a new study from the University of Cincinnati indicated that if infants are exposed to mold, it can cause childhood asthma!

And if you see a little mold, it could be the sign of a much larger problem—call us to check it out. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you have small children, or have a baby on the way. “This study should motivate expectant parents, especially if they have a family history of allergy or asthma, to correct water damage and reduce the mold burden in their homes to protect the respiratory health of their children,” says Tina Roponen, lead author of the U of Cincinnati study. [Read more…]