Topic: Mold Inspection - Visual vs. Testing vs ???
seekhelp
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posted
I'm strongly considering having an expert come in to evaluate my home for mold. I really would like to separate the parties that do inspections/testing and the remediation process (if need be).
From my understanding, homeowners can do multiple things. It seems like detailed visual inspections, thermal imaging, hygrometers and other expert view opinions are about $250-$300 for a full-home review.
Prices escalate if you ask for air sample testing and environmental testing.
Has anyone found it beneficial to have the initial step done? I don't see any giant patches of mold in the home, but I feel miserable in the house often. My eyes water 24/7. Head pressure, yawning endlessly, horrid fatigue, MAJOR AIR HUNGER/asthma-type issues, feel worse everytime I take a shower in the main bathroom, joint pains, brain fog, etc. C4a > 25,000. Low MSH, low VIP, high TGF-B1.
My home is 30 years old. Brick one story ranch with partially finished basement.
I'm not physically able to get on our roof, attic and other places to seek out potential mold. The inspector would do all that.
Do you feel paying for the visual inspection and deciding from there is worthwhile or it's an all or nothing proposition (full air testing from day 1)?
I just can't function well enough or concentrate well enough lately to muddle through all this. Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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momlyme
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I paid a lot of money to have my home tested.
I started with the ERMI which was $290. That test told me that I had a ton of mold in my home. On a scale of negative ten to twenty, we were a 20.3.
Then, I paid a mold inspector $1725 to test every room, visual inspection, humidity testing, moisture in walls, tape testing, etc.
From that report we have a better idea of where the mold is coming from and what we have to do to fix it.
Also, he advised us to GET OUT. He was insistent on it. Thank God. Best advice I have gotten.
All that being said. I think we paid too much for that second report. I have heard from others who have paid half that for the same kind of report. You may be able to find a better deal.
Perhaps 17hens will comment. She knows someone who does mold testing (brother-in-law?)... if you are near her, maybe he can do your testing.
I am considering using them to retest after remediation.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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seekhelp
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Thanks MomLyme! Anyone else have thoughts/opinions on this process?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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karenl
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I think this is the problem why you are so sick. You can get more infos [email protected].
I think you need an air sample main return and maybe your bedroom to get started. If there is any mold there, just leave and do not spend more on testing. If you also have lyme you cannot tolerate any mold.
I left my home immediately.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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seekhelp
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Karen, how can you leave you home immediately when you're mortgage is $50k+ upside down and locked into a 30-yr fixed? What would you do? Seriously.
Scary situation. If I thought I could improve my health and get my life back and work full-time again, I'd be ecstatic. I just don't see how people with families get out of this in one piece.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
I agree that you should separate the evaluators from the remediaters.
I wouldn't personally invest in a "visual inspection" as mold isn't always obvious to the naked eye and can be easily missed.
And even if you were physically able to so do, since you're the one with the health problems, it's not a good idea for you to to be the one investigating.
IMO you're much better off getting the air tested on each level of your home.
If mold turns out to be a problem, you can remediate, which isn't cheap. But then again neither is anything else we deal with.
But remediation is more cost effective than leaving a home for which you hold an upside-down mortgage. And remediating the mold will allow you to eventually re-sell.
Seek, I don't see how families could get out of this in one piece either. The medical expenses and stress are enough to break the strongest people.
But somehow, some way families going through this survive and cope despite the odds. I'm convinced there's a Lyme Heaven.
-------------------- You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
---Eleanor Roosevelt Posts: 748 | From somewhere | Registered: May 2010
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karenl
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Seek,
I understand you. And it was hard for me to leave my home and still pay for it , but the only way to survive. So I never look back.I would be dead.
Can yo do a visual for maybe not more than 350 and one air sample main return and I did one in my bedroom where my nose is. You should get it for 500.
But I think it is sure you have mold, you are too sick and not improving. When people are not getting better in this group they later find mold or/and parasites.
It can get worse and I was paralyzed, so you cannot wait. You can recover and work but not immediately.
Can you live somewhere else for some weeks? Moldfree. I got better on day four in the hotel. I would go after mold and do the K protocol for parasites if I would not get better.
Only then after viruses, cpn, pylori by using the stanford page.
The only way is maybe just leave for now and rent a small moldfree room and see how you feel after some weeks. Seek, the worst thing is we cannot work otherwise we could fix everything.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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karenl
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Hi Alana, not sleeping? I forget to mention that mold should be covered by your homeowners policy and you need to read this first. Also your hotel would be covered and after the remediation - if you can go back you can move back and if not it is able to sell. I understand, not now. Please start reading your insurance policy and report.
Posts: 1834 | From US | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
LOL Karen. I think I should change my name to Sleepless in Seattle. But hey, you're still up too!
You make a lot of good points re: insurance and getting into a mold-free environment.
At this point in life after all I've seen/experienced, yes Seek, it would be worth it for you to leave for a week or two and live in a mold-free environment to see if you notice a difference.
-------------------- You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
---Eleanor Roosevelt Posts: 748 | From somewhere | Registered: May 2010
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sixgoofykids
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Unfortunately, it's a bad situation. I know someone who ended up in forclosure and lost her house due to the mold problem and having to get away.
I talked to a remediator (we had a mutual friend) and he told me that what he does is test the mold levels in the room(s) in question, another room, and outside. Then he compares the three. He said the tricky part is that there is always mold in the air, so it's important to have the outside control to be sure the mold you're finding inside isn't "normal."
He said he charges $400 for this test. Since I had found mold in my Select Comfort mattress and got rid of it, he said to vacuum the room, including the walls, with a HEPA filter and that should be enough since the source was gone and since it was generally contained when it was there. It was not stachy mold, that presents a different problem.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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klutzo
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Just this week I started smelling a dank, musty smell. My husband could not smell it. After investigation, we had all of our air conditioning/heating supply boxes and the Plenum in the air handler replaced due to black mold on the insulation. The new product has a slick surface that doesn't give mold an easy grip and is infused with some sort of antimicrobial.
Our a/c company recommended that a duct cleaner do an inspection first, and he said on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst, our mold was a 1.5, and would not even bother most people, so for that and other reasons, outlined below, we went with just eliminating the source, but I had and still have major symptoms.
We also had a remediator come out and he was going to kill all the mold in a 2 step process, but leave the dead mold here. One thing I know from my reading is the mold must be removed! Dead mold is even more dangerous than live mold, as it dries up and flies into the air. Your body cannot tell the difference if you are allergic to molds like I am. If it gets moist enough, new mold can start from the dead roots and it can use the dead mold as food to help it get going.
Finances are grim for us these days. It is not just housing prices that are down here, but huge pay cuts are common as well and my husband had to cut his pay by $10 an hour to stay in business and just barely at that. Florida is one of a few states that are in a depression, not a recession.
We'd hoped eliminating the source and airing out, which we admittedly didn't do for long because it's pouring rain every day and hot as hades here, would do the trick. If this had happened anytime but summer our plan might have worked. A good airing out during the dry season with all our many fans running might have lowered the level just enough.
We own our home outright, but still cannot afford to move. The market value has dropped 47% in the past 3 years and suffering neighbors on both sides have let their homes deteriorate to the point where it would take another $15K or more off our price. We live in a "blighted area" and a home equivalent to ours in a decent area would cost twice as much. My husband must have certain things in a home to conduct his business and no deed restrictions that stop him from doing it, which is also very rare here. Our house is 66 yrs. old.
My symptoms are headache behind my eyes, blurry vision, burning face, nose, palate and throat, some facial flushing, nausea, occasional faintness, memory problems and irritability. However, I've had most of these sx before from the Lyme, just not as bad, so how can you tell?
None of the specialists who came here advised doing testing. They said if you can see mold it must be taken care of, and it's irrelevant what kind it is. We took care of what could be seen, so now I am thinking maybe we should test the air vent, the bedroom and outside as suggested in the link above. (Thanks for that link!).
I got a kick out of the idea of going to a hotel! I have MCS and require 2 years after remodeling before I can be in a building. I could not find a single motel around here that had not been remodeled in some way within the last two years, and this is a very populated and touristy area.
As far as insurance paying, there is a $500 deductible and we would lose our $400 per year discount for never having filed a claim. and possibly face an increase in the already outrageous premiums as well. This is in an area where we are lucky to have kept our homeowner's ins. at all, as most people we know were dropped by their ins. companies after the 2004-5 hurricane seasons.
I don't know what to do. We have so many other problems going on, including my husband having just been out of work without pay for over a month due to a back injury, the medical costs for treating that with multiple Epidurals, as well as the costs of an ongoing lawsuit with an ex-relative, ten viruses that got by my ample computer defenses, and more that I won't go into.
I just can't deal with anymore. Last week I locked myself in the bathroom and howled and bawled for over two hours, just wishing I were dead so the pain of dealing with this endless misery would go away. Okay, I'll stop. Nobody likes a whiner, and yes, I want cheese with that please.
My points, which I am sorry it took me so long to get to, are that not all of us can just up and move, and even remediation may not solve the problem.
Regards,
klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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No need to wonder if I have a black mold problem in my basement. On one wall, the entire lower part have been eaten away by black mold. I mean 4-6" of drywall has been completely consumed over the last 20 years. Again, I have been listening to my primary doctor's advice, which is that he has never seen any evidence anywhere that shows proof of illness caused by this mold.
We are renters who have been here for 20 years without a single increase in our rent. We pay half of what a home mortgage would cost us and can't afford to move anywhere else. How do you know if this is really causing problems? I can't keep exploring every possible claim that is out there, I'll make myself ill with worry. Is black mold really that big of a deal or is it hyped up?
We love this place and would be devastated if we had to leave it. It feels so like our own home to us, and all of the memories of our children infuse the place. They are gone and we are empty nesters now. We were told we could stay here until we die if we want, and that has been our intention for years.
I have zero energy and even less money to deal with a mold abatement project, nor would our landlord dream of doing it for us without a huge increase in our rent. I am gradually feeling more at a loss as each potential health problem comes to the fore.
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karenl
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Do not pay for the outside mold test - only indoor matters. Comparison is useless, you need the fact.
Don't waste time, it is getting worse.
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sixgoofykids
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What the remediation guy was saying is that there's mold everywhere. The only way to know if there's an indoor problem is to compare it to what's naturally in the air outdoors otherwise all mold tests will be positive. That outdoor test is not extra, it's simply part of the test.
I trust this guy .... he wasn't trying to sell me anything and recommended that I didn't need it.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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momlyme
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When we had our home tested we tested outside, basement, first floor, second floor and attic. As six said the outside air is necessary because there is mold in the air, you must know if the mold you have is "normal" mold.
Our stachy count on the second floor where we all slept was 234,000 per square meter. Anything over 10 per square meter of stachybotrys is unsafe to live in. We had no choice but to move out.
My son was riding a scooter and playing badmitten 4 days after we moved out. He has improved every day since.
This is a kid who was in a wheelchair not too long ago. He couldn't climb stairs. He needed help getting out of bed. He didn't attend one day of 6th grade... because we moved out he got to attend his 6th grade graduation!
We have been out of the house for 7 weeks.
We have been denied by insurance because there is no visible damage. the adjuster kept saying he didn't see any damage... you don't see or smell anything wrong! The proof is in the air quality report but the insurance will not consider that their responsibility.
We have consulted with a lawyer... I will speak with him again tomorrow.
We have decided to go ahead and remediate on our own. The estimates we have gotten from professional remediation companies are between $12K and $50K -- so we are gearing up to do it ourselves. I won't be able to go in the house. My husband can, he doesn't seem to be as affected.
He will have the help of at least one friend. They will be in hazmat suits with N95 respirators. They will take everything out of the house, most will go to a dumpster, some will go to storage.
Then, we will rip the bathroom apart that is the source of the leak... find the leak and clean with a solution of 2 PARTS WATER 1 PART VINEGAR 1 PART 35% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 1 CUP BORIC ACID FOR EACH 1/2 gallon of mixture
If you use this mixture, DO NOT MIX UP MORE THAN YOU WILL USE WITHIN 4 HOURS. The hydrogen peroxide will decompose and use its concentration. If you do store it, store it in total darkness and do not seal the lid TOO tightly in case the bottle expands.
And I bought the boric acid and hydrogen peroxide online. We will be using a 2 gallon pump spray which will be able to soak down the area we are cleaning.
We will also be cleaning our HVAC system. Possibly much more.
Cross your fingers... I pray this works!
Being homeless & living between motel and tents really stinks!
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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klutzo
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OMG, momlyme, I am so sorry. What a huge hassle and expense. Typical of insurance to turn you down. If you have good medical documentation of how your son was before and after moving, maybe a lawyer could use that to pressure the ins. to pay.
Thank God you found out what was wrong before you and your son became any sicker. I hope it works out for you and that your husband and his friend can get it all out of there for you.
klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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Rumigirl
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OMG, this is HUGE!! Some of you guys should apply to be on Extreme Home Makeover!! I'm not really joking. I'm sure the competition is stiff, but really, momlyme, your story is intense! If the lawyer can't help, try it! although who knows how long it might take to even find out if you could get it.
I'm more worried than ever about the same problem for us. We're renters, and there has been really bad water damage to the walls since we before we moved in decades ago, both from inside leaks and leaks from the outside. But the landlord could care less, and there are no laws in our city, state, or federal that make him have to fix the problem.
The landlord will usually only fix the inside leak, plaster and paint, but never fix the outside leaks, as it is a really expensive fix. And worst of all, one of their main "fixes" over the years is simply to slap on wallboard over the leaking, crumbling walls without fixing them at all!! So the mold continues unabated underneath. Lovely.
And I have been extremely sick since right before we moved in many decades ago (to varying degrees over the years). I'm gearing up to fight this battle again. But I never got anywhere at all before with the city or the landlord---other than the temporary cosmetic "fixes." And I'm very allergic to mold.
We certainly can't afford to move either. We're completely tapped out financially by my illness and the economy. This is so important, but so depressing, as I don't know what the solution is.
We just discovered yet more bad leaks and crumbling, moldy plaster, and mold around all the bathroom faucets and shower (leaks galore that our super "fixed" so well that they leak just as badly as before. But he just denies it. What a bloody battle.
On top of all that, we just got a bad mold problem in our car, too. It's now at the shop to see what has to be done to fix it. It better not be too expensive. When it rains, it pours. And it has been literally pouring here to a huge degree.
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Rumigirl
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One other thing for mold remediation. It's ozone shock treatments. They can be extremely important. But not in lieu of fixing the source of the problem, or removing the mold. But in addition to those things, it can kill mold in all the areas that are hard to get to and in the air, etc.
You can buy the units and use them yourself---but all people, pets, and plants have to be out of the area when it is treated. Or you can have remediators come in and do it. But if you buy a unit, you have it to use repeatedly and in the future, too.
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springshowers
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HIl I did not see this Thread I guess there is a group of us in this situation. I just asked on the other thread I started if someone did the outdoor compared to indoor test. I read this thread and see yes.. So well. I think there is no way other than to move too.
And I do not care what the losses are. I am upside down and the house was going towards forclosure and actually has had about 5 forclosure dates. The only reason it was not done was the 2nd mortage people decided they want to try to buy out my first and then sell the house on their own thinking they will recoup money. But that process has been taking them so long they just keep pushing the date 90 dayes over and over. It took awhile for me to figure out what was going on..
I was thinking of trying to save it by getting the 2mp modification but even though I qualify also it was taking a long time and during that time I have done this traveling and see that this house may be what is making me sick.. So the short sale process I had already started too and in the middle of it all now and there is no turning back.
If I can now pay a bunch of money to prove or not prove I am still leary of how to prove or not prove and since I am not staying I wonder if and who can say for sure it is a problem. It sounds like maybe the people who test may say that there is a problem and they rate it like the person here on this thread said. 1 to 10. So then say that it should not be enough to make you sick or a normal person. So that makes us not normal but then the test is wthin normal . Then what? Just ask them to fix what? that 1 rating? And do what?
I wish I knew another way. .. I know the hotels are problematic too. And how to find something we know is safe and ok. I think that I may have better luck in a hotel than my house at this rate though..
Thanks for all the ideas and such.
Seek. I think maybe you should do what I did or find a way to get out for a few weeks somehow> I know its hard and I had family in other states and was able to get there..I have not always been able to travel so I know how hard it is. I have said no way for years prior but I have made enough progress this last year to change that. But still not able to get fully well..
I think to know you got to get out and somewhere.
Maybe a group of us and rent somewhere and call it the safe house and all chip in and take turns going there or sharing it etc. Sounds like a dream I had.
Still dream of doing something like that or traveling one day to try to help others in any way I can.
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oxygenbabe
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Do not remediate--your son is playing badminton and you think you can move back in? You *cannot* move back in. Why do you think the mold is only in one place? Did you know that stachy toxins persist for years and resist even 600 degrees heat? You have stachy toxins embedded in the entire house. I'm not talking spores--I'm talking spore fragments carrying the toxins, which are the lethal part of stachy. Please, stay out, remediate for ethics and SELL THE HOUSE with full disclosure.
To others: it's summer. Go on a camping trip in a new tent not from the house, bring no stuff from the house. Get away and see how you feel. Forget spending all this money on testing. Sure, if you have a mild mold problem with nontoxic species in some limited part of your house, then compare outside to inside. I had the outside/inside and it told me nothing. My apt practically killed me. Your body speaks. And if you've been sick unto death in a moldy house--and willing to stay sick unto death for memories or money, then that's your choice, but realize it *is* a choice. Better to go into foreclosure and ruin your credit and regain your health.
[ 06-27-2011, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: oxygenbabe ]
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momlyme
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I said we are going to remediate. I did not say we were moving back in.
We are moving all of our stuff out.
We know where the source of the problem is because we did extensive testing.
We are ripping the upstairs bathroom tub out. That is the ONLY thing we did not replace when we completely gutted the house.
I know we are in a sticky situation. I know our health is priority.
I cannot sell a home I know to be a health hazard.
I cannot let it go to foreclosure because the next owner will not be informed and another family may become ill. My conscious will not allow me to dump this problem on some unsuspecting family.
I thought about letting the fire department practice a fire on our house... but I have a mortgage and children and a husband and we need to fix this problem.
Hopefully we can fix it. Hopefully we can sell it. Or rent it (not what I want, but the market is horrible).
We own it and we are taking responsibility for it. PERIOD.
I have done a ton of research and I realize that stachybotrys is the deadliest of all molds. It produces 170+ mycotoxins that will survive 30 minutes at 600 degrees and 10 minutes at 900 degrees.
I purchased an ozone blaster today 18,500mg/hour with a timer so we can be out of the house when it is running.
I am not even sure this will kill the mycotoxins... but it will kill the mold. And we will clean, clean, clean.
I live in a part of the country where we have four, maybe five months of good weather. Now is the time to attack this and get it done right.
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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sixgoofykids
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quote:Originally posted by Rumigirl: OMG, this is HUGE!! Some of you guys should apply to be on Extreme Home Makeover!!
My friend did .... and she didn't get on. She was wheelchair bound and had been a healthy PT prior. We all wrote letters. I really thought they'd have her on ......
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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sixgoofykids
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Momlyme, much of the stuff can't be taken with you because it's contaminated. Please research .... I'm sure you have been. Couches, mattresses, etc., can't be saved if it was stachy.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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oxygenbabe
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Lymemom, sorry I misunderstood you.
I know someone who did that--remediated the obvious infestation and had the house ozone blasted. Then levels of stachy toxins became low enough that a non sensitized individual could live in the home and feel okay. Full disclosure, perhaps renting to be sure it's okay (ie nobody gets sick in it), is a reasonable approach.
I'm glad you're out. As to keeping belongings...I tried to hold on to a few...I learned it wasn't really worth it, though some can be kept in storage, and worry about it later.
I think these toxins are very pesky. They may lie around not doing much harm, on cross contaminated items or a car, until some water gets in...even years later...
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oxygenbabe
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Electronics can get really contaminated. I still remember my shock when I discovered my ultraportable (tiny) laptop was totally contaminated. In my apt, I had no reaction. Once away, the thing was like poison every time I opened it. Clothes, upholstery, bedding, mattresses, etc. Glass and steel are okay.
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momlyme
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Just to clarify, we are throwing out all paper, most clothing, all upholstered couches, mattresses, bedding, stuffed animals, board games that are in cardboard boxes, etc.
We are only keeping real wood (not particle board), metal, jewelry, and electronics.
Everything will come out of the house and either go into a dumpster or into storage.
Nothing will come out of storage until it is thoroughly cleaned and then it will only come out one item at a time. Some may be tossed at a later date.
I do realize how serious this is. I only wish my parents, friends and neighbors realized this.
I have people asking for my stuff that I am throwing out because it is so nice... I have to tell them no because it is like giving them anthrax.
This stuff comes from the depths of he77... I am not giving anything away or selling stuff on ebay!
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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sixgoofykids
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Sorry, Heather, the whole process sounds miserable.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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oxygenbabe
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Heather, I found electronics to be highly contaminated--probably the dust that carries spores getting into them. That would include computers and televisions...sorry but it's true.
I have heard that if you store the stuff in a very hot dry climate in a storage locker that over time it will become tolerable. If something is valuable to you, then store it, even if for five or ten years. You can figure it out later.
As to being like anthrax--it is and it isn't. For us, it is. For someone with no major exposure and a healthy immune system, a bit of cross contamination is not deadly.
For example, my apartment almost killed me but my partner spent much time in it and did not get noticeably sick.
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oxygenbabe
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posted
Oh btw the Heather wanna hear something scary? I saw a study that in certain neighborhoods in Dallas, I think, or Houston, anyway, one of those disgusting cities where the mold cases all started, there are higher amounts of stachy spores in the air. That means the fricken houses are contaminated--a bunch of them--in some neighborhoods and the outside air is bad too. OMG.
Posts: 2276 | From united states | Registered: Jun 2004
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momlyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 27775
posted
This is all crazy!
I feel like I have been plopped in the middle of a horror film and my family is starring in it.
Then, I try to go over friend's houses... and I know they have a mold problem. They don't want to hear it.
I had a friend today say can you do that mold thing you do? Can you come over my house and tell me if we have a problem?
I wasn't in her house 1 minute before I told her my throat was closing up and I had to get out. We talked on the porch for a while... but you know what? She doesn't believe *her* mold is causing her family's allergies, behavior problems, easy bruising, etc.
I don't get it?
I wish I wasn't so sensitive to mold now. I feel like my life will never be the same. So many places I can't go. I will just add Dallas and Houston to my list!
My husband wanted to air out the house by opening the windows and I wouldn't let him. I told him I don't litter and I don't want to release our mold spores on the world either. We will keep it contained and deal with removal and disposal.
BTW, oxygenbabe - your partner may have not gotten noticeably sick (just like my husband does not get noticeably sick) but what about the risk of cancer or heart disease? There is evidence that says both of these are caused by mold.
I believe that those who do not feel the affects are still affected. My husband has a bunch of family members who died of cancer... his family lived in homes with flooding problems!
-------------------- May health be with you!
Toxic mold was suppressing our immune systems, causing extreme pain, brain fog and magnifying symptoms. Four days after moving out, the healing began. Posts: 2007 | From NY/VT Border | Registered: Aug 2010
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oxygenbabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5831
posted
Yes Heather that is a point, although some immune systems are stronger than others...he did get headaches in my place though and rarely does now.
There is mold and there is mold. Since leaving, well, it took me a while to give up everything that needed to be given up...all clothes, favorite blankets etc. A few items I've kept in my friends' basement closed up, but to tell you the truth, after a year of living with little, I can't believe I had so much stuff after getting rid of so much stuff.. and went back to their basement and got rid of most of it, and gave it to Good Will. It was all boxed and bagged up, and you may wonder why I gave away so many clothes, kitchen items etc, but as I said, for a healthy person a low dose of cross contamination from an item of clothing won't do much, and anyway, Good Will is always MOLD CENTRAL .
Anyway, you can't avoid some mold, even encounters with bad mold, and some cross contamination. Realize it's a matter of less is more. The less exposures the better, but the anthrax metaphor may stress you out more than is useful.
Since leaving, I've encountered toxic mold in some places. I ran like hell. I get what is known as "the depression response" within about a minute. I start feeling practically suicidal. I get out...usually feel better in 10-20 minutes. If its really bad, go home and wash your hair, and wash your clothes. Hair with its oils is a spore magnet.
One of the bad places was a Lowes in southern GA where we have been spending most of our time since December. Now imagine that. If they've got toxic mold in the hvac, then all their wood and all their stuff people renovate with is going to be contaminated.
You are doing the right thing and you are very smart and VERY LUCKY! It would have been just as likely you never figured it out. Just think about how incredibly lucky you are to have this knowledge, to be able to help your family live a far healthier and more joyful life. Houses can come and go. We don't need nearly as much as we think--our loved ones, our vitality, meaningful work.
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oxygenbabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5831
posted
Also, Heather, I've had friends go both directions. Some listen some don't.
And as to the nightmare--it's building practices. Solid wood holds a lot more water and is more highly mold resistant than plywood and that's more resistant than particle board.
Modern insulation molds very easily. Tight houses mold. Renovated old houses will mold.
The way houses were once built--they have air flow, cavities, gaps, they are built of solid good materials--they don't as easily create this mold soup.
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