Shower Squeegee Disinfection, Mold species Id - was: Window unit AC's,...

[Guest guest]

Summary of my reply:

1) Shower squeegee reply - brief part 1

2) Question on mold culturing (this became too long - ignore it)

3) My reply on air filter out gassing [brief: makers change materials]

4) squeegee - part 2 - long - How To Clean and Disinfect a Shower

Squeegee (BEST)

At 05:13 AM 4/30/2009, you wrote:

>It's a losing battle!

I disagree, just keep it clean weekly, and monthly disinfectation

and it should last 5-15 years. Do NOT disinfect for more than 10 minutes,

as vinegar is quite harsh and will start the rubber decay process.

The rubber will continue to decay even with no vinegar present.

--

MOLD IDENTIFICATION METHOD(S)?

Best read this section before typing any reply, as I might have

answered myself already,

as this was typed stream of conscious and wanders a lot.

>Guess what, covered with brown dust, which I immediately sampled (I

>did get dressed first) and cultured. Looks like Aureobasidium mold,

>lots of hyphae and small spores. I'll wait and see what pops up.

Being a pro at sampling and culturing, you having all the equipment, I must

ask do you also identify the species via visual, computer, or DNA?

I guess I am asking about your business services you offer.

I have used petri dish cultures, grown in the dark, kept at room temperature,

but more constant, by placing the petri dish in a zip lock plastic bag, and

putting it in the kitchen cabinet, that rarely gets opened. The culture grows

fine (most any culture media will support some growth for most mold species,

though some colonies will grow faster - barley agar is the best general media

I read).

Daily inspecting, with a picture, allows me to understand which

colors grow faster

in such conditions, and online web sites provide pictures for eyeball

identification

of genre, sometimes but rarely species, which requires at least a

microscope, or

considerable knowledge of species visual aspects used for

identification. I guess

I should read your web site. ;-)

The question is, when you do it yourself, what method do you use, and how

much in material costs is it for you (use retail prices, not bulk, or

your service

price is fine).

I ask as I wish to learn the field myself, being myself a scientist,

I think it's

doable, and I have started the process, only to find the amount of knowledge

needed to master to visual identify mold genre or any species level is

immense, a time consuming undertaking to review photo upon photo,

memorizing every detail, along with the diagrams and variations, and on and

on. I concluded that buying the services of an expert is easier, faster, as

I now rare need to identify mold (there is very little in my home - just the

bathroom shower glass door rubber seal, and now and then on the tiles).

Every 3 years I have done a web search looking for " better " sites to teach

this skill set, but it gets worse to the find the web sites that are gems.

So, I looked for books, and again it's hard to find them, as 15 years ago

the books were great, but those are no longer available, instead these

half complete books abound for mold identification. Sigh.

Sorry, did not mean to get so long. Best separate this to a new

Subject thread.

I'm just thinking the general process of identification might be of interest

to the list members, if even it shows it's too much to " roll your own "

mold id service. How do you do it?

I do know that visual eye balling accuracy varies about 50%, even with the

same expert, and that computer vision scanning and recognition achieves

only similar accuracy levels. The best way is to have 2 or more methods

agree, and even then the accuracy only goes up to 70%. With 3 methods

it gets maybe to 80%. Is there ever going to be an inexpensive and

accurate way (DNA testing is expensive, or is it now?)?

I've done a lot of reading and research in these areas. I looking to

improve my personal skill level in mold species identification and

I guess the question best is phrase: How? Buy which books?

Read which web sites, that is your choices, if any? (I've found

extensive web photo libraries and diagrams.) What courses

at what schools (in Southern California, near Los Angeles preferred)?

I know it will take 2-3 years or more.

--

AIR FILTER

>Sorry about the off-gassing. As I recall, I too found the initial

>odor offensive, but tolerable.

Manufacturers change the method all the time. I read the super market

ingredient list EVERY time due to this. I've given up, and simple buy

fewer packaged/refined food, and buy all fresh food with no additives.

It's safer. But for " products " used in the house... not possible.

Still, I test each item as it comes out of the box or wrapper

as methods and material do change. I can no longer use

Honeywell replacement HEPA air filters, and I had 5 floor units. Sigh.

I then started hand make air filters. Cut off the parts I do not want,

and keep the filter material. Then the filter material started

smelling. Sigh.

I use www.IQAir.com now. They care and understand our needs. They cost $$$.

>But I would not give up. There are lots of manufacturers of filter

>material and there ought to be one brand out there that does not

>off-gas. It's certainly a cheaper solution and one worth checking out.

I agree. Consider asking at the store if you can open the box and test smell.

They will all be 'bad' at first, and your nose will hurt after just

one, so comparing

is hard. But leave the box open, and go outside for 10 minutes, then come back

in and finish the test smell. The initial saturated air should be

gone. Oh, do remove

the product from the box at first, to speed up fresh air flushing of

the bad gasses

from the box and product. The box can be taped up and sold to the

next customer.

Do write or call the maker, and complain. It will not get better

without this feedback.

Vote with your dollars, and voice your concern.

--

SQUEEGEE CLEANING

>On a side note, we have one of those glass shower enclosures in the

>new house where we are living. We have been using a squeegee to dry

>the glass after showering and last night I happened to look at the

>back side of the rubber blade

This rubber blade must be wiped on paper towel once every week, and disinfected

monthly with a vinegar soak for 5010 minutes, like you do all your

bathroom gear,

combs, brushes, scissors, nail clippers, etc, to remove human skin debris that

is prime nutrition for fungus growth to start with.

> after coughing a few times while cleaning the glass.

Big bummer. I suggest complete replacement if the colonies could have

creeped down into the metal or plastic holder of the rubber. Or, if funding

is short, scrub it as clean as possible, including the crack where the blade

goes into the holder,

Scrub using soap,

wipe with paper towel, pressing hard, but not so hard as to tear the

rubber loose from it's holder,

then rinse,

Paper towel again, dry this time, as it's more aggressive against the rubber

scrub again with vinegar,

Paper towel again (clean towel each time... you will be amazed at how

much comes off)

then rinse,

Paper towel again

scrub with soap

paper towel again

rinse

paper towel again

soak in vinegar 10 to 20 minute (Not longer!!!)

paper towel again,

rinse,

paper towel again,

repeat the above until it's clean or destroyed, or you realize the rubber

is decayed, and it's never going to leave a clean paper towel.

Once the mold gets into the rubber, down past the surface, it destroys

the rubber, and the rubber molecule unbind and start falling off.

The blade will never be usable again, never leave a truly clean surface.

Buying a new one is best, once you see the towel does not come off clean

the first 3-4 times. Trying more will be fruitless. The towel will be equally

dirty for 20-30 times before you get down to rubber that has not started

decaying,..., or not, it could be rotten all the way through. Before you

get this far, the blade WILL rip lose of the holder. It had to be replaced.