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Open House

Dangers of House Mold; Getting Rid of Household Allergens; Getting the Perfect Lawn; Dividing Garden Plants; Weekend Gardening Projects with Kids

Aired July 08, 2006 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the weekend. And what better way to spend your time than with a weekend project or two or maybe even five. That's right. We have five weekend projects for you today.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Gerri Willis. And this is a special weekend project edition of OPEN HOUSE.

We'll get to the fun in just a bit. But first, we have to talk about something serious, mold. It not only damages your home. Some say, if you don't get rid of it right away, mold could also be harmful to your health.

Joining me now is Andrew Perel, an environmental lawyer and an expert on mold.

Andrew, how do you know if you have a problem that's like what we saw before, that's going to grow to that? The problem is that probably started as a small problem and then grew out of control. How do you find it? How do you detect it?

ANDREW PEREL, ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER & MOLD EXPERT: Well, Gerri, there are a number of different things you can do.

First and foremost, you should rely upon your senses. Your sense of smell is going to be indicative of a mold problem. When you step into a room such as this and smell mold, mildew, a funky kind of moisture, a heavy smell, you should look around. Now, sight is very important, too.

WILLIS: What am I looking for? Where do I look?

PEREL: Well, you want to look where water is going to be accumulating. Mold needs three things to survive. It needs moisture, water, food. And it needs the right temperature.

One good place to go is the bathroom. OK? You take your shower. It's extremely humid. Pools of water. It doesn't necessarily drain the right way.

WILLIS: I think that's what you've got going on here. You can see the water is pooled in these areas.

PEREL: This is an incredibly dangerous situation for mold. What you have here is a pathway for the water from the shower to go behind the wall. Now, if we're looking at this wall here, these discolorations in the grout, this is all mold.

WILLIS: One cheap and easy way to get rid of mold is simply scrub your walls with a mixture of chlorine bleach and water. You need about, well, a cup of bleach for every gallon of water.

Is there anything else you can use?

PEREL: Well, anything that has a chlorine base to it is going to be extremely effective. In addition, anything with a hydrogen peroxide base will be effective, as well.

So if you went into your medicine cabinet and took out the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and used that, that would be extremely effective. It would kill the mold.

WILLIS: So just a little bit of bleach is really cleaning this up. I'm surprised how quickly it worked.

PEREL: One of the important things to do, Gerri, as you see the little circles. Those are the centers of the colonies. Want to break up the colonies. Because by breaking up the colonies, you're killing the spores of the mold.

WILLIS: Andy, you say that airborne mold is actually more dangerous than what we have seen in here.

PEREL: Absolutely. The health threat that you get from mold -- for example, if this was the black mold, this surfacial mold that you have just been cleansing, is moist. It's moist from the humidity that comes from the shower. By being moist it is adhered. It's not airborne. You're not inhaling it.

If it were to dry out and become airborne and when you were cleaning it you would have seen dust flying. The inhalation of that poses a significant health risk.

WILLIS: Here's what we learned again today, Andy. You have to find that mold. You have to get rid of it. And then, you have to prevent it from coming back again.

PEREL: Absolutely, Gerri. You need to look for the telltale signs of where water infiltration is going to be in the home whether in the bathroom along the edges, like we've seen here, or outside the exterior where you see algae or other types of growth.

Most importantly you should follow your nose. You'll smell it.

WILLIS: OK, millions of us suffer from allergies. You know what that means, sneezing, sniffling, runny noses.

Now, if you have allergies, like I do, the last place you might want to be is outdoors. But truth is, it might be the inside of your house that is making you sick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILLIS: Donna, let's start in the bedroom. Let's talk a little bit first though about the allergens that you find in the home. What are the most common ones?

DONNA: Well, of course, you have dust. We all have a lost of dust. And pet dander, if you've got pets. And human dander as well...

WILLIS: Human dander? What is that?

DONNA: Yes. We're shedding skin all the time.

WILLIS: So we can be allergic to ourselves.

DONNA: Well, it's possible. And then, also the big one is dust mites.

WILLIS: Dust mites? Now, I read somewhere there are 2 million dust mites in the average bed. Can you believe that?

DONNA: That doesn't surprise me at all. Yes. And we don't think about that. And really the simplest cure for it is to wash those linens on a regular basis in very, very hot water.

WILLIS: OK. Let's do some laundry.

So Donna, we talked about the bedroom being a breeding ground for dust. But so is the living room.

DONNA: Oh, sure. Throughout the whole house.

WILLIS: One of my big questions is always it seems like I'm only moving the dust around. I'm not really getting rid it. It's sort of flying up in the air.

DONNA: I use a micro fiber cloth. I love these because it's an electrostatic...

WILLIS: It's wet.

DONNA: Yes, well, I wet it because, if you dampen the cloth first -- and I wring it out practically dry, really -- then you won't be stirring up all of the dust into the air as you're dusting.

WILLIS: That's dusting.

DONNA: Everything collects right on the cloth and you don't move that dust around because that's really bad for people who do have allergens.

WILLIS: Sure.

DONNA: And you should wear a mask so you can protect yourself from inhaling the dust.

WILLIS: This is the pet allergen problem in my household. My husband is allergic to dogs. Is there anything we can do to reduce pet dander so that maybe he could live with one?

DONNA: If you frequently bathe your dog at least once a week and do vacuuming three times a week, and also try to keep your animal off the furniture if you can -- if you can't, then you need to vacuum the furniture regularly, as well.

WILLIS: So Donna, some people react to toxins in household cleaners the same way they react to allergens.

DONNA: Yes. You can be allergic to cleaning supplies.

I like our homemade solutions. There are a lot of things you can find in your pantry, like vinegar, baking soda, peroxide, that you can use in cleaning.

And in the bathroom, one of my favorites is vinegar. If you want to clean your toilets, this is the best way. Pour about a cup in the toilet bowl. And then, let it sit overnight. And in the morning, all you have to do is brush and flush.

WILLIS: So you have a great natural idea, a natural solution really, for cleaning a cutting board.

DONNA: Yes, you can use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. What you do is first spray the surface with a mist of vinegar and then follow with a mist of hydrogen peroxide. Let that sit for just a couple of minutes. Wipe it down with a paper towel. And what I like about that is you just throw the paper towel and the germs right away.

WILLIS: What about lemons?

DONNA: Lemons are great. They're a natural sanitizer. They smell good. So that's always nice in the kitchen. Cut the lemon. I sometimes use old lemons. Just throw them in the garbage disposal and let it run. It really smells nice. And it cleans it out good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Now that we have allergy proofed the house, it's time to go outside and talk turf.

Up next, how to have the best lawn in the neighborhood from the man who keeps Tiger Woods happy on the golf course.

Plus, from the grass to the garden, we're getting down and dirty to show you how to make your garden grow.

But first, your "Tip of the Day."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS (voice-over): You may be tempted to do some home renovation yourself. But be aware of a common pitfall. Many homeowners try to save money by being their own general contractors. But they often end up spending more than if they hired a professional in the first place.

Here's why. Subcontractors give general contractors a good rate on services. But homeowners will likely pay retail. That's because subcontractors see you as a one-time deal.

So for minor home improvement projects, an experienced general contractor will probably be the most effective route.

And that's your "Tip of the Day."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Everybody wants a perfect lawn. And we found the best place to go for advice on how to get one. You are about to go inside the gates of the historic Wing Foot Golf Club, the host of this year's U.S. Open.

Eric Greytok is making sure this grass is in tip top shape for the event. And he let me in on a few secrets on how we can all get our own greens up to par.

So, Eric, let's start with mowing. I got to tell you, how often do you mow? How much do you mow? How high should that grass be?

ERIC GREYTOK, SUPERINTENDENT, WINGED FOOT GOLD CLUB: It really depends on a lot of things. If you have warm wet weather the grass is going to be growing tremendously. You might have to mow it twice a week.

You should really just mow it about two to three inches. Anything higher than that, you're going to be bagging a lot of clippings. Anything lower than that, you might kill the grass.

You only want to remove one-third of the plant at any time. Then that way, the plant can continue on with its photosynthesis and food production.

WILLIS: Another key ingredient for a healthy lawn is the right amount of water.

Generally, when you're watering, it's what, only two to three minutes, 5 to 10 minutes, ten to twenty? How long should it go on for?

GREYTOK: I would say anything from five to ten minutes, if you're doing it every day, less. If it...

WILLIS: I don't have time for every day.

GREYTOK: If you're watering every day, then I would only recommend four to five minutes. And if that's not enough, then you increase it from there.

WILLIS: Proper maintenance is also the best defense against weeds.

What is the worst weed here at Winged Foot?

GREYTOK: You know we're -- every spring, we go around and we take the time and we treat for clover and dandelions, like the average homeowner.

WILLIS: Just like me, right?

GREYTOK: Yes. What the problems that we have here are all over.

WILLIS: And so what do you do, though? Because I'm having no success against dandelions.

GREYTOK: We generally go out and spot treat with herbicides.

WILLIS: OK. If there's one thing you could tell homeowners, what would it be?

GREYTOK: One thing? I think it's a two-part question. Proper fertility and proper water management, and you'll have a great lawn.

WILLIS: But despite the best care, you may end up with so-called thin spots, areas where grass is scarce or nonexistent.

GREYTOK: What you can do then is taking this rake here. And he's raking up the ground. And he's distributing the seed in the thin spot and...

WILLIS: Well, I've done this myself before and I don't necessarily get grass after you put the seed down.

GREYTOK: Right. Right. The key to this is good seed-to-soil contact. So if you have small areas like this -- Ben's going to show you a real scientific method for getting seed-to-soil contact. He's going to work it in with his hands...

WILLIS: With his hands.

GREYTOK: With his hands. And then, he's going to step on it.

WILLIS: And step on it?

GREYTOK: Right. That's what we're talking.

WILLIS: That makes it mix up and...

GREYTOK: Yes. The seed needs to be in contact with the soil to germinate.

WILLIS: If you're looking for a quick fix try this.

GREYTOK: You can go to any home lawn center and you can buy sod by the piece. You can buy one piece or 20 pieces.

WILLIS: It probably costs a ton of dough, though, right? GREYTOK: It is a lot more expensive. Seed is the more economical route to go. If you really desire an instant lawn, then sod's the...

WILLIS: Nothing beats this, right?

GREYTOK: Nothing beats sod.

WILLIS: And it's not that hard to do, right? How tough can this be? You just roll it out, right?

GREYTOK: Basically. I mean, coming in, you can see that we stripped the existing grass away from here And the guys have hand raked it out, applied lime and starter fertilizer. Come in, lay the sod. And now, really all you have to do is water it.

WILLIS: So there's just one more thing to do.

It looks so easy when Tiger does it.

Still ahead, it's not easy being green. How to get the garden into tip-top shape. That's coming up next on OPEN HOUSE.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: You know, it's never too late to give your garden a makeover. I spent the day with Suzy Bales, author of "Down to Earth Gardener" and got some great advice on how you can turn your own backyard into the perfect summer retreat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Suzy, you love to say that now is a great time to really think about your garden, divide up some plants. That you can save money over the long haul if you actually plan right now.

SUZY BALES, AUTHOR: Well, I think of flowers the way most people think of money. And there's never enough. So I have to find all kinds of ways to do it.

So let's look at some of these easy perennials that you can divide every year.

WILLIS: Now, what do we have here?

BALES: What we have here are some primroses. Now, primroses will bloom between six and eight weeks depending on how cool the weather is.

WILLIS: They are beautiful. Now, what are we looking for here, Suzy?

BALES: You're looking for the rosette. Do you see this clump? There's a rosette right in there.

WILLIS: And we're going to divide them? BALES: And each rosette is an individual plant. You can pull it apart. That's all you do. And here, look, I've got two, actually three. See that?

WILLIS: You can pull those apart. And then, plant each of these how far apart?

BALES: Well, I would plant them about six or eight inches apart. And every year they will have a new cluster of between three and five rosettes.

WILLIS: That's beautiful.

BALES: See, here they go.

WILLIS: And we're not paying for these?

BALES: No, no.

WILLIS: We're just expanding on what we already have.

BALES: Exactly.

WILLIS: Now, you say you can do this with hosta, too. But I have to tell you, this is a massive plant to divide.

BALES: Yes, this is. And this is early spring. This will get huge leaves. Do you see?

WILLIS: It's gorgeous.

BALES: It's the same principle. Do you see the rosettes in there?

WILLIS: Yes.

BALES: OK.

WILLIS: So these would be separate rosettes, right?

BALES: Each one of these can be a separate plant. This is not a brain surgery.

(LAUGHING)

You can't hurt anything.

WILLIS: I'm not going to break it?

BALES: You're not going to break it, no, as long as it has rooted attached. See how tough that is?

WILLIS: Wow.

BALES: There we go.

WILLIS: So this we can plant separately?

BALES: Did you see all the roots? Yes. There you go.

WILLIS: Now, you just dug this right out of the ground.

BALES: This is -- I did.

WILLIS: And you don't worry about breaking off too many roots? How deep do you need to go with the hosta?

BALES: I always use a fork because then I'm not killing too many roots. Use a shovel, you'll slice them off.

WILLIS: Now, here's my worry. I have daffodils. I have tulips. They're over. The flowers are gone. They're spent. What can I do with them now?

BALES: Well, you know, people don't realize, now is the time to divide them. They always think of fall as the time to plant your daffodils. But now you can divide them.

Look at the clump over here that we have.

WILLIS: You can break them off right here?

BALES: And you'll see all the little babies. See here are some babies that have fallen out. Yes. There, you're pulling some more up.

WILLIS: Beautiful. They are gorgeous. Now, is there any bulb I can't do this with? Tulips?

BALES: Well, tulips are not reliable -- do not reliable return. They might come back for three years. But do it with bulbs that naturalize, like wood hyacinth, crocus.

WILLIS: And that's the word you use, naturalize. You get them moving across your lawn. You can fill out a woodland area.

BALES: Exactly.

WILLIS: And really make it feel full without spending a lot of money.

BALES: Right. Right.

And also, now is the time to look around your garden, see where a bulb would make a difference.

In the fall, when you plant them, you can't remember what is blooming in the spring. So if you see a flowering shrub, then put some bulbs. Divide your daffodils from the other side of the driveway and put them under your shrub for next year.

WILLIS: And you say that you can cover up some of the bulbs where their vines are dying with plants that are going to grow now, correct?

BALES: Yes. That's it. The foliage of your ground cover or your perennial will cover the dying foliage. That's the perfect...

WILLIS: That sounds like heaven. That's perfect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: That advice works well for early to mid season. But for up to date information on gardening in any particular season, check out one of the many gardening Web site out there, including garden.org.

Coming up on OPEN HOUSE, making some time for the children in your life. Weekend projects with kids is coming up right here on OPEN HOUSE.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: It's time to dig in and get dirty in our weekend project with kids. Here's how you can nurture those little green thumbs by planting a veggie garden with your kids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIDIA BASTIANICH, CHEF AND RESTAURANTEUR: These are the pepper plants.

WILLIS (voice-over): For Lidia Bastianich, it's a family affair.

On this day, there are four generations planting, picking and sharing a passion for gardening.

Even the youngest lend a hand and get their hands dirty, which make the garden not only a great play ground but also a perfect learning ground.

BASTIANICH: What's this? This here?

WILLIS (on camera): So, Lidia, when you're with the kids in the garden what kind of skills do they learn as they are out here?

BASTIANICH: Oh, there are many skills. Coordination, certainly. Planning. Sort of aligning what will go where. Organization.

WILLIS (voice-over): Kids also learn how to work as a team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. You do it like this. You hold your hand on the bottom and then you pull...

BASTIANICH: All right.

The garden is a perfect place for children because they plant something. And they nurture it. And they see results. It responds to them. That plant responds to them. WILLIS: Some plants grow faster than others. Choose herbs like basil, mint, sage, parsley. Kids get to harvest them and enjoy them sooner.

BASTIANICH: Tomatoes are another plant that's very sort of rewarding to children. Because if you take care of it, it grows. It spreads. It makes flowers. You see the whole sequence. And then little tomatoes come and they can pick. They see the cycle of life and how things grow and the time it takes. And they appreciate and respect food.

WILLIS: Kids respecting veggies?

BASTIANICH: What I do, when they were two months old, I took an herb and cracked it under their nose. So they're beginning to develop this collection, almost like a reference library of aromas and flavors and all of that.

So when you put it in front of them, cooked, it's not a stranger. It's not a stranger that's coming at them. They smelled it from the beginning. If they plant them and they pick them, chances are that they will eat them.

WILLIS: But gardening isn't all play. It's also work. Plants need to be checked and watered regularly. But Lidia has a secret recipe for fun.

BASTIANICH: You need to connect it to the ultimate product. Grow some basil and say we'll make a pizza. Now, they can relate to that. You make a pizza and put some basil on top. And then ultimately they say, look, grandma this is the basil -- or mom or dad -- this is the basil I grew. It's my basil. And they are so proprietary of what they have grown, which is wonderful.

WILLIS: But not all plants are created equal. And some can even be harmful.

BASTIANICH: Tomato, you think tomato's great. The leaves, if you really ingest a lot of them, are poisonous. Bay leaf is another one of them. Rhododendron is a flower. It also has a poisonous leaf.

So as a parent, you need to be educated, of course. But you can't put -- hide things from the children. You need to teach the children to co-exist. To live and to respect these things and understand them.

WILLIS: Understanding is key. And these two little ones are already quite the experts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tomato.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is basil.

WILLIS: I even got a private lesson on planting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First you take a stick. You put it in the ground. And then you wave it around like this. Take the plant out. And you put it in the hole.

BASTIANICH: Yes. That's it. Pick up the plant. Pick it up, straighten it up.

WILLIS (on camera): There you go.

BASTIANICH: There you go.

WILLIS (voice-over): For Lidia, time spent in the garden with her family is precious.

BASTIANICH: There's nothing better than that, you know. It's such a complete cycle. You're doing everything with the children. You're working with them. Ultimately, they are learning. And ultimately, you are enjoying it with them at the table.

This is a nice salad plant.

WILLIS: Speaking of table, I couldn't leave without trying the fruit.

BASTIANICH: The cycle finishes right here.

WILLIS: That's right.

Well, in this case the veggies of their labor.

(on camera): This is gorgeous, yes.

(voice-over): Everybody to the table and eat.

BASTIANICH: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

WILLIS (on camera): You got it.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

WILLIS: Good for you. Good for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Those kids are so cute.

As always, if you have an idea for a weekend project, send us an e-mail at OpenHouse@CNN.com.

And you can watch past weekend projects on our Web site at CNN.com/OpenHouse.

As always, we thank you for spending part of your Saturday with us. OPEN HOUSE will be back next week.

Don't go anywhere. You're top stories are next on CNN Saturday. Have a great weekend.

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