Flooding is something we’ve recently experienced on a scale that really hasn’t been seen before.
I’m not a scientist or meteorologist, but experts say this is due to either or both La Niña and climate change.
Flooding – the Primary Effects
Primarily, flooding is going to result in mould issues. Mould is a moisture issue and with the abundance of moisture (rain, on the ground and the high levels of relative humidity), we’re seeing a perfect storm brewing for mould and microbial activity.
The focus of today’s post is the secondary effects.
So, I’ll leave the topic of mould here, with the following pointers:
Anything that’s been wet for more than 48 hours can create the opportunity for mould and microbial activity
Porous materials that have been wet, need to be replaced
Semi- and non-porous materials can be saved, but need to be addressed by the appropriate professionals (those who’ve trained with IICRC and have achieved the Mould Remediation accreditation)
If you want to learn more about dealing with mould, I have a course by that very name – you can check it out here.
As well, we need to keep asbestos, lead and pesticides top of mind – and use PPE where appropriate.
The Secondary Effects of Flooding
Secondary effects are those that come after the immediate cause >> effect. For these, we’ll start more broadly and then narrow it down to our homes and buildings.
Landslides
With all the moisture in the soil, it is possible to have landslides.
Local councils (in Australia) apply different overlays to areas – check with yours to see if you have a landslide overlay on your property.
Falling Trees and Branches
All that water in the soil can loosen tree roots and result in them falling.
As well, the flooding may have killed some trees, and as a result, the trees or their branches can fall.
Obviously, this can result in damage to property or people and animals.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes (or “mossies” as we call them here in Australia) are able to carry diseases.
Apart from that, if you’re like me, you get huge red welts from any bites! (Personal experience has taught me not to scratch!)
It is best not to get bitten – so keeping them out is preferred. Here are some ideas to help with that.
This is as simple as installing fly screens over windows and doors
Mossie zappers can be useful (installed, hanging or even the “table tennis” racquet style [which you can get from camping stores])
If you choose to apply mossie repellents to your skin, choose a natural one, if you can
www.EWG.org will also list options, however, I’ve found that these are often not available in Australia (and I don't recommend purchasing these types of items online from overseas as they may not meet our safety standards)
I’m going to bring back my essential oil based Bug Repellent (contact me if you're interested)
If you opt for a non-natural option, apply an oil-based moisturiser on your skin first, so the repellent sits on the surface of your skin (and is also easier to wash of)
Another way to use the non-natural option is to spray it onto clothing, instead of your skin
DIY – make your own with essential oils, such as tea tree, rosemary, eucalyptus blue mallee, and lavender. You can mix them up in water and spray them on your clothes/skin and reapply every 2-3 hours
Termites
We can expect some pretty big issues with termites with the high levels of moisture.
According to Professor Dieter Hochuli, Integrative Ecology Group at the University of Sydney,
“It’s going to be a massive year for termites as the high levels of soil moisture are ideal for them to burrow and flourish” (ABC News, 31 Oct 22).
A bit like house dust mites, termites thrive in moist conditions.
Termites are attracted by the moisture then go in search of food – wood.
Here are some things to do.
Clear away wood (fallen branches, sleepers, wood piles) from around your home and property
Keep things as dry as you can
Be vigilant – keep an eye on your building, including the subfloor. If you’ve got termite caps at the top of your stumps, then you should be able to spot their activity easily.
Have your home inspected
Termite traps can be useful around your property, too
Cockroaches and Rodents
Cockroaches and rodents (rats and mice), as well as other pests are likely to increase, particularly as the weather warms up.
Some actions that you can take are:
Installing fly screens on windows and doors
Keep your home clean
Clean up food scraps and mess
Ensure your bins close properly
If you’ve got a compost bin, keep it away from the home
If you’ve got chooks, look into getting a feeder that doesn’t spill their food around
Keep pet food (and your own) in sealed containers
Other Steps You Can Take To Reduce the Secondary (and Tertiary) Effects of Flooding
Keep an eye on the relative humidity levels – these should be between 40-60%. A hygrometer is handy for this.
There are many after effects of flooding – apart from the obvious ones. And these secondary effects can also be devastating. Please give these tips a go to protect your health, and that of your home.
Stay safe!
Have you been bamboozled by all the information (and misinformation) about mould?
This Creating a Healthy Home Guide exposes 3 common myths about mould so that you can be empowered to deal with it effectively.
Paint Chips from old peeling paint can potentially expose your family and pets to lead, which is a risk to long term health.
While lead may have been banned, it is still present in many buildings.
So how do you know if the paint on your home contains lead?
Unfortunately, you can’t tell by looking as there are no obvious signs that paint may contain lead.
However, I would say that in most cases, it probably does, to varying levels.
The best guide would be that if your home was constructed and/or painted prior to 1997, it is highly likely to contain “lead paint.”
In 1997, in Australia, the lead content of domestic paint was reduced to 0.1% lead (= 1000 ppm lead), prior to that it was much higher.
On 1st October 2021, lead paint was banned in Australia. This means that all domestic paints contain lead that is limited to 0.009% = 90 ppm – ultimately meaning that no lead can be added.
The great news is that manufacturers were informed about this back in 2010, so you can rest assured that any paint made in Australia on and after this date has no added lead.
While leaded paint is safely encapsulated by more recent coats of paint, it doesn’t pose a risk in normal daily life.
However, if you are planning to renovate your home, you could be biting off more than you intended.
The only way to know for sure is to test it.
Spot tests from the hardware store are pretty unreliable.
Laboratory analysis is always the best way to go*.
Otherwise, you could assume that the paint contains lead, and manage it accordingly.
The Dos and Don’ts of Leaded Paint
If the paint in the area you are wanting to paint is in good condition, then you can:
Wash the walls with sugar soap
Allow them to fully dry
Paint them carefully
However, if you are planning to remove the paint – STOP! Read this first.
Don’t dry sand.
Sanding will cause the lead to be released as airborne particles.
If you need to sand, then wet sanding is your go to method.
Don’t use a hot heat gun.
The heat gun will cause lead vapour to be released.
The only way around this is to use a heat gun with a temperature setting, and use it on the lowest setting. Keep the heat gun away from the wall. Everyone present needs to be fitted with a P2 respirator to prevent inhalation.
Avoid chemical stripping.
Chemical stripping can cause lead to end up in the wood. The end results of this is that because no paint is visible, anyone would assume that it is safe to sand. But this is not the case.
MUST DOs
In all instances, I strongly recommend the use of PPE – a respirator is essential.
P1 for sanding. P2 for using with a heat gun.
I also recommend using an air purifier to capture fumes and dust.
Before you remove leaded paint, carefully lay down a drop sheet (taping down the edges) to ensure that you’ll collect all the lead chips.
Ensure that you carefully collect all leaded paint chips, emptying them into a bag and sealing it well.
Clean the area and surrounds thoroughly to ensure that there are no paint chips or dust around from the renovation.
The LEAD Group recommends the 3-Bucket Method for cleaning. (Note, I am not a fan of step 5 – please choose an alternative way to dispose of the contaminated water.)
The Risks of Leaded Paint Chips and Dust
I recently tested a home that had been renovated, and there were paint chips all over the garden.
Whilst the paint chips definitely posed a problem to the occupants and their pets, the dust in their home also contained levels of lead that were high enough that by US EPA standards deemed the house uninhabitable for a child.
So follow the steps above and keep safe from lead.
Other Potential Sources of Lead When Renovating
We’ve talked about paint chips and dust in the home.
However, there are other potential sources of lead that you can be exposed to when renovating.
The two bigs ones are:
Ceiling Dust
Carpets
Ceiling Dust
Ceiling dust is usually full of all sorts of contaminants – lead dust being one of them. Dust can contain lead even in new buildings, particularly when near busy roads or industrial areas.
Like when sanding, dust from the ceiling can easily be inhaled or ingested.
And as such, I always recommend having ceiling dust professionally removed prior to any renovations.
Carpets store a lot of dust and other matter – we won’t go into the details here, just know it’s like a time capsule of your home.
Pulling up carpets and underlay can expose you to a lot of this matter, so care needs to be taken.
Simply spray carpets with water, cut them into strips and roll them up. Taking it a step further, it is advised that you then wrap these carpet rolls in plastic and carefully remove them. This last step prevents contamination of other areas of the building from both lead and mould spores.
The same can be done with the underlay.
I then recommend a good clean, following the Three Bucket Method, as well.
Other Reno Tips
Make sure you clean up well – take extra care to remove dust, paint chips and other debris.
Test the soil if you’re planning to have a vegetable garden or chooks, you have pets, you’ve got children (especially if they’re prone to pica – eating things that aren’t normally considered food).
Take care to choose taps and tapware that are lead-free.
Interested in Learning More?
Check out this post and details about how to join lead expert, Elizabeth O'Brien (The LEAD Group) for a live Q&A call during International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action (ILPPWA). Don’t worry if you’ve missed the event – go there anyway as I’ll post the video of the call there for you. 🙂
*I’m doing onsite assessments for lead, so if you want my help, enquire here.
This year, our activity for International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action (ILPPWA) is to host a live Q&A session with lead expert Elizabeth O'Brien.
Although it's my favourite season, Spring healthy home threats can be found in every home.
I love the palpable buzz of new life and energy. When we’re surrounded by colour as flowers burst open, and there are fledgling birds all around.
Here in Melbourne, it is considered the most variable of the seasons – I’m sure this is the season that inspired Crowded House’s “Four Seasons in One Day.”
And, like for every season, there are healthy home threats that are closely matched with this one.
What is a “healthy home threat”?
A healthy home threat is anything that interferes with the good work we’re doing to create a healthy home. It could be an allergen, a rise in relative humidity, a leak, new paint, a new technology – there are so many possibilities.
Which Challenges Does Spring Bring?
Spring brings with it longer days (with the sun rising earlier and setting later) as well as warmer days. In many areas, the winds pick up. And when I lived in the Blue Mountains, I braced for “thunderstorm season,” as I called it.
It’s important to understand how the season causes us to change our behaviour, as this can give us clues about what may pose a risk to our great efforts in creating a healthy home.
As Spring gains momentum, we tend to:
Get outside more
Open the windows to let the warmth in
Continue to use heating (as the days are still cool, and vary a lot)
Bring flowers inside
Get out into the garden
Plant vegetables, herbs and flowers
Some of us partake in the traditional “Spring Clean”
Let’s now explore how these changes can become Spring healthy home threats.
Mould Spores
Variations in temperature throughout the day, and also from room to room can create opportunities for mould to grow.
Another change is the increased ventilation as we open up to welcome in the warmth and beautiful Spring air.
Spring Cleaning results in us pulling furniture out, cleaning, sorting through items that may have been untouched for some time.
It’s important to remember that mould releases spores when there are any changes to its environment.
Releasing spores is how mould manages to spread and survive “attacks,” and we need to keep this in mind.
SOLUTIONS
Aim to keep temperatures throughout your home as consistent as possible – opening ALL windows and doors can be part of this strategy.
Use air purifiers, particularly when Spring Cleaning. (This one is the bee's knees in terms of powerfully cleaning the air.)
Building materials having different temperatures can create the possibility of dew point being reached within the building. I know that sounds technical, but bear with me as I translate this.
When dew point is reached, moisture in the air can condense on a cool surface – this could be on a wall or ceiling, or within the structure of the building itself.
Obviously then, this creates moisture. And, as I always say, mould is a moisture issue.
In my years of assessing homes, I’ve seen some dramatic differences in the temperature of building materials, and have frequently found “hidden mould” in brand new builds.
SOLUTIONS
When heating your home, heat your entire home, and keep indoor doors open to help the temperature stay even throughout.
Keep furniture at least 10cm away from exterior walls so that the walls maintain a consistent temperature.
Ensure that your building is insulated properly – that the entire wall, ceiling or floor is insulated, and it has not been installed in a patchy way.
Keep an eye out for condensation – and dry it off as soon as you see it with a microfibre cloth. If it’s on the ceiling or high window, you can use a flat mop, rather than climbing on a ladder.
Watch the relative humidity – the more moisture in the air, the greater potential for condensation to form. Hygrometers are ideal for this.
Pollen and Microbes
Spending time outside can see an increase in exposure to pollen as dormant plants spring into life – which is a huge problem for people with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and also asthmatics.
And of course, the increased winds can cause pollen to travel…
And because gardening involves stirring up the soil, we can inadvertently be exposed to various microbes in the soil.
SOLUTIONS
Be aware of allergenic pollen in your area, check out this pollen calendar.
If you have allergies (known or suspected) to pollen, then keep the windows closed, stay indoors, and keep your air purifier nearby.
Check pollen alerts (you can get local apps for these).
Keep an eye out for thunderstorm asthma alerts, too (I think mould is part of this picture, not just pollen, but that is yet to be proven).
When you are out and about (including gardening), wear a mask, and consider protective eyewear.
House Dust Mites
With the changing temperatures, we’re often caught out at night – either being too hot or too cold…
This can cause us to perspire (or sweat) a lot overnight – which is just what house dust mites want.
House dust mites soak up moisture through their skin, and, a bit like mould, can thrive in moisture environments.
SOLUTIONS
Check the predicted overnight temperature before going to bed, and adjust your bedding accordingly.
Pull the covers back to air your bed through the day – there’s no need to make it!
When changing the sheets, vacuum your mattress while it's still warm.
Wash your bedding often and dry them out in the sun.
Read this post for extra information on house dust mites.
Spring Healthy Home Threats… now under control!
There you have it, healthy home threats that are unique to Spring… and most importantly, steps that you can take to protect your health.
If you’d like any help with this – then you can book a call with me, I’d be more than happy to help solve your healthy home issues.
Spring is the BEST time to create new routines…
I've created a course that is for people just like you – keen to understand healthy homes at a deeper level… and to take more action.
Having a home assessment is one thing (a good place to start) –
Actually having a plan to move forward and maintain your home so that it supports your health is essential.
And that what this course is – your step-by-step, easy to implement healthy home action plan.
I've reduced the price to just $97 AUD to support and empower you on your healthy home journey.
Winter with its cold and often wetter weather presents unique healthy home threats that differ from other seasons throughout the year.
What is a healthy home threat?
A healthy home threat is something that challenges our efforts in creating a healthy home. It might be something that undermines what we’ve done, or perhaps something that needs to be considered to prevent issues.
Which Challenges Does Winter Bring?
I like to start with looking at the way that our behaviours change with the seasons, as well as the climatic conditions.
The drop in temperatures, the increase in rain in many parts of the country, the advent of snow in the ranges, and the shorter daylight hours tend to see us:
Be indoors more of the time
Use heating
Perhaps light the fire, especially for date night
Close windows and doors to keep the cold out and heat in
Draw curtains and blinds for more hours due to the earlier sunset
We wear more layers of clothing
Our clothes are thicker
We may need to dry our clothes inside due to inclement weather
We often eat soups, stews and roasts – making the most of our ovens
Some people bathe more often or take longer and hotter showers to warm up
You may be surprised to discover that all of these behaviours can create healthy home threats.
Let’s take a look at the threats and what can be done to reduce any issues.
Reduced Indoor Air Quality
When we “close up” our homes (closing windows and keeping doors shut) to keep the heat in, we’re reducing the number of times that the air is exchanged. This means that the air doesn’t get diluted often, if at all, which can result in reduced indoor air quality.
What happens is that VOCs, gases and other contaminants build up in the air. Oxygen levels often are reduced and carbon dioxide can increase – leading to feelings of sleepiness.
The simplest thing to do is to leave windows open just a tiny bit, as long as it is safe to do so, can dilute the air well.
Regularly opening windows and doors several times throughout the day will exchange the air, and I recommend that this is done at least 3 times a day, and preferably every hour or two.
If it isn’t possible to do this 2-3 times a day, then an air purifier would also assist.
Carbon Monoxide Build-Up
There’s a big difference between carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the gases that we exhale.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas that comes from combustion – gas appliances are one of the biggest contributors to CO levels within our homes. Cars are another big source, which is why I don’t like people idling their cars in their garages or driveways.
Since we’re using gas appliances more during winter – heating, cooking, hot showers – there’s an increased risk.
SOLUTIONS
Have your gas appliances checked by a licensed gas fitter every autumn so that they are ready for use in winter.
Ventilate your home often – as discussed above.
Avoid idling your car in the garage or driveway.
Poor Outdoor Air
The levels of outdoor air pollution can become very high in areas where people rely on wood fires for heating.
The smoke produced by wood fires can contain formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, chemicals (some of which are known carcinogens) and fine particulate matter.
According to the Environment & Human Health Inc. (n.d.) wood smoke “interferes with normal lung development in infants and children… can depress the immune system… [and, according to the WHO] can cause coughs, headaches, eye and throat irritation in otherwise healthy people.”
Whilst enclosed wood fires, such as Coonaras, don’t release the pollutants indoors, they are still released outdoors, and can readily affect your neighbours, particularly who are sensitive and/or have asthma or other respiratory complaints.
SOLUTIONS
Avoid using wood fires.
Rug up and/or be physically active – this is a great time of year to get big gardening jobs done.
Invest in an air purifier to help clean your indoor air.
Increased Moisture Levels
Did you know that “occupant activity” is one a big factor in indoor moisture levels?
The obvious ones are bathing, drying clothes, and stovetop cooking. However, occupant activities that increase moisture also include using gas appliances, breathing and sweating (or perspiring).
Given we tend to not only wear more layers in winter, but also the layers are thicker, they take longer to dry. As a result, many people dry them inside near a source of heat, or pop them in the clothes dryer.
Combine our tendency to be indoors in winter with these activities, then add to it the closed windows and doors, you can see how quickly moisture levels can increase.
SOLUTIONS
Monitor the levels of relative humidity with a hygrometer – we’re aiming for 45-55% RH; 50% RH is ideal.
Use extractor fans when cooking, bathing or laundering.
If your extractor fans don’t vent to the outside, or you don’t have efficient ones, then a dehumidifier can be useful.
Mould on Windows & Curtains
In the cooler months, many people report condensation on windows and glass doors especially in the mornings.
This happens because glass changes temperature quickly, and moisture in the air condenses out of it, forming condensation on this, and other, cold surfaces.
It is due to the presence of this moisture that mould can readily form on blinds or curtains that touch the glass, and even on the glass itself.
