A dehumidifier works wonders for keeping mold at bay.
I’d think that open flame + enclosed tent made of flammable materials = bad idea.
For only $499 you can buy a ventilated grow tent that will allow you to harvest fantastic basil.
I have several HEPA air purifiers at home, but they only filter spores, not toxins.
Your own link says it costs $14. Did you buy a dozen sight unseen?
There was an overall package discount for buying in bulk.
Not to derail this thread, but semantics are always important, right? There are scams, and there are hoaxes, and there’s woo. And these things are different from each other although something can of course be a mixture of all of them, or one may arise from another. Scams are a way to make money by lying in some form. Hoaxes are a way to fool people by lying. Hoaxes indeed are often perpetrated by people with nothing but a carefree sense of mischief, like the guys who started the alien corn circles hoax. Woo is in my experience often offered by the gullible for the gullible. But of course non-gullible opportunists turn woo into scam regularly, which I think is what the OP is about.
What “toxins” do you refer to?
Heat tenting can kill mold. Not sure if it’s a practical and highly effective approach. It certainly works to kill bugs. It should also dry out the environment, though it will just return to the previous moisture conditions if nothing else changes.
Mycotoxins. I’d been living in a mold-infested house for several months and I took blood/urine tests that showed high levels of aspergillus antibodies and gliotoxin/tricothecene.
yipes.
I have one, unfortunately, I can’t run it every day or else the air becomes too dry to breathe.
I think in this situation I’d curse the darkness rather than light these candles.
From their home page:
Mold products designed to heal your home and body… naturally.
For over 15 years, Micro Balance has provided proven, non-toxic products, homeopathic formulations, and professional-grade supplements designed to help you fight mold, whether it’s inside your home or your body.
[bolding mine]
The full text of their “Our Story” page:
Uh oh, looks like the page you are looking for has moved or no longer exists.
That’s generally not a good sign. “Detoxification” is always the calling card of bullshit peddlers.
No offense, but it looks like you wasted your money on bullshit. Sorry. You should come ask us first before you spend that kind of money on bullshit.
Thanks, I guess so. Sounded too good to be true.
I went through a thing earlier this year where I was obsessed with candles for a while, and trying to get rid of the scented ones in hopes it would help with my asthma. I have noticed the claim come up over and over on product pages that beeswax candles emit negative ions which purify the air. Googling, I have found this is bullshit (or rather, what’s bullshit is the claim that negative ions purify the air.)
I am still burning unscented beeswax candles because it probably beats paraffin scented candles, but I’m aware that any time you burn something in an enclosed space, you are doing the opposite of purifying the air. Actually I really haven’t been burning candles much at all these days because even with the beeswax they get smokey afterward.
You went to an actual doctor for these tests?
Was it published in the Journal of the American College of Olfactory Scienticians, Idiopathic Paramedicians, and Neruopanpsychometrologists?
Seriously, anybody can run a ‘lab’ and ‘publish’ reports, and as long as they aren’t producing pharmaceuticals or medical-grade reactants and products of specified purity, or promising specific health outcomes to defined pathologies, there is no regulation or oversight on what they can promote or sell.
“Woo” in a marketing context often involves recruiting true believers into some kind of pyramid scheme where their vigorous belief and sincerity is a selling point to those they recruit, but at the top level it is almost always the case that the principals are engaging in deliberate deception and are aware that what they are promoting is bunk and pseudoscience.
As for “toxin-eliminating candles”, all a candle does is vaporize paraffins, the volatile components of which release energy and propel the more complex aromatic molecules into the air. It can’t ‘purify’ air (and in fact is adding contaminants) and unless it is releasing compounds that somehow break down the toxic metabolites produce by the offending fungi, it isn’t doing anything but masking the smell. The only way to clean contaminants out of the air is via filtration , and the only way to eliminate mycotoxins is removal of the offending fungal colonies (which is challenging because fungal spores are robust and pervasive).
Stranger
This CDC advisory may be helpful.
During the past 10 years, CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has received many requests for workplace evaluations based on the results of unvalidated laboratory tests purported to diagnose occupational and environmental illnesses caused by exposure to fungi (including molds). Using unvalidated laboratory tests to diagnose work-related illness can lead to misinformation and fear in the workplace; incorrect diagnoses; unnecessary, inappropriate, and potentially harmful medical interventions; and unnecessary or inappropriate environmental and occupational evaluations (1,2).
Mycotoxins are metabolites of some fungi that can cause illness in humans and animals, primarily after ingestion of contaminated foods. Low levels of mycotoxins are found in many foods; therefore, mycotoxins are found in the urine of healthy persons (3,4). Mycotoxin levels that predict disease have not been established. Urine mycotoxin tests are not approved by FDA for accuracy or for clinical use.
CDC does not recommend biologic testing of persons who work or live in water-damaged buildings nor routine environmental sampling for mold (5,6). To identify possible mold contamination, visual inspection is the first step. To inspect the interior of walls and other difficult-to-examine spaces, a borescope can be inserted through a small hole. Moisture meters can measure moisture in building materials such as carpet, wallboard, wood, brick, and concrete. Identification and elimination of sources of moisture and cleaning or replacement of contaminated materials is essential.
Persons using direct-to-consumer laboratory tests that have not been approved by FDA for diagnostic purposes and their health care providers need to understand that these tests might not be valid or clinically useful.
Testing alone, even when done with validated tests by reputable labs is not going to be conclusive in diagnosing any purported mold-related ailment. Comprehensive clinical evaluation by a properly trained and experienced physician(s) who can put antibody/antigen testing into perspective (for instance, do results indicate recent or remote exposure?) is required.
Some docs who claim to have expertise in this area have run into problems.
This is absolute 100% “woo”. There is more scientific support for my limited addition Hawkwind vinyl box set protecting from air pollutants than this candle.
I propose a new General Rule Of The Interwebs:
If you have to ask whether the secret ingredient in a trendy new alt “medicine”/diet/health food fad is a scam, the answer is always: YES!