RELATIVE HUMIDITY: Relative humidity (RH) (expressed as a percent) also measures water vapor, but RELATIVE to the temperature of the air. In other words, it is a measure of the actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the total amount of vapor that can exist in the air at its current temperature.

Meteorology

Relative Humidity: indicates how moist the air is. Relative humidity is also approximately the ratio of the actual to the saturation vapor pressure. Actual vapor pressure is a measurement of the amount of water vapor in a volume of air and increases as the amount of water vapor increases.

sling psychrometer

Five most common signs

1. Odor – you smell something but just can’t see anything.
2. You don’t feel good when your home and you feel better when your away.
3. Constantly itchy nose, red eyes and sneezing.
4. Staining on interior wall and base molding.
5. Wall appears to be wet and damp.

What if you toast bread and it might have had mold on it, will toasting it kill the mold? Yes it will likely kill the mold BUT the damage is already done; the bread will taste moldy and any toxins that the mold produces will have contaminated it.

Ingesting a small amount of mold isn’t likely to cause you any harm. However, mold itself can trigger an allergic reaction in those who are susceptible, and certain molds produce poisonous substances (mycotoxins) that can make you sick.

You shouldn’t eat mold on bread or from a loaf with visible spots. The mold roots can quickly spread through bread, though you can’t see them. Eating moldy bread could make you sick, and inhaling spores may trigger breathing problems if you have a mold allergy.

Mold generally can’t penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss. So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Some types of mold are used to make cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert. These molds are safe for healthy adults to eat.

High or low temperatures can kill mold spores. Extreme heat or extreme cold can kill most mold spores.

Q: Is there a simple trick to preventing cheese from quickly becoming moldy? Answer: Always wrap a soft cheese in parchment or waxed paper; rewrap it with a new piece after each use to prolong freshness. These breathable materials prevent mold-causing moisture from collecting on the surface without drying it out.

Instead of plastic wrap or wax paper, rub a little flavourless olive or vegetable oil onto the surface of the cheese, this will prevent it hardening out or it potentially growing mould. Then it can be popped on a plate in the fridge sans wrap!