Do you worry about mould in your home? You may have seen in the media recently that mould in your house can be more harmful than meth. 

"Cold, damp houses have a more dangerous effect on your health than third-hand exposure to methamphetamine, a health boss says." -  [ Source Stuff Damp houses worse than meth houses, says health board chief ] 

When you have mould in your house your family may catch allergic rhinitis which is a fancy way of saying you have an allergy to mould. 

Health symptoms of exposure to mould.

Here are some of the symptoms that you may notice when you are exposed to mould in your home or workplace

• Sneezing or wheezing
• Asthma
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Coughing
• Itchy nose, eyes and throat
• Dry scaly skin

Signs and Symptoms your home might be damp and mouldy

You may also notice a musty smell or mould patches on your ceilings, walls or window sills. Mould is caused by moisture in your home.

But how do you test for mould in your home?

1. First, you need a device to test the levels of moisture in your home. This is called a Hygrometer. 

2. Set the hygrometer up in the room you would like to test by fixing it to the wall or having it sitting on a desk or table.

3. Allow 5 - 15 minutes for your hygrometer to take a reading and display results on the screen. 

4. Interpret the results and make changes to your environment to ventilate your home. We recommend the ADE home mould alarm as it has an alarm that goes off in the presence of mould, to alert you that there is something wrong. (more on that below).

How to optimise your home's humidity and moisture levels

Once you know you have too much moisture in your home you can do some or all of the following:

• Clean all mould off ceilings and walls with bleach or a healthy alternative eg baking soda in water or a water and vinegar solution
• Put 1/4 of a teaspoon of clove oil in 2 litres of warm water and use to wipe down the walls.
• Open windows and let fresh air in
• Use a dehumidifier - they take moisture out our the air
• Find out if your house is insulated

Where do I buy a mould testing monitor or mould testing kit?

Here at timeandtrends we are passionate about weather instruments and how they can help.  So when in Europe in February we asked our suppliers ADE what products they had that can help you test for moisture in your house. They suggested their Moisture Meter with Mould Alarm. It is an electric Hygrometer which is an instrument that measures moisture in the air.

Because the team at ADE know that mould is a problem in New Zealand and Australia and they are committed to good health we are able to bring you this meter for only $39.00 NZD.