Mould in the sauna affects your health
Prevent mould in the sauna. Because it always gets humid in the small, warm rooms as well, mould is probably one of your nastiest enemies. The white or black spores simply settle in all corners. Not only does it look messy, but it’s also harmful to your health. But don’t panic, it’s not that hard to keep your wood cabin mould-free. We will tell you everything you need to know about this topic.
Mould – what is it actually?
Mould is actually a fungus. It doesn’t need a particularly deep substrate to grow. What is particularly annoying is that it multiplies very quickly. Once a small culture has grown, the tiny spores fly through the air. From this, new cultures grow everywhere in the room. You will not be able to see them at first. But be sure that they are there when the first fungus has grown. Indoors, it thrives especially well when it encounters moisture. After all, that’s all the crops need to live. If heat is also added, the habitat mould is unfortunately perfect.
There are many types. But they all have one thing in common: they only require moisture to grow. Heat also suits all varieties quite well. In nature, the fungi settle on dead organisms and decompose them. There it is a necessary part of the eternal cycle. In the sauna, you will certainly not appreciate this phenomenon. Here, the fungus settles wherever it finds a suitable habitat. This can be the slightly porous joints between tiles or wood. And there are probably plenty of them in your sweat lodge.
This is how mould affects your body
Before we get into the negative influence of the fungus, you need to be aware of one thing: There is mould everywhere in your home, albeit small invisible spores. This has nothing to do with the fact that you do not clean enough. The residue of the fungus is simply there. For example, because you fly through an open window. Unfortunately, they can settle quite easily on furniture and walls, wherever they find a residue of moisture.
The fungus can affect your health. Most people don’t notice it much, but some are very sensitive to it. They complain of irritated eyes, cough, a dry throat, runny nose or red skin. It can even go so far that those affected develop chronic lung disease. The fatal thing: At the beginning, most people overlook the non-specific symptoms. If the sensitivity is recognized, healing takes a long time and prophylaxis is difficult.
In addition, there are specific toxic moulds. They can be equally dangerous to all people. They enter the organism through the respiratory tract and skin and can cause damage to DNA. This leads to neurological deficits, sometimes fatal. Rest assured, however, that this type of mould is relatively rare. Still, it can happen, which is why you shouldn’t take a fungal infestation lightly.
How to prevent mould effectively
Saunas are a good breeding ground for the cultures: it is humid here and the wood is an optimal substrate. Moisture in the sauna has several sources. On the one hand, it is caused by perspiration. Secondly, during infusions and other occasions when water evaporates in the heat.
To prevent damage to health and wood, you should avoid the development of mould. To do this, it is especially important to make sure that the sauna is well ventilated. A window can be enough for that. If that is not available, you can install ventilation. In very small rooms, a simple dehumidifier from the hardware store is sometimes sufficient. The floor should be provided with drainage, so that water does not collect here.
If all this is not possible, you can dry the sauna with a towel. This is not quite as effective, but still effective. Be especially thorough and pay attention to the corners. This is where water particularly likes to settle. If you don’t want that, you can place a towel under your feet during the sauna. It will soak up the sweat. However, this only works if you are not doing an infusion and no other liquids are evaporating.
In addition, you should maintain your sweat lodge with special cleaner at least once a month. This eliminates bacteria and removes much of the breeding ground mould. During this cleaning action, you should also dry all moving parts in the fresh air.
How to remove mould
If you have already discovered mould on walls or benches, there are some home remedies that can help remove it. One of the most popular is tea tree oil. Mix two teaspoons of it with two glasses of water. Then wet a rag with the mixture and simply wipe away the spores. The tea tree oil will ensure that the mould is completely removed – and it smells great, too.
Help from the professional
If large areas are already infested, that won’t help either. In this case, you urgently need help from a professional. Only he has the necessary tools to effectively remove the fungus. Most likely, he will wield the chemical club, because there are few natural remedies. However, in any case, leave this job to him. If you go to work yourself, too much residue would stick, even if you put extra effort into it. Think of your health and that of your family.
