lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
i need some. how do you survive this??? there is no way i can do 30,000. in remediation right now.
i am trying to get a clean space so i can cook, shower and organize my bills. then the rest of the time i am in my camper or screen house or truck.
im doing what i can legally and financially but there just is no money to do this. my family helped take some of the bad stuff out...we sealed the rest and a certified mold company came in to clean. they said there is no way there is mold in this space now. i am still sick from concrete dust(even tho floor is sealed) and new floor materials that are off gassing...they are supposed to have minimal glue and no formaldyhyde (dri-core-made in canada...it is my only hope right now)
i am considering having the slab skim coated to make it smooth and then painted with epoxy to seal it...dust-moisture-mold...from everything...but i know i will probably have to leave for 2-4 weeks after they paint with epoxy. after 1 gallon of low voc oil paint was put down i couldnt come in for 2 wks.
my routine is to get up in morning and check temp and humidity in all rooms. i try to use fans to exchange air until it gets to 80. then i close windows and put on ac.
i try to keep humidity below 50 with de-humidifyers. i have 2 de-humidifyers, 2 ac , and 4 fans for a space about 500sf
i also have a good hepa air machine but i messed up the hepa filter and need to buy a new one...
all of this is to make it so i can walk in the first floor and do a few things. once this is ok...i need to totally remediate the attic...i will have to pay all cash for that. my relatives and i could not deal with that. all involved agree that area is sealed off right now...but i need to do it before winter i think...i need to hit the lottery i guess...but i dont play.
anyway...i know many of you are dealing with this...please share survival tips.
and for any of you who asked for help on mold in the past...i told you to move...i apologize. it isnt that easy is it?
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
a few things i've figured out:
-eat a big bowl of real oatmeal everyday...it cuts the black floaters down to almost nothing
-have a gas mask just in case you have to go into a moldy place
-keep humidity below 50 (some say below 70...but molds ability to grow is related to humidity and temp...so i feel safer with the 50)
-ventilate regularly...move outside air thru house and out...do it a shorter time if outside air is high humidity-but do it once a day-esp if you suspect mold is actually growing inside
-seal off any area where mold spores might come from with plastic and painters tape with joints sprayed with poly
-get Benefect on line...tropical traditions has it...it kills mold but is made frome thyme oil and lemon (not chemicals) and is one thing i dont react to (i am mcs)
-check out moldinspector.com online
-aside from that the plan is to remove all visable mold and building materials etc it is on...apply fungicide to kill whats left (including roots)-some times dry ice blasting is necessary...apply fungicide again and some say ozone area to get any air borne spores.
it was very frustrating to have 3 certified mold specialists completely contradict themselves ... the above is what i decided to do based on what they said and other readings on-line---i am in no way a mold expert. only trying to be a mold survivor.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
The Honeywell HEPA air purifier is the best one. The one with UV. The UV kills the mold spores. A friend of mine is an Enviromental Consultant and he told me about this one.
Posts: 845 | From Northeast | Registered: May 2011
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posted
10% bleach and water solution to kill mold if you're OK with bleach. Then remove the water source - that's the key. No water, no mold. Also, it will only grow on organic surfaces - so if there is extra cardboard, papers, old carpet, etc. make sure its not getting wet!
-------------------- Wendy Posts: 253 | From Near Albany, NY | Registered: Jan 2009
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-------------------- Wendy Posts: 253 | From Near Albany, NY | Registered: Jan 2009
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
RC1-yes that is the one ihave but using it during the demo did in the hepa filter so i have to get a new one. it will be worth it tho-i love the machine
there is no way to totally remove the condensation from the slab but i am working on finding floating floor that will breathe
that or the epoxy...but the epoxy might cause a problem by not letting it breathe and then the moisture would go towards the walls...so far walls are not involved
carpenters tell me to use bleach but mold ppl say it doesnt work. i suspect it kills what is on the surface but not the roots
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
Diffuse essential oils that you can tolerate. These are antifungal:
Lemongrass, Thyme, Oregano, Tea Tree, Cedarwood, Lemon Eucalyptus, Lavendar (not the same as lavandin), Myrrh, Thieves (a blend of various essential oils), Purification (a blend of various essential oils).
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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WPinVA
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Member # 33581
posted
Open the windows! I know it's tough to do this when it's hot outside but vital to get a cross-wind to ventilate.
Is your house too tight? Many newer houses these days are. Do you have a fresh air source? Might want to check out installing an energy recovery ventilator (ERV).
Sealing off dusty spaces, like our crawlspace, with very thick plastic, helped me as well.
Posts: 1737 | From Virginia | Registered: Aug 2011
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
razzle-have you checked this out? benefect.com
it is mostly pure thyme oil and very helpful...you spray it on and dont have to wipe it off...KILLS mold. esp good around tight low air flow places in bath...tropical traditions sells it...
yes...in my post above i talk about the importance of airflow...even when its humid i do it an hour a day at least...much more if it is nice
i dont think this house is too tight and as we remediate we are leaving air spaces...the dri-core floor product (dri-core.com) tells you to leave 1/4 in from wall and then put baseboard up 1/4 in
it was just a mold factory waiting to happen with fiber board put directly on slab in new englad...and sponge carpet pad and carpet put on top...bound to have condensation problems
thnaks for input
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
Couldn't find ingredient information for Benefect products...
I use plain essential oils, that way there is no worrying about other ingredients that may aggravate my MCS (I'm allergic to a commonly used surfactant in many "natural" cleaning products, "free & clear" cleaning products/laundry products, 7th Generation products, etc.).
When we had a mold problem (before we identified where the mold was; Husband has since removed the affected trim in the kitchen and I no longer smell mold in the house), the only way I could breathe in the house was to diffuse essential oils.
I diffused Thieves, Lemongrass, and Purification oils (not all at the same time) to help cope with the horrible mold smell.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
benefect.com 1-905-690-7474
my bottle says: made from plant extracts with pleasant aromatherapeutic vaprs. no synthetic fragrances, dyes or bleaches.
active ingredient: thymol(present as a component of thyme oil): .23%
other ingredients: 99.77%
yeah-it would be better if they listed the other ingredients---i guess its good they arent synthetic...i have mcs and do not react
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
my ac guy is putting uv light inside our air condenser
-------------------- ------------ It took 20 years to find out I'm not crazy. New bite in 2010 pushed my body over the edge. Positive for lyme, babs, bart, and myco. I am not a doctor and happily offer only my own opinions. Posts: 357 | From The Beach | Registered: Feb 2011
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lpkayak
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posted
havent heard of the uv thing...good to know
i just found out the woman wheo runs the mold remediation company i am working with is in the hospital...hope it is not serious...im ready to finish the first room
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lpkayak
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posted
i just washed and put fungicide on all the base board taken down from 3 rooms. i did see a little mold for sure on one oiece. there are some spots that might be mold in othere places too. i wonder if it is ok to reuse it or not...after it is treated with the kill mold stuff and the envirnment has been changed so it is not humid
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
What kind of mold did you have in the house?
Posts: 671 | From Fort Myers, Florida | Registered: Jun 2009
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Rivendell
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19922
posted
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will save this to my favorites.
I no longer use bleach because I think it is bad to breath.
I have been using vinegar. Spray it on, let it sit awhile, and wipe off. But that's only cleaning the surface.
Our house has a steel frame. And this is a humid area. So the old wall board (can't think what it is called, but it forms the walls that you paint over) has mold and needs to be replaced.
And there our more problems. So when the money is availabe, there is lots of work to be done.
Posts: 1358 | From Midwest | Registered: Apr 2009
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lpkayak
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posted
i didnt waste money on testing...it made me sick...i knew i had to get rid of it. at the end i might test and hope to find nothing.
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
I became sensitive to mold and my practitioner told me to get the ecoquest fresh air purifier. It has ozone and RCI technology which has been proven to kill mold. It also has a UV light. I think it is the best. I have two running in my house. You can get them used on ebay for around $150 and new on ebay for around $250. They normally cost around $600.
hope this helps!
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
We had an air purifier with UV light, but it did nothing to help the mold issue. What helped that was getting rid of the mold itself.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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lpkayak
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posted
yes...im in the process of getting rid of it and until it is gone i have the bad parts of house sealed off
tick battler...i'm concerned about the air purifyer you mentioned. so far i havent seen any thing from the cert mold ppl that uv works
they do say ozone works but only at really high levels and at those levesl ppl, pets and plants cannot be inthe room without getting really sick
there are so many opinions on this stuff
im thinking of buying an ozone machine myself...but it is a big one that cannot be on when i am in the house. it just seems this is going to be a long term thing...so it would be a good investment
i keep smelling mold outside and cant tell where it is coming from. the house has vinyl siding. i dont know what it is covering. but i am startin g to see black stuff on the siding and now i am wondering if it is all moldy under the siding...i guess my boys can look this weekeend but i am really sick of finding more and more problems
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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tick battler
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 21113
posted
The RCI technology is what kills mold I believe. It is used by NASA apparently. The ozone helps with smells. There is an "away" setting you can use when you are not in the room to sanitize the room. It can run for 2 hours or 4 hours or 8 hours.
You can put it on the lower settings and leave it running all of the time. Check it out on amazon - there are a lot of good reviews.
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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You may want to research the RGF Reme purification system. My husband has an enviromental controls company and did not feel any of the products were up to par, until he read about this unit in one of his engineering magazines.
We have one installed in our main air handler and it is doing a perfect job.
This one cleans the air from so many other pollutants besides mold spores.
We bought ours new on Ebay and husband installed. I've also seen them on Amazon.
Posts: 671 | From Fort Myers, Florida | Registered: Jun 2009
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linky123
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19974
posted
Be careful with ozone. It can leave an odor that is bothersome to those with MCS.
You might want to try it in a small area before using it throughout the house.
Best of luck.
-------------------- 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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posted
thank you...all of you
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
REME; im wondering if this will make a bunch of emfs in my house
Product Description
REME or Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy utilizes an electro magnetic energy cell to create Ionized-Hydro-Peroxides�, a friendly oxidizer plasma made from oxygen and humidity. This air purifying plasma is propelled into the HVAC duct or plenum by a silent plasma propulsion module that has no moving parts, yet propels the plasma at 2 cfm. This provides for fan or blower-less operation on a 24-hour basis. The purifying plasma will be propelled through the ducts whether the fan or blower is on or not. This permits a hardwire 110 volt plug-in installation that lets the REME run 24/7 without wiring to the fan/blower circuit. .
also---wonder if emfs are a problem with this and if hydrogen peroxide would bother me...
Product Description
The Guardian Air by RGF� is designed to eliminate sick building syndrome risks by reducing odors, air pollutants, VOCs (chemical odors), smoke, mold bacteria and viruses*. The HVAC-PHI Cells are easily mounted into air conditioning and heating systems air ducts where most sick building problems start. When the HVAC system is in operation the HVAC-PHI Cell creates an Advanced Oxidation Process consisting of: Hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxide ions. All are friendly oxidizers. By friendly oxidizers we mean oxidizers that revert back to oxygen and hydrogen after the oxidation of the pollutant.
the stuff i have been reading says ozone does kill mold but it has to be at a high enough level that ppl, pets and plants would get sick and die . but when you turn it off good o2 fills in fast and it is not a problem. i have 1st hand experience with that and it seemed to work
ECOQUEST---they dont really describe that much what it does-how it works. they never mention mold. it can do 350mg ozone. i am looking at machines that do 14,000 ozone...i am told it needs to be that high to kill it
i dont reallyknow tho...i have trouble with "marketing" to me thay out and out lie...but ppl i know in the busines deny that
im still reading-since i cant sleep for some reason
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
wierd...what i typed got lost...below is what i have and it works well except i need to replace filter now...cuz used it during demo and now it is moldy. it traps spores but doesnt kill them so when environment is right they will grow in filter...and its 80 bucks to replace.
so i really need something that will kill the mold i am told only dry ice blasting and high levels of ozone do that
BestAir Replacement Honeywell HEPA Air Filter
Item #: 305142 | Model #: E215
Be the first to write a review!
$80.88
Replacement Honeywell HEPA Air Filter � 100% HEPA Media Air Filter � High Performance MicroFree Filtration Technology � Effectively Absorbs Dirt, Dust, Fibers, Pet Dander, Hair, Pollen, Airborne Particles, Mold & Spores � For A Healthier Home Environment
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
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