84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16, 2002
Family Living
Focus
by
Debra Gregory
Huntingdon County
Extension
Dealing With Mold
In Your Home
As we approach spring, the
outside air temperature may vary
from highs of 60 degrees to lows
in the 20s. This temperature vari
ation, along with moisture inside,
makes our homes and buildings
ripe for the onset of molds and
potential rotting problems.
While mold and rot may not be
the most pleasant topic to public
ly discuss, it is a problem that is
found in many homes, apart
ments, and business and public
buildings.
Molds are biological pollutants,
also called bioaerosols, which
come from plant and animal ma
terials. Molds growing in the
home release spores into the air
where they float as particulates.
The larger particles settle onto
surfaces, but smaller particles
stay suspended in the air indefi
nitely.
Molds can grow slowly and do
not require light to grow. High
humidity, high moisture levels,
and standing water are associat
ed with mold growth. Molds give
off a musty smell. Areas like
bathrooms, kitchens, laundry
rooms, basements, crawl spaces,
and entryways are places that
may experience high moisture or
humidity from water, steam, or
snow accumulation. If you have
indoor pets, the area near their
water dish is an area to be on the
lookout for mold growth.
Refrigerator drip pans, air con
ditioning coils, even dehumidi
fiers and humidifiers that have
standing water, can be places for
mold to grow. In the winter,
other places to look for mold
growth are on cold walls in un
ventilated attics and closets.
Damp carpeting, water conden
sation on windows and walls, and
wood rot are other conditions for
mold growth.
The main reason to control
mold growth is for health-related
concerns. Mold spores cause al
lergic reactions in some people
including watery eyes, sneezing,
nasal congestion, itching, cough
ing, wheezing, difficulty breath
ing, headache and fatigue. The
most severe reaction is an asthma
attack.
The second reason for mold
control is that your property
value may decrease in cases
where structural rot damage is
caused by excessive mold growth.
A lesson
well learned..
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What can you do to control
mold? Keeping surfaces clean
and dry is the most effective
method of preventing and remov
ing mold. Make sure everyone in
the household knows how impor
tant it is to wipe up spills and
keep wet items off floors. Use ex
haust fans in kitchens, bathroom,
and laundry area. Vent your
clothes dryer to the outside and
check that the vent is clear.
Throw out any damp carpeting
or paneling. Check and fix any
faucet and plumbing leaks. Raise
the temperature of cold surfaces
with insulation and storm win
dows.
Increase air circulation by
opening closet doors and moving
furniture away from the walls.
Always read and follow the di
rections for any commercial
cleaning product you are going to
use. Clean and disinfect humidi
fiers, dehumidifiers, refrigerator
drip pans, and air conditioning
coils. Chlorine bleach is recom
mended. Bleach can also be used
on hard surfaces.
Use one cup of chlorine bleach
to one gallon of water and dry
quickly after cleaning. Always
use caution when cleaning with
chlorine bleach by wearing rub
ber gloves to protect your skin.
Do not mix bleach and ammo
nia or any other cleansers that
contain ammonia. This can pro
duce fumes that are extremely
hazardous.
When the air is drier outside
than air inside the house, in
crease the ventilation by opening
doors and windows. Use a dehu
midifler, but check the room size
and the water removal method.
Air conditioners can also lower
humidity. *
Other methods that may re
quire a professional contractor to
help to control moisture in your
home include: correct drainage
problems around downspouts
and foundations, waterproof
basement walls and insulate, con
trol crawl space moisture, and re
place carpet with hard-surface
floors in basements or lower lev
els.
Mold growth is not something
that you want to have to take
care of this spring. Deal with the
problem before it begins so you
and your family can live without
it!
Hot Air Circulator
(Needs NO Electricity)
• Special top-vents create a
natural draft
• Burns wood or coal
• Cast Iron Doors & Grate
• Exterior handle for clean shake
down
Optional Electnc Fan for the
maximum heat circulation.
•All DS Stoves have hot air (or hot water) regulators
•All DS Stoves have cast iron doors and grates
•All DS Stoves have exterior shaker handle for dust-free shake down
D.S. Machine Strop
Stoves & Chimneys
2388 Old Leacock Rd., Gordonville, PA 17529
717-768-3853
Ups And Downs Of Outdoor Play
LEESPORT (Berks Co.)
The Ups and Downs of Outdoor
Play” is the title of the workshop
being presented by Penn State
Cooperative Extension. All child
care providers and interested
parents can participate in the
workshop at 7 p.m. on Thursday,
April 11, at Berks County Agri
cultural Center, Leesport.
Sue Giachero, Penn State Co
operative Extension family living
agent in Berks County, says
“Outdoor play is very important
for children but it often brings
with it dangers. Each year it is es
timated that over 205,000 chil
Women And Heart Disease Workshop
BEAVER (Beaver Co.)
When asked what they fear most
of dying from, the majority of
women say breast cancer. But in
reality, they have a much greater
chance of dying from heart dis
ease.
Heart disease is the number
one cause of death among Ameri
can women and will take the
lives of 500,000 women this year,
with half having had no symp
toms of the disease. It is also the
leading cause of disability among
women.
To respond to this emerging
Teen Veterinary Science Course Offered
COLLEGEVILLE (Montgom
ery Co.) Penn State Coopera
tive Extension of Montgomery
County invites all teens to attend
a 4-H teen veterinary science
course being offered in the Trap
pe area. The course is open to all
youth ages 14-18, who are inter
ested in learning more about vet
erinary medicine.
According to County 4-H
Coordinator Nancy Kadwill,
“The program is geared to teens
who are interested in veterinary
medicine as a potential career.
We hope to address how to pre
pare for a career, look at
schooling needs, and help
participants experience
some of the daily duties of a
veterinarian or vet techni
cian. Also covered will be
basic animal first aid, deter
mining animal health, ani
mal handling and safety,
and lab work such as learn
ing about X-rays and para
site control
Nippenose Stove
& Chimney
Rt. 3, Box 367
Williamsport, PA 17701
717-745-3253
dren are injured in playground
accidents. Safety and proper su
pervision are critical when young
children are playing outside.”
According to Giachero “the
participants will learn how to
identify playground hazards and
how to provide proper supervi
sion. Tips for maintaining play
equipment and proper surfacing
will also be discussed.”
The workshop is part of a
statewide Better Kid Care child
care provider training program
presented by Penn State Cooper
ative Extension and partially
funded by the Pennsylvania De
issue, Penn State Cooperative
Extension of Beaver County is
sponsoring a Women and Heart
Disease Workshop. This work
shop will concentrate on the vari
ous risk factors that women can
change to reduce their risk of
heart disease. Women will be ac
tive participants by assessing
their various risk factors so that
they can set short-term, realistic
goals to change some of their life
style habits.
The risk factors that will be
highlighted include: smoking to
bacco, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, overweight, diabetes.
The course will start on Thurs
day, April 4 and continue for
four consecutive Thursday nights
up to and including May 2.
Classes will be conducted from
7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Animal
Medical Center, which is located
on Route 113 (25 West Third
Avenue) near Ridge Pike in
Trappe.
Parents are invited to the final
session for refreshments and pre
sentation of certificates to those
who complete the course. The
HEATMOR OUTDOOR WOOD FURNACES
. 888-763-8617 800-743-5883
Ntamless Steel Jamestown, NY Staunton, VA
Dairy Princess Court
Candidate Search is On
The committee is seeking young women between the ages of
16 and 24 to serve at the York County Dairy Princess for
the 2002-2003 year. All applicants may either live or work on a
dairy farm, own 2 dairy animals, or be related to someone in the
dairy industry and must have a sincere interest in promoting the
dairy industry. Anyone who is of dairy princess age but feels that
they cannot be the dairy princes may serve as a Dairy
Ambassador on the court
• Girls between the ages of 13-15 may serve on the court as dairy maids
• Dairy Miss and Little Dairy Miss contestants must be between the ages of 5 and 12
• Dairy Princess and Dairy Ambassador contestants are required to give a speech and
present a skit at the coronation
• Dairy Maids are required to prepare and present an informational poster.
• Dairy Miss &■ Little Dairy Miss contestants must prepare and present an original poem
• Being on the York County Dairy Princess Court provides an opportunity for
tremendous personal growth and a chance to meet many new people
• All contestants must be present at the coronation to be held on June 8 to receive a
sash and crown An informational tea will be held on April 14 at the home of the
current dairy princess, Michelle Walker, for anyone interested in being on the court
For more information and details contact
LorS Baumgardner 717-432-3169
Heather Crowt 717-862-3955
partment of Public Welfare, and
the Pennsylvania Child Care/
Early Childhood Development
Training System.
Child care providers can re
ceive two DPW training credits
for participating in the work
shop. Continuing Education
Credits (CEUs) are also avail
able.
For more information on the
program, support materials and
other services from “Better Kid
Care,” call Sue Giachero at (610)
378-1327. Visit the Better Kid
Care Website at www.betterkid
care.psu.edu.
physical activity level, and stress.
In addition, information regard
ing the differences in heart dis
ease between men and women,
particularly the symptoms, will
be discussed. Cooking demon
strations will also be conducted.
The four-week series is open to
all women and will be conducted
on consecutive Wednesdays be
ginning on March 20 and ending
on April 10. The classes will be
conducted at the Penn State Co
operative Extension Office at
1000 Third Street in Beaver. Cost
is $5 for the series. To register,
call (724) 774-3003.
4-H program is requesting a $l2
donation per person to help cover
the cost of materials and other
needs. Enrollees need to send a
check, payable to “4-H Develop
ment Fund” do Nancy Kadwill,
1015 Bridge Road, Suite H, Col
legeville, PA 19426 prior to the
course. Be sure to earmark the
check “Vet. Sci. Course.” Youth
do not need to be in 4-H prior to
the course but by enrolling in the
program they will be listed as a
member for the year.
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