The dangerous "Muffa Nera" in Italy, may snuff you out ⚠️

Salva la tua salute, SAVE YOUR HEALTH, because what you don't see CAN hurt you. Feeling sleepy or fluey at all..? It could be invisible black mould issues. It's not all growing lemon trees and chugging aperol spritz! 🍋 🥂

Some older Italian houses are a slight health hazard, because sneaky black mould isn't always detectable! Invisible or not, black mould can cause a whole load of ailments, including respiratory issues like coughs, wheezing and asthma attacks, as well as allergic reactions such as sneezing, runny nose, and red eyes. It can also lead to more serious, long-term problems, such as chronic lung diseases, neurological symptoms like headaches and fatigue. If you're constantly tired (especially having had lots of sleep, exercise and zero stress) it could be the black mould in the air. Test kits can save your health.

Here is a very revealing home test I did a couple of weeks ago: -

On the left is the result from a clothes storage space upstairs, and on the right was taken from Milly's room.

We are sadly finding it to be quite prevalent in some of the rooms of our lovely Fiesole rental. Thing is, it's not always visible, so it makes total sense to buy a cheap petri dish home test kit ~ which is very simple and effective, to help you locate and later eradicate the mouldy problem. After which, black mould treatments are easy to get hold of, and bleaching can make it worse... So don't make the same mistake as me. Here's a mini video demo-ing the horrors what I didn't know to be there in the air!

I found a brilliant German home test kit (from Amazon.it) for black mould, which had surprising results 😖

The Rapid Results (Mould) Home Test Kit idea came about because of a chest infection Milly had last year, when renting in the "Limonaia" property. Sure enough, as soon as the mould was detected and treated, she was chipper and in the best of health again. It may explain my lethargy at the time too.

Common "black moulds" include non-toxic types like Cladosporium and Alternaria, as well as the toxic variety Stachybotrys chartarum. Other moulds like Aspergillus, Chaetomium, and Ulocladium can also appear dark and are sometimes mistakenly called black mould. It is important to note that not all black-colored molds are toxic, but all mold growth should be removed to ensure a healthy environment.

Here is some of the lovely stuff we are dealing with in our current Tuscan rental:

There was and still is the rank smell of damp emanating from a side room full of wardrobe space and cupboards in our house. We like to call it the "walk-in wardrobe", though generally steer well clear of that room now.

Save yours and your family's health this autumn/winter, with a BLACK MOULD test kit 🍁༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･🍁 (It could be why you're sleepy and sniffly)

Here is the brilliant kit from a German company, that I highly recommend. Available on Amazon ~ see link for direct purchase below:

Schimmelpilz Schnelltest - Rapid Test Kit

Our tortoise has to hibernate and it made sense to do an air test for her too , on the cupboard space first, to protect her from any mould that could lead to breathing complications. Turns out we were totally vindicated in doing so, because despite there being no signs of mould at all, it is riddled with black mould spores (see petri dish horrors in photo above). Needless, to say, we have put her elsewhere.

Test was ahead of prepping a room for her to hibernate in (a hay-filled box). Even the hay must be dust-free.

Ridiculously easy to do home kit test - Salli proof!

To combat black mould, first remove existing mould with a fungicidal wash, bleach, or a vinegar solution, and then control moisture by using a dehumidifier to maintain a humidity level of 40-50% and improving ventilation through methods like opening windows mindful of 🦟 evil mozzies 🦟, or better still, using extractor fans. Regular cleaning of the dehumidifier itself is also critical to prevent it from becoming a source of mould.  Here are some of the issues we have, from a leaky roof it seems! Eesh.

A "Schimmelpilze Schnelltest" (rapid mould detector) works by using a culture plate, which has a growth medium, to passively capture mould spores from the air. You leave the open plate in a room for a couple of hours and then wait for approximately 10 days while any mould spores settle on the plate and begin to grow into visible colonies. Finally, you count the colonies and compare the number to a rating scale to get an estimate of the mould concentration in that room. Mold Treatment Spray: -  

Here's too GOOD HEALTH this autumn / winter! Buona Salute a te 🩷