Knowing the difference between common cold and allergy symptoms will help you address health problems earlier and could potentially save your life.
There’s nothing more inconvenient than suffering from a cold. But when those symptoms begin to linger, you can’t help but think it could be something worse. Whether you typically suffer from pollen allergies or not, it’s important to know the difference between a cold and allergies, especially when it comes to mold.
Here’s how to tell the difference between cold and mold symptoms.
Cold vs. Mold: How To Tell the Difference
Itchy eyes, congested cough, sneezing and fatigue: are these symptoms of a common cold or a mold allergy? Determining the duration of these symptoms is the key to telling the difference between cold and mold symptoms. If you’ve experienced these symptoms for more than three days, you should start looking around your home for spores.
Mold allergies can give off the same symptoms as your typical dust, pollen or animal dander allergy, but it’s far more dangerous. It’s important to handle this issue as soon as possible before the mold because more toxic.
Where To Look for Mold Indoors
Mold can grow on almost any surface, but you typically find it on walls, fabrics, windows, bathtubs and showers, and it may look like dust or dirt. It’s always to best to clean it right away instead of letting it sit.
For those who suspect mold growth inside their homes, we recommend checking the following:
- Inside your refrigerator
- Inside your humidifier
- Crawl spaces
- Basement walls
- Around your sink, bathtub and toilet
- Windows
Ways To Eliminate Mold and Reduce Exposure
If you have a mold problem in your home, the first order of business is to eliminate the source of dampness. Whether the mold is spurring from kitchen cabinets, the bathroom or windows, it’s important that you keep those areas dry to prevent mold from appearing again. You should use fragrant-free cleaning products that are also good for handling typical allergies, like all-purpose cleaners and anti-bacterial sprays.
It would be best if you used mold and mildew spray to wipe away all mold spores and use a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air.