Uh ohhh…if you're feeling sick or if your “allergies” are kicking up like crazy (especially when you are inside), your Christmas tree could be making you sick!  I hate this as much as you do!  Bah humbug!

You real Christmas tree could be a host to trillions of mold spores that are getting a one-way ticket right into your living room...where they can anchor into furniture and spread.

I’m not kidding, introducing a tree can bring mold spore counts as high as 5 times the normal range!

Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash
Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash
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Check this out…real trees start producing mold that release mycotoxin the minute they get cut. So the longer they have been waiting for you to pick them, the more mold covered they can be.

If you notice a pattern of feeling “under the weather” every year around Christmas time then this could be the source.

If you have a fake tree and it is stored in a shed there's moisture from the air allowing the same problem to manifest. In addition to that, dust mites have collected on the tree as well.

The same problem occurs with wreaths both live and fake.

To make sure you don’t contaminate your home or workplace, you'll need the life hack I'm going to tell you about below.

Think I’m just being a Grinch?

A study was actually conducted in New Jersey (Washington Township) by The National High School Journal of Science and they found that there was a 100% increase in mold spores in the air after a real tree was in the home for two weeks.

The fake tree was better, but you’re not out of the woods…there was a 13% increase in symptoms.

If you experience shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue, throat and eye burning, asthma flares, itching skin, fevers, rashes and even new food allergies then you have to deal with that tree!  The only truly safe way to have a real tree is to have it in the house for less than 4 days.

The bigger problem is leaving those mold spores behind when the tree leaves. Your cherished ornaments can get covered and be a ticking time bomb for next year.

The safest way to go, is to use a fake tree and to dip it in water with 3-4 cups of clear ammonia for a good 15 minutes. Rinse it off, then dip it in water with baking soda, rinse it again after 15 minutes and then you are all clean.  Do the same with decorations.

If you are sensitive to mold (really all of us are whether we know it or not) avoid these types of Christmas décor:

Real Trees

Fuzzy Garland or popcorn string

Anything porous

Wooden ornaments

Firewood

Foam any kind

Yarn

Hopefully this helps!  If you have been feeling sick every year and have no idea why, maybe this is your solution!  Read more details here.

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