Memphis is a Moldy Place

There is mold at work. One cold room is unusable, the refrigerators (and even freezers!) grow black mildew, and we have to maintain constant vigilance to keep it out of the cell culture rooms.

We get mold at home, too. Just last week I had to complete the twice-annual bleaching of the basement floor. After the moisture of the fall and winter/spring rainy seasons, molds and mildew (black and white) start marching across the floor and growing on surfaces. A ten-percent bleach solution in hot water knocks them back until the next rainy season. Today I finished the job by  throwing away a backpack I had stored down there, which was covered with white mold colonies, and cleaning a table on which I had grown various seedlings. On a purple backpack, white spots  are not attractive. 

This is a very humid, fungal city, so if you have a mold allergy, it is probably not a good place to settle. In other ways it can be very nice, especially in our Midtown neighborhood with its picturesque bungalows and cafes, but be prepared to buy bleach frequently. You'll need it.