T’is the season.
Actually air quality and mould within your home knows no season and that’s why the Grey Bruce Health Unit says you need to know the capabilities of your home.
Health Hazard Program Manager Andrew Barton says the newer homes are well-sealed and that’s good for conserving energy but it can present air quality issues unless you have something like an air exchanger in your house.
Barton — who appeared on Soundingboard on 98 the Beach — says without air flow within a home the carbon dioxide can build up and cause problems.
Barton also says mould is always a problem in areas with plenty of moisture such as a bathroom or shower stall.
He says under certain circumstances mould can be a problem causing allergic reactions, asthma-like systems to simple headaches.
The good news is you need a substantial amount of mould present for these problems and most homes don’t have that issue.
However, any mould should be cleaned up.
Barton says a mould build-up on a window sill for instance can be cleaned up with soap and water.
He says a lot of people think bleach is the way to kill the mould spores but research has shown it does no better a job than simple soap and water and doesn’t leave any off-gassing which isn’t particularly good for you.