You'll be surprised at how many places mold can hide out actually. For me the Fall is the worst because the leaves on the ground trap moisture. Who'd have thunk? I rake as soon as they fall, 10 times if that is what is needed.

I can stand 10 - 20 ft from any mold source and smell it.

Some allergies are more troublesome (for me it's mold and feta cheese), but fortunately I can avoid those pretty easily. My daughter was born allergic to virtually EVERYTHING; wheat, grass, mold, dust, eggs, the color "red" dye in foods, fruit that grew on a bark tree . . . , etc. About the only thing she could eat for the first two years, was tropical fruit and pickles. I couldn't even nurse because the allergens would come through, and she mostly lived on "pre-digested" formula throughout that time.

Her room had to be spotless, with carpets removed, no toys, cleaned daily, walls washed weekly.

Once I knew what she was allergic to though, I slowly introduced those things back into her life (ONE AT A TIME!). Allergies have a "barrel effect", whereby one allergen can be ok, but a combination will "fill the barrel".

A GREAT book is "Is This Your Child":

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Chil.../dp/0688119077

NOTE: Apparently our allergens change every 7 yrs too.

Cherie