“My beautiful country house with black mold stains’’

You know those black spots around the window that you have cleaned so many times? But no matter how many times you spray them with vinegar, they always come back… Obviously, I am talking about... mold! Many of the readers can probably relate to the desire to have a nice place out in the countryside, along with a generous piece of land to grow food. We long for peace and quiet and to discover God at work in our own surroundings. But often, countryside houses are poorly insulated. Think of single glass windows, no moisture barrier in the foundation and, sometimes, only a single wall. None of this helps to keep away mold.

In this blog I want to walk you through our problems, as well as our solutions. It is also important to address the different types of mold and the disastrous effects mold can have on your health. In this blog I want to take you through our problems, our solutions and I also want to give you some knowledge about mold and what it can do to your health.

We have lived in our countryside house for 2 years now and are ever so grateful to God for providing us with a place to live (which is its own separate story). Without Him, this would never have been possible.

The house we currently live in functioned as a calf barn in the past. It has single glass, no waterproof layer and no windows that can open, except one in the bedroom.

This, of course, was bound to create some problems. For example: damp walls. The walls are already saturated and cannot absorb the added moisture that builds up inside the house. Therefore, mold spots start to form at the bottom of the walls. And because of the single glass, condensation quickly forms on the windows, which eventually seeps down and also causes mold on the windowsill. Furthermore, we eventually found out that the joints in the bathroom were letting moisture in and thus mold could also be found in the kitchen cabinets on the other side of the wall. While writing this blog, I am still working to solve these problems in our home as well, so I will take you through what I have learned about how to tackle mold and, hopefully, get rid of it. But first, allow me to explain what mold is.

Mold is a type of microorganism, belonging to the realm of fungi. It grows in the form of tiny threads called hyphae and can spread through microscopic spores. Fungi usually live in moist, warm environments and break down organic material to obtain nutrients. They can be useful (for example in food production or the decomposition of organic matter) or harmful (as demonstrated by spoilage, allergies and infections).

Some common mold in homes include:

1. Black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum)

2. White mold (Penicillium species)

3. Green mold (Cladosporium species).

4. Alternaria.

Aside from these, there are many other types of mold and it can vary from house to house which are likely to grow there. Some grow well on wood, others on wallpaper or in dark rooms, such as a basement. And, of course, there can be different causes of mold growth, because not all types of mold thrive in the same conditions. As is the case with diseases, the root cause of the mold growth must be found if you wish to truly halt its course. This is especially important since mold actually negatively affects our health. Let’s see what kind of symptoms and health risks mold can pose:

1. Respiratory problems/symptoms:

• Coughing

• Shortness of breath

• Wheezing

• Aggravation of asthma

2. Allergies Symptoms:

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Itchy eyes, skin, or throat

• Skin rash

  
  

  3. Skin problems Symptoms:

  
  

• Skin rash

• Redness

• Itchy spots

  
  

  4. Mycotoxicosis (Poisoning by fungal toxins) Symptoms:

  
  

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Dizziness

• Nausea and vomiting

  
  

  5. Fungal diseases (Mycoses) Symptoms:

  
  

• Local infections (e.g., on the skin or in the nails)

• Systemic infections (severe fungal infections in organs)

6. Neurological and mental effects Symptoms:

• Headache

• Fatigue

• Decreased concentration

• Depression-like feelings.

Clearly, there are quite a few problems you may have to deal with as a result of mold in your home, most significantly the disadvantageous effects on your life and health. And as for children and people with weak immune systems, mold can cause even bigger problems. In such cases, it is even more important to take action quickly.

After learning about all these problems, we want to know how to prevent it and to seek some solutions. Luckily, there are quite a lot of things we can do that help against the growth of mold.

There are some conditions that mold needs in order to grow properly. These are:

• Moisture

• Organic material (nutrient soil)

• The right temperature

• Oxygen

How to avoid mold at no cost?

One of the easiest things you can do is ventilate. Airflow causes moisture to evaporate faster and prevents mold spores from accumulating in one place and expanding, which it would if there was no airflow. It might not be nice to know, but it is important to realize that mold spores are constantly floating through the air, both inside and outside of the house. The moment they get into a good environment, they will settle there.

Considering our home’s lack of windows, we found another way to ventilate with no added costs (weep hole grilles only), which was to drill holes in the outer wall. I do not know what it is like in other countries, but in the Netherlands most houses have double walls with a narrow space in between for ventilation. The outer walls must have ventilation grills to circulate the air between them, but we did not have any ventilation holes. If you have good circulation there, then the inner wall can dry better, even if the damp inside increases. But before you apply this, check with someone who knows about construction to see if this is possible at your house.

Another important thing to do, though it may involve costs, is to keep the house heated. Keep the temperature as stable as possible. A temperature between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius is sufficient to keep the room dry enough. Because a cold house is more likely to have condensation, heat helps to counteract that. Warm air also circulates better, since cold air tends to hang still while warm air wants to move upwards and, in doing so, circulates the air in the house so that the moisture evaporates better.

One thing that has proven itself useful in our home, which I recommend everyone to buy if you struggle with high humidity in your home, is an air dehumidifier. They do not have to be expensive; with a budget of 150 euros you already have a good-functioning one. We put it in the bathroom after showering, as the exhaust in the bathroom is usually not enough to get the moisture out of the bathroom. What we always did before was to keep the bathroom door open, but then mold got on the walls outside of the bathroom. So the best thing to do is to keep the door closed, so as to keep the moisture in the bathroom, and let the dehumidifier absorb the moisture there.

A few more things you can do to combat mold are:

• Dry your laundry outside or in a shed, but not in the house

• Use an extractor hood when cooking

• Keep everything clean, including walls, etc.

• Use anti-mold paint

• Clean up wet mops and towels immediately

• Dry shower walls after showering

• Repair leaks immediately

• Double glazing

• Insulate the house well

Mold in your home is annoying and I hope you do not suffer from it, but fortunately you can often do something about it. Proper ventilation, regular cleaning and dealing with moisture problems can help a lot already.  I have found that a fresh and dry home really makes a difference in how comfortable you feel at home. The Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). The same goes for your home: if you take good care of it, it will remain a pleasant place to live.

So, if you have mold, tackle it and enjoy a fresh and clean home again!

We are Yoeri (29) and Lisa (27) Haak. We live together with our 1,5 year old daughter in Otterlo, in the middle part of the Netherlands. In 2019, we came into The Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Having changed our lifestyle and experienced the benefits of it, we would like to share this with others and help other people with their mental and physical condition. Working with health and people always inspired us. In 2022 we followed a course to become a lifestyle coach/ medical missionary. After this course we started a lifestyle center, called Advice For Life.