Hi,
I got a cold a few weeks ago and it won’t go away. Just when I think it is getting better it comes back again. The doctor told me it might be because of the mould in my house, which started growing after that big hailstorm at the start of semester. Is there anything I can do about the mould?
-Mouldina
Ethel and Hyde is brought to you by the Student Support Centre. They advise you to take Ethel’s advice.
Send your questions to:
ethelandhyde@ousa.org.nz
Ethel says:
Mould, particularly Black Mould, can cause ongoing and increasingly severe symptoms of ill health, including coughing, wheezing, headaches, fatigue, sinus congestion and even nausea and vomiting in extreme cases. If you think you have black mould you should not be living with it and it will not go away with standard cleaning. Come and see an advocate at the Student Support Centre to get advice about how to deal with it. It is definitely best to do something about mould, and not just ignore it. Make sure you air your house regularly by having windows open as much as possible, not drying your clothes inside, keeping the lids on your cooking and regularly cleaning the bathroom walls and ceiling with a bleach based product, or a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water in a spray bottle for the more environmentally friendly version. Wiping condensation off your windows every morning is another important way to keep your flat healthy. Don’t ignore moisture or mould, as your health will suffer and then so will your studies.
Hyde says:
One kickin’ thing about knowing you’re sick from mould is you can unashamedly snog and snuggle till your …’s content, this way you won’t have to be in your cesspit of a flat. In fact you’re being responsible and taking care of your health just like Mummy wants you to. As a back-up plan, on the off chance you are a lone shark when it comes to pleasuring and need to be home for the ultimate stress relief, you need to build yourself a bubble. You need industrial rolls of shrink-wrap, probably two, depending how big you want the bubble to be, and a frame for your bed. You could use the poles from a tent, or cellotaped pool noodles (don’t steal lots of these from the local pool…) to make your frame, do some heavy wrapping, get in and breathe the clean air. When it gets too moist in there from your antics, and cooking, just re-wrap. You should be healthy in no time, and getting top marks for all your assignments again.