Decorating Christmas trees is a joyful tradition in many families. However, you should know that joy isn’t the only thing they bring. Live Christmas trees also bring mold into your home that could trigger allergic reactions in your family members and start a mold infestation in your home. Once it becomes widespread, this issue becomes difficult to deal with on your own.

In such cases, professional mold removal services are available to provide you with exceptional workers to help you deal with mold problems. 911 Restoration is a reputable company that offers helps 24/7 every day.

This article has all the information about Christmas tree mold and tips you need to diagnose and prevent what’s otherwise known as “Christmas tree syndrome.”

Christmas Tree Mold Allergies

Live Christmas trees can trigger allergies and affect the health of people living in the house. These reactions are not because of the tree itself, but a sign that the tree somewhere has mold growing on it, causing all these reactions. Some of the symptoms of Christmas tree syndrome include:

• Eye, nose, and throat irritation
• Headaches
• Nosebleeds
• Asthma
• Breathing difficulties
• Runny nose and nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Wheezing

If anyone in your family starts experiencing these symptoms, take them to the hospital before the allergic reactions get severe. However, the solution here is to chuck your live tree out and get an artificial tree instead, but if you don’t want to do that, there are ways you can ensure your Christmas tree is mold-free before you buy one.

Christmas Tree Mold

Real trees are at risk of bringing mold and allergens into the home. Live trees spend most of their time outdoors before homeowners purchase them during the holidays. When brought home, they can bring tree mold with them.

Since real trees are harvested weeks before the Christmas season arrives, they are most of the time held in moist areas because hydrated trees look fresh and more appealing to buyers. However, continued exposure to moisture makes it the perfect environment for mold spores to grow.

Mold spores can easily spread when you carry the tree into your house and move it about in the living room to find the perfect location for your Christmas tree. Moving around branches while decorating can spread mold into the air, and this is how it can spread to places around your house, causing mold infestation to develop.

Mold problems in homes this winter would put your family at risk for the health issues typically associated with it. The longer the mold infestation stays in your house, the more severe the health issues would be. That is why immediate action is necessary when you first notice and experience the symptoms.

Prevent Christmas Tree Mold from Entering Home

No one wants a mold infestation during the joyful holidays. That is why it is best to prevent it rather than spend your holidays solving it. To ensure there isn’t any mold on the tree you’re bringing in, shake your tree thoroughly before buying it because most local tree farms don’t do that. Shaking it will take off mold spores and dust particles.

The next thing you can do is wash the tree with a hose and keep it out in the sun to dry before you bring it in. this process will take off the mold. Handle your tree as little as possible, and don’t move it around too much when you’re decorating it.

Try buying the tree close to Christmas, so you don’t have it in your home for too long, and keep the tree up decorated for no more than a week to limit mold exposure. The other option is to invest in a well-maintained artificial tree that you can use every Christmas season instead of buying a real tree with mold on it.

How to Minimize the Effects of Christmas Tree Mold?

Here are a few things you can do around the house to minimize the effects of Christmas tree mold;

• Running an air cleaner in the same room as the Christmas tree could reduce the effects of Christmas tree mold and make it safe for you and your family to sit in.
• Wear a surgical or N95 mask while handling the tree; transporting and setting up the tree can expose you to the mold.
• Use air filters such as HEPA filters around the house in bedrooms, living rooms, and guest rooms to reduce allergic reactions if mold is present.
• Clean out the HVAC system because you would often find mold spores stuck in it. This cleaning up will improve the air quality circulating in your home and prevent mold formation in different house areas.

Call the Professional Services

If mold formation is widespread and causes many allergic reactions and health issues, contact mold removal services in Western Maryland. At 911 Restoration, we have the expertise and equipment to inspect your home thoroughly and devise a removal plan accordingly. We offer services 24/7/365 to stop mold where it starts and keep it from interrupting your holiday or any day. Contact us now at (240) 384-4297!