Ever reach into your fruit bowl and find…. yech! Oldy moldy fruit or veggies?
Now, we wouldn’t actually eat that Clementine with mold on it, would we?
NO CHEF!
Of course not. And there are all kinds of people on the web arguing about potatoes and onions, saying if you don’t use it in one sitting, throw it away.
They say that when you get food poisoning from potato salad out too long? It’s usually the onion not the mayo that can make you sick.
But that’s not my experience. If it’s a potato? I stick it in a glass with water covering the peeled part. It’s good for a couple of days till I use it. And with onions? Not in a plastic bag for sure (because mold grows in a warm moist environment)… but I have lightly wrapped it in plastic and left it for a day or two, until I use it.
Hey! If you notice the rings get larger on a onion? Toss it. If there’s a dark color? Toss it! And most important, when you go to pick your onion in the first place, check that there’s nothing black on it. Black = mold. Yes?
YES CHEF!
Ok.
Now there’s only one thing worse than moldy food.
WHAT’S THAT CHEF?
Moldy walls. And how will you know? It smells.
Old school, we used to spray bleach mixed with water. But these days? You don’t need chemicals. And what that means is you can fix walls, clothes, or any enclosed damp areas and you have a couple of choices.
Try Baking Soda. (Amazing that baking soda also can be added to water to make it alkaline… but check the details of how to do that, online). Baking soda is my number one suggestion for many solutions to good health. But if we’re just talking about mold or mildew… and it’s odors, baking soda gets my vote too!
Don’t you remember in the old days people would keep an opened box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb odors, and then when they replaced it, they would throw it down the drain to absorb drain odors? Yep. Baking Soda. It’s been a ‘cure all’ forever.
And then there’s white vinegar. Now, if you have apple cider vinegar, and a rash? Soak a cloth and pat that on. You’ll be amazed how quickly the rash burns, but then goes away.
Back to white vinegar. You can use it on walls, floors and even add it to the wash for a cleaner smelling load.
You’ve seen these plug-ins that make the room smell fresh ‘ads’… right?
RIGHT CHEF!
Thank you! Well, that’s not real. That’s not natural. I don’t see why you can take baking soda mixed with some essential oils and do the same thing without chemicals.
And cool that both of these recommendations (for vinegar and baking soda) can be consumed internally as well, right?
If you add vinegar to a pinch of brown sugar, then add either thinly sliced cucumbers or chopped cabbage? Makes a great side dish and is very healthy for you. There’s some debate about Apple Cider Vinegar being Alkaline or Acidic. I say: Small amounts of anything isn’t gonna kill ya, unless it’s arsenic! lol
No, seriously… I would say that if putting vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar on veggies, gets you to eat more veggies? Go for it!
So we’re talking about mold and mildew. Well, it makes sense to me to keep things dry and moist to avoid that. I have also known people with dehumidifiers. What I personally like? In each of my rooms, I have machines that filter the air. And I try to keep windows open a little time each day to get the air to circulate. Cause that’s really what it’s all about. Whether we talking about you or the air… keep it movin’, keep it movin’! lol
By the way, I was reading one guys blog that backed me up saying: “Let in fresh air and sunlight to help kill mold”. So perhaps I have it right on that one… I mean, these are just my opinions based on the research I’ve done and what I know to be true. But it certainly doesn’t qualify as ‘the’ truth.
As many articles and blogs that I can find about one thing, is as many articles and blogs that I can find saying the polar opposite, and in some cases backing it up with studies and facts and figures. So I think it’s ‘every man/woman for themselves’. You’ve got to hear about it, research it, and see what makes sense to you.
Sorta like wine… There’s a standard definition of a ‘good’ wine, full bodied with a ‘good’ finish… but you know what you like, right? And it may be the exact opposite in description of a ‘good’ wine. But you like it. So in your world, it’s good! Well, I can’t stand the smell of chemicals. So in my world? These are my choices.
One more thought: we all know about Tea Tree Oil, right? Good for acne, athlete’s foot and …. fungal infection? Turns out it’s good for fixing mold too!
Have any hints? That’s why we have a ‘We’re all playin’ in the same band, so give me some of your notes’ section right below this. Go for it!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian