executiverestoration.com

Growing up on a farm in South Dakota, we grew a lot of food for ourselves and our animals.  Every year my dad and brothers would bale hay to feed our livestock.  The hay that we grew on our farm in South Dakota was Alfalfa.  Alfalfa is very high in fiber making it ideal for most animals.

The alfalfa we grew was harvested just before it began to flower.  To prevent white mold from growing, it was very important to cut the hay when it was not forecasted to rain.  Ideally, hay should be baled when dry, baling hay while it’s moist can cause certain types of mold to grow.  The three main groups of fungi that start to grow on hay in storage are Aspergillis, Fusarium, and Penicillium.  The type of mold I recall seeing on hay was white in color.

Feeding moldy hay to animals can cause serious health issues for the animal.  Horses can develop colic and a respiratory condition called COPD (also known as heaves).  If you are purchasing hay for your livestock, there are several things you can look for to ensure you are buying quality hays.  First, the appearance of the hay should by leafy and not contain a lot of stalks, weeds or branches.  Next is the color of the hay, it should be green.  Green hay contains a lot of nutrients essential to your animal’s health.  Last is its smell.  Alfalfa has a wonderful sweet smell.  If you take a whiff of the hay and start to cough or sneeze, chances are your animal will react the same way.  If you need assistance determining what type of mold you have in your hay, contact Executive Restoration at (704) 545-0098 or visit us online at www.gotmoldinnorthcarolina.com

That nasty mold and mildew rots our food and make our cellars smell like an old sock.  In our homes they leave ugly black spots around our bathtubs and on our shower curtains.  In the bathroom it’s a constant battle to keep the air moving so things can dry out properly.  One tip is to always close your shower curtain after you take a shower.  Closing the shower curtain ensures water doesn’t get trapped in the folds and decreases the chance of mold forming.

Many people are allergic to their microscopic spores that can’t be seen with the human eye.  People suffering with “hay fever” are sensitive to pollens released by plants in the spring or summer.  However, some people who sniffle and sneeze in the fall or winter may be allergic to mold spores.

A mushroom is usually shaped like an umbrella and is composed of fungal filaments that combine to form a fruiting body.  The fruiting body works the same as the fruit of a plant.  Inside the fruiting body spores are produced.  Spores in new fungi serve the same function as seeds in plants.  Fungi produce enormous amounts of spores.  One single field mushroom has the potential to produce two billion spores and some fungi can release twenty million spores a minute.  Most spores are sterile and never germinate.  If they did, the earth would be covered in fungi and not a very nice place to live.  Many people work in buildings that are considered “sick”.  Have you ever entered a building only to begin sneezing non-stop.  Perhaps you are allergic to work but the most likely reason is that the building has some underlying issue with mold or mold spores.  Maybe you have this reaction when you enter your home.  Many homes today are airtight and do not allow for proper ventilation so dangerous mold can form causing many health problems.

Only an inspection by a certified mold inspector can determine if you have an issue within a dwelling.  Contact the professionals at Executive Restoration (704-545-0098) today to schedule a mold inspection.