Moldy Classroom? Solutions for Teachers that Will Help All Classroom Visitors!

It happens every year and the timing never fails. We experience a tremendous amount of precipitation and the next thing I know, my nose is totally stuffed, my eyes start to water, and my throat feels dry as a bone. My temperature sometimes fluctuates, I become sleepy, and a raging headache accompany my misery. Let it be known that I am a clear-cut case of a walking sinus infection, and I have my classroom to acknowledge. Complete with air conditioning vents that have not been touched in five years and Berber carpeting that has not been torn up in well over a decade, one can imagine the mold and mildew taking on cartoonish forms and laughing at my misery.

But I am certainly not alone. My students suffer along with me. Maybe no tot he same extent since they visit other classes throughout the day, some of which have cleaner air and newer carpeting. But some confide in me that they have a large issue with the dampness, residue, and God-only-knows what festering in the air of my classroom. I nod knowingly, feeling their pain.

I have attributed many a visit to the doctor's office due to allergies and sinus infections from my classroom. And through the years, I have come up with many defensive techniques that keep myself, parents, and students breathing a bit more comfortable in the confines of my classroom. Is it the perfect solution? Certainly not. The best result would cost a lot of money, and money for education has, and always will be, tight. But below are some examples to guard oneself from a classroom with major mold malignancies (short of wearing a space suit from a cheesy 70's sci-fi movie).

1.) Bring in a dehumidifier

The quick fix solution is to get the humidity out of the air in the first place, since mold and mildew build-up in humid climes. In my current classroom, this remains high priority since I am located in Florida and the door that leads out of my classroom also leads outside! In this case, emptying the dehumidifier on a daily basis may be necessary. Amcor makes a wonderful compact dehumidifier for $50, a fairly reasonable price when compared to the cost of multiple doctor visits due to sinusitis.

2.) Nasacort AQ to the Rescue!