When a toxic mold issue arises in a home, sometimes the contamination is extreme, requiring the occupants to vacate the premises. The question then becomes, “Can I bring my possessions with me?”
We are leaving our toxic home. Do we have to leave everything?
There is no single answer to this question. The types of mold and the extent of the problem will be determining factors. The levels of sickness and genetic disposition may also play a role in your decision-making.
Not every situation requires drastic action. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
Your possessions are an issue due to the nature of mold, its mycotoxins, and other pathogenic microbes in a water-damaged building
The late toxicologist Dr. Jack Thrasher described the issue of cross-contamination this way:
The toxins produced by mold are free radicals, i.e. they have reactive oxygen radicals that bind to fabrics and can be released with time. Also, not only Stachybotrys but other dangerous molds release fine particles as well as larger particles, e.g. spores. The fine particles (less than 1 micron) permeate fabrics and are not readily removed. Also, the mold spores bind to fabrics and can lead to cross-contamination of the new environment.
Also, do not forget the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria. They can be aerosolized and also contaminate furnishings and clothing.
Dr. Thrasher mentioned the smaller particles—smaller than mold spores. Let’s first consider the size of mold spores. According to Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Environmental Health & Safety webpage regarding mold (emphasis mine):
Most fungal spores range from 1 to 100 microns in size with many types between 2 and 20 microns. People with good vision may see 80-100 micron particles unaided, but below that range, magnification is necessary. To put things in perspective, you could place over 20 million five-micron spores on a postage stamp.
As for the smaller particles, a study conducted in 2005 and published in the journal Atmospheric Environment demonstrates that “fungal fragments” may be deeply inhaled and cause significant problems. The study focuses on fragments and spores of three different fungal species. All three were aerosolized by the fungal spore source strength tester. The conclusion:
Fungal fragments released from contaminated surfaces outnumber spores.
A second study published in the January 2009 edition of the Science of the Total Environment journal concludes:
The present study indicates that long-term mold damage in buildings may increase the contribution of submicrometer-sized fungal fragments to the overall mold exposure. The health impact of these particles may be even greater than that of spores, considering the strong association between numbers of fine particles and adverse health effects reported in other studies (Gold et al., 2000; Magari et al., 2001, 2002; Pekkanen et al., 2002).
Clearly there is more than meets the eye with toxic mold, and you are wise to ask questions about your possessions when confronted with a mold issue.
If the problem is small, washing items close to the source may be all that is needed. If your health is good and you leave a contaminated environment, cleaning your belongings may be an option. If you or your children are in poor health and must leave your environment, proceed with the utmost caution regarding your possessions.
When our family vacated our home in 2008, we were advised by Dr. Jack Thrasher and a mold specialist to treat our home like a fire. We left with the clothes on our backs and quickly replaced them. I’m grateful for the advice. While we may have been able to salvage some items, the extreme approach worked well for my sanity, since we were symptomatic even after we left. Had we brought some of our belongings, I might have obsessed about cross-contamination. (Read our story here.)
When the Situation is Extreme
If symptoms are severe, and the mold problem is systemic, the best choice may be to vacate the home, purchase air mattresses to sleep on, and start fresh with new clothing. Make your decisions about your belongings later. Once you’re settled and have established a fresh environment, you can consider them. Often the desire to bring things with you lessens with time.
This often means renting a storage facility for a period or storing your items in a family member’s garage. If you’re going to the trouble of moving away from a toxic environment, don’t apologize for being “extreme.”
You want to do this right the first time. You can always bring things in, but it’s tough to remove problematic items once they’re in a new environment.
A complete break from your belongings is often the best cross-contamination “test.” Once you’re established in your new environment, you can bring things in one at a time to see if they are a problem.
Salvageable items
The following materials offer the best hope for thorough cleaning:
- ceramic
- glass
- metal
Pots and pans, dinnerware, and decorative items may be considered, as well as CDs and DVDs.
Problematic items
Computers
The computer fan has the potential to spew contaminants into a clean environment. Consider using your computer outside the new environment until a replacement can be purchased.
Appliances
Refrigerators, washers, and dryers harbor dust in their coils and fans and are difficult to clean. Spores and spore fragments easily attach to washing machine parts.
Bedding
Mattresses, pillows, and porous fabrics are difficult to clean. Since sleep plays a significant role in recovery, any items associated with it are best avoided.
Images courtesy of Dreamstime
Books and Papers
While these items are among the most needed or may hold the most sentimental value, both are extremely porous and virtually impossible to clean. Store them loosely in plastic bins until a decision can be made at a later date.
Air Purifiers
Even if an air purifier is relatively new, it likely harbors contaminants from your previous environment—even when the filter is changed.
Upholstered Furniture
The stuffing in upholstered furniture is virtually impossible to clean thoroughly.
Potential Cleaning Methods
When cleaning an item for transfer to a new environment, the key is to eliminate the dust that carries the history of the home. You may do this by rinsing or vacuuming. Be sure to use a vacuum with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air or High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filter.
When wiping down an item, it is best to avoid bleach. See more in the post Got Surface Mold? 10 Natural Solutions.
The following may be considered, but are not guaranteed to be effective. These suggestions are based on feedback from others who have survived toxic mold exposures.
- Ozone Box
These may be purchased online and do an adequate job containing the ozone. Place the item in the box and leave it overnight.
- Sunlight
Some have found success by leaving items outside in direct sunlight for several hours or several days.
- Ionic Jewelry Cleaner
Ionic cleaners operate by generating ultrasonic waves to remove contaminants and may be useful for eyeglasses, jewelry, and other non-porous items.
- Effective Microorganisms (EMs)
EMs are a blend of various microbes that have been found to benefit the soil, humans and the environment. One of the microbes, phototrophic bacteria, survives heat that makes this probiotic blend unique. Learn more about EMs here.
How About Pets?
Pets are more like family members than possessions, but it’s important to keep in mind that our animals have the potential to cross-contaminate a new environment.
When a situation is extreme, it may be best to board them elsewhere until things settle.
If you decide to bring pets with you, be sure to wash them thoroughly and shave them if possible. Pay particular attention to paws. When purchasing shampoo, look for ketoconazole, a potent antifungal, on the list of ingredients.
Dr. Jack Thrasher discusses the issue of cross contamination in this interview on The Connecting Place.
Chris and I discuss the emotional implications of these decisions in this episode of The Connecting Place.
Regardless of the extent of your mold situation, it is always wise to proceed with caution when it comes to your possessions. Just as we respect lightning, icy roads, and hurricanes, it makes sense to respect microscopic contaminants that can wreak havoc with our health.
Related Posts
- 74
We left our home and everything in it on October 4, 2008, choosing to start completely over. The contents of our 5500 square foot home went into the dumpsters. Did we really need to leave everything behind on the day we vacated the home? We were advised to treat the… - 35
Have you ever felt your house was haunted? Experience unusual anxiety or fear in a particular room of the house? Could it be toxic mold? The connection between toxic mold and hauntings is the subject of study at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. Professor Shane Rogers is leading a… - 33
It has been nearly seven years since we vacated our home. We treated it like a fire and brought nothing with us. (Read our toxic mold saga here.) It seemed like a radical move at the time. Had a toxicologist and medical doctor not advised us, we would have brought our belongings… - 33
Can toxic mold cause type 1 diabetes? While potential triggers vary, research suggests that environment plays a critical role in the onset of autoimmune disease. (See Environment, Not Genes, Dictates Human Immune Variation, Study Finds.) As a mom of a son with type 1 diabetes, I am convinced our encounter… - 30
Looking to remediate your home, office or apartment? Wondering how to choose a mold remediation company? Water damage can lead to serious mold problems which in turn can cause serious health issues. Sometimes remediation is not the best solution when the damage is systemic or the health of the occupants…
Dear Mrs Fabrey. Plz pay no attention to my spelling or grammar as I have biotoxin illness and fuzzy at best. I am also a patient of Dr Gray. Im homeless disabled alone n very very sic. I live in my car which has now gone bad. Im at the end of my rope. Dr gray suggested that I contact you. Not sure why. I forget. But im a christian and dont want to give up but cant continue alone like this.
I was just wondering what is advised about wood furniture regarding airborne spores/bacteria? I assumed you can clean it like ceramic and metal. Is there not a way to decontaminate clothes? I have read essential oils can be used.
I really appreciate the time you have taken to provide so much helpful information!
Natalie
Wood can be tough as it is a bit more porous. It all depends on types of mold and existing health issues. Clothing is so porous that it’s very difficult to clean them. There are lots of opinions on this, of course, Natalie. People who are very ill from a serious mold exposure often find that clothing must be discarded. Less severe cases are different.
I have had health issues for 1.5 years and we just found out we have toxic mold. We’re leaving and taking nothing. My question is: can we sell any belongings after cleaning, or should we consider them unsafe for anyone and trash everything?
I don’t necessarily think you need to toss everything. Everyone responds differently to these toxins and may do fine with your possessions. Cleaning and then selling may be just fine for most things. Something like a fabric couch I would hesitate to sell.
What about a leather couch?
Leather is better than a more porous fabric couch. But it’s very individual as to what is safe.
Years later…..I have a leather couch. What we don’t realize that the bottom of the couch is mesh to cover the wood structure. Mold/Mycotoxin feast.
Andrea, it seems that I read somewhere, on one of your two websites, that you found out your cars hadn’t been contaminated by your moldy home. Is that true and if so, how did you know? Also, do you know if an UVC light is effective if the car does have mold?
We traded our main car right away as we reacted severely in it. The other cars we took our time. I’m not sure on the UV light question, Donna. This post talks a bit more about this issue. http://it-takes-time.com/2011/02/toxic-mold-and-cars.html
Dr Thrasher has some very interesting information about pets. Does he have a website?
Yes.
Here it is:
https://www.drthrasher.org/
Hi, I’m wondering if I could send you our recent ERMI report & if you could help us interpret it? Thanks in advance!
Sure, Laura! andrea@it-takes-time.com
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with mold illness. We are just embarking on ours. We found 613,000 aspergillus and penicillium mold spores/square meter of air in our lower level bathroom. Our son has been declining for the past 2 years. We took him to see a functional medicine Dr. who diagnosed him with mycoplasma, CIRS (Chronic Inflamatory Response Syndrome), strep and roseola. Through genetic testing we found out he has the HLA DR gene which prevents him from clearing toxins. I just had blood drawn last week to see if I have it as well, I know my sister does. He may also have Bartonella (he has the stretch mark-like rash on his back) but we are waiting to test for that at the next visit. Trying not to overwhelm him with too many blood draws.
We have a mold remediation company giving us a quote tomorrow. They will wear hasmat suits, double bag everything with mold on it, put the lower level under negative air pressure, use air scrubbers and seal off the upstairs while they do the removal. They will then hepa vacuum everything in the lower level, wet wash it, then hepa vacuum it again the next day. We had mold remediation done before we moved into the house and we now know it was not done correctly. No one wore masks, nothing was double bagged and they never cleaned afterwards.
My question is, given that the “black mold” stachybotrys was not found. Do we need to get rid of all of our furniture, books, etc. The things that cannot wet-washed. I’ve read on other sites that anything that isn’t glass or metal should be discarded or at least boxed and removed from the home. And what about carpet? We are replacing all the mattresses. And I did read that any wood furniture that was sealed could be cleaned.
Thank you for all that you do to help educate the public about the dangers of mold!
What type of testing was done? Was it an air sample, Alaina? You are wise to make this connection with your son’s health. Perhaps you can email me directly: andrea@it-takes-time.com Stachybotrys does not typically go airborne, which is why I’m curious about the type of testing.
I am curious about carpet removal. We are having our home fogged tomorrow. They will also do a negative pressure and hepa vac of our game room, which tested positive for Chaetomium. The children’s bedrooms which are on the opposite side of the home from the game room tested positive for asp/pen. The attic tested positive as well and will be fogged. We are replacing our air ducts and plenum. We have not removed all items from the children’s rooms because the remediation specialist said we could leave the items in there. He did ask us to wipe down and remove all items from the game room. I have been dealing with health issues for years. All of the same. The remediation protocol includes removing a section of the drywall in the game room to determine if there is contamination on the other side. However, my husband doesn’t feel as though this is necessary. He believes that the chaetomium reading is coming from a collection of antique books and artwork that we have stored in that room. Although, my symptoms have been going on for much longer than these items have been present in the room. I’m so afraid that we are not going to completely follow the recommended protocol and this is going to continue to the detriment of my long term health and ability to recover. I seem to be the only one effected by the mold with the exception of possibly my son who has a rash around his nose that they’ve dismissed as a heat rash – because it worsens when he gets hot and sweaty…. or when he gets in the pool.
Anyways… I was curious about whether it’s necessary to replace the carpet, and should we refog after replacing it. I understand that chaetomium spores are more of a health hazard when they are dead rather than alive. Also, if it is behind the wall… is it better to leave it alone or stir it up trying to remove it.
I certainly can’t say as I only share information which I have learned over the years. I can say that it is critical to listen to your gut instincts on what is best for your health, Barbara. When all is said and done, you will want to retest with an ERMI to see what remains and if your body can handle what is left. Ideally you want a home environment without a history of mold remediation as there is always something that remains. Remediation does improve an environment if done correctly but does not eradicate the history. So again – trust your gut on this.
Andrea, thanks for being there. I’m sad to hear Dr. Thrasher passed away. His interview clued me in to the final puzzle piece. Our previous apartment building across the street just had it’s two story end wall removed. My friend was rushed out of her apartment. I had gotten a full dose during our move to a renovated apartment, probably in the storage unit right next to that wall. I was hospitalized with cellulitis in my Parotid glands in late Dec. Since then many symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction are creeping up. Urination, visual, numbness, mental, balance, etc. It just clicked this week after learning of the remediation across the street. And today cinched it listening to the interview. Need to get my wife up to speed on the seriousness of it all. Haven’t been complaining about the symptoms. Have a functional doctor identified and plan to order urine kits and apt. test kits from Real Time Lab. The journey begins. This is the only page I’ve had time to read and I’m sure I’ll be downloading the entire site in the days and weeks ahead. I’m treating this as an emergency and the learning curve is going to be steep. It’s good to see how positive you are and I’m really thankful a friend sent me in your direction. Best Regards, John in Austin
Thanks for sharing a bit of your story. If I can help in any way be sure to let me know. John.
Hi, I would like your advise about two tests that came back. Could you please either email me laurie. yaukey@ gmail. com? This question may lead to more. But I think I need to talk with someone more knowledge. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I emailed you, Laurie.
Black mold, penecillium, and aspergillosis(along with other molds)molds were found in our rental. Air samples and samples you could touch were taken. Our youngest son was suffering from reoccurring pneumonia, he developed moderate asthma, respiratory illness/infections, reoccurring respiratory distress. We immediately moved out and left our belongings. We don’t want to risk cross contamination and our son getting ill again. We did the right thing right? I feel we did.
You’re a good mom, Candace. You can trust your maternal instincts on this. Great job. You can’t lose to be cautious and treat it like a fire.
Thank you we were conflicted for a while because, everyone was telling us we could wash in hot water with bleach or wipe down but my husband and I didn’t feel comfortable in doing this. Our youngest son almost lost his life to this exposure. The things we had brought with us our now in a dumpster far from where we are(such as clothes).
Did the landlord help pay for anything? We are dealing with this right now and are struggling with a challenging landlord.
Hi Melanie, I’m a mom of 4 and a pet. Had to leave my rental home for same. Landlord is being pretty unreasonable. Any movement on your situation?
Thanks
Same here right now.
I’m in a hotel room with my daughters for the first time tonight….Candace, same situation. My youngest has pneumonia and now asthma, never had a respiratory virus in 7 years and now all this from only 2 months in the rental home. We are devastated. I just took a shower and felt normal for the first time in 2 months. Put on clean pjs I thought had been in a dresser and immediately my eyes started burning. I don’t know what to take and what to leave. We have a “hygienist” coming tmo. Any advise is appreciated.
Feel free to email me directly andrea@it-takes-time.com
I have previously posted, but I have some questions. I was wondering if I could email them to you. My email is c.angelo0226@gmail.com
Please email me when you’re available as I have questions in regards to the molds. Thank you. Sorry this whole Mold situation is so stressful and you are the only one who can give a serious straight answer. Thank you.
Hello Andrea,
I was if you walked inside of a tent and seen mold in it how likely are you to get infected by just walking in there? And what is the percentage on transfering it to my house?
I suppose it depends on the health of the individual walking into the tent. Brief exposures are inevitable. I know that once we left our home and started over I just resumed life as “normal” after short exposures and didn’t worry about cross contamination.
Hello. I just moved into my townhome in January of this year. I reported two water leaks about a month and a half after moving in. They took days to cone and fix one of the leaks and didn’t come back to check on the ceiling damage. Long story short now we have 3 types of molds in our home. Aspergillus penicillium, black mold and the mold that causes dry rot. My kids are suffering from the contamination. After arguing with property management about whether it’s mold or mildew they finally had someone come to test another two weeks later. Finally yesterday the mold removal team came to fix the issue. They said we could be there for the removal but I chose not to with the kids. Now management is refusing to clean my belongings. But they will clean walls , air ducts and clean carpet. But my house is fully furnished. How can I assure that the contamination is being handled properly in the cleaning process? Is it better if house was empty? How long after mold removal do I have to get all appliances , mattress etc, cleaned before recontamination? I have three kids and a lot of belongings . Thanks
You are on the right track with this. These are complex issues. Just know that you are the expert when it comes to your health and the environment. Feel free to email me directly andrea@it-takes-time.com
I keep seeing you say “you are the expert when it comes to your health and belongings,” but how, exactly?? I don’t feel like an expert, I feel like a scared and angry woman who has mold in her rental and an idiot for a landlord who refuses to do anything at all right, and since we are dirt poor and have a month to month lease we’re having to just move out with no legal recourse because of the laws in our state. My poor husband had bronchitis for three months which turned into pneumonia for six months and he’s constantly sick with a low grade fever and respiratory symptoms. I am less sick, but still sick, plus I’ve been in a fibromyalgia flare for months on end. Our five year old seems alright, except I just read that her “out of it”-ness and crying over everything could be neurological symptoms from mold exposure. And our poor 10 month old son was born into this mess, and while his only symptoms so far are mild congestion and snoring, I still worry about his health. Even our two cats are starting to sneeze!! We’ve had two floods (kitchen and bathroom sinks) just since we’ve been here, and they waited for DAYS to come fix anything, didn’t clean anything, and scoffed at our concerns. Now we can smell powerful mold under both sinks, the board bottom of the bathroom sink is falling to pieces from swelling huge with water then sort of drying out over time, and some of the crappy peel and stick floor tiles in the bathroom are actually being pushed up by moisture damage and mold!! We’re making a ton of calls tomorrow, to figure out where on earth to go, and we’re moving out by the end of the week…somewhere. But honestly, we’re at a total loss. 🙁 We are very, very low income. Due to health problems and car problems this last year (we went through four cars in 8 months, and on top of mold-induced illness, I had a very difficult pregnancy), our savings are completely gone (as in $0.00), and now that my husband is working again (he was laid off in January, finally found work in June), we’re digging out of a financial hole so we have no money to spare AT ALL. Literally none. We do not have renters insurance thanks to all of the above, so even if they’d cover mold damage, we’ll get nothing there. We do not have any well off family or friends, and don’t even know if we have anyone to stay with. So now we’re trying to figure out what to do about belongings. 🙁 Our landlord is HORRIBLE and won’t do anything at all and can evict us at any time. We do not have the means to get mold testing done, so we don’t know what we have, just that ti’s bad and making us sick. We thought it was just under the sinks, but tonight I found out the apartment in the basement flooded with backed up sewage to the ankle and the management let it stand in the apartment for FOUR DAYS!!! Before cleaning it up poorly. And apparently there’s actual black mold growing in the basement, and possibly the attic space. Which means it’s coming in our air vents. :\ So now I don’t know what to do about our belongings. We cannot afford to replace a single thing, including the clothes on our backs. What about shoes, for instance??? And books? Board games? Our five year old’s stuffed animals and all her other toys???? We have no money! AT ALL. I have no idea what to do.
I’m sorry to hear this, Alena. You don’t necessarily need to test this place. I know it’s overwhelming to leave, but staying is more overwhelming. Can you stay with family while you sort this through?
Hi Andrea – my family of four were living in a rental for three years. My son had health issues for duration but Mold wasn’t on my radar until my 19 yr old daughter started having health troubles. We finally discovered high levels of tricothecenes and gliotoxins in her body through a functional medicine chiropractor and Real Time Labs. I had a mold inspection done. In the garage is visible mold, and air samples show Aspergillus/Pennicilium. Indoors upstairs a mold spore count showed high levels of size 10 micron spores which the inspector said is usually Stachybotrys. We moved out immediately into a clean rental – but I ignorantly brought our stuff with us. I’m at worried about the cross contamination factor. My daughter is very sick with neurological symptoms – extreme fatigue, migraines, tremors, numbness and tingling, memory and concentration problems. She feels absolutely terrible, but also has some good moments where she feels a little better. She was going to start college locally pursuing a psych major today, but I found mold in her dorm (aspergillus/pennisillium) and her brain can hardly function well enough to get good grades (she graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA) so we’re looking at waiting a semester or year until her health is regained. Here’s my question: if we were to ditch all or most of our possessions that we brought to the clean house last week, can we still stay in the house or do we need to move again? Or pay to have the ductwork cleaned? This is a lonely road – few people understand what mold does to a life.
Oh this is such a hard one. You can possibly store your things and then do a dust sample of your current rental. Yes, it’s terribly lonely. I’m happy to brainstorm further. This is my direct email address: andrea@it-takes-time.com
Hi my name is Maria i have a 6 year old son . Im living in apartment building in the lobby. For the past year me and my son have been developing health problems such as infected respiratory illnesses strep throat bad allergy symptoms every time we’re in our apartment. Even nose bleed that I never had in my life. my son is also having seizures he’s been in this home since he’s a year old. Throughout the years I found some black mold in the bathroom and kitchen not really knowing the seriousness of mold in general I didn’t pay it much mind so are illnesses but then as time past and my mother even came to visit she could not stay in the house longer than two days without breathing difficulties in severe allergy symptoms my apartment is making myself and my son very ill in a number of ways I finally contacted the landlord who told me that mold is really nothing and he brought the super in to spray some bleach and cover it up with silicone as I’m reading and doing research it says long enough exposure it is now most likely in the air. I’m a single mother in school at the time at this time I told MD about the situation so he took a blood test in the office I also took a blood test we’re waiting for the results now but I was told sometimes it does not show up in the blood it was called a molds profile test they said that’s all that they have in their office I don’t know what else to do to prove that there probably is mold in either myself my son or both of us if you can give me some information on this site that would be appreciated I just need to know what kind of test I need to get done and what kind of test I can do in my home to prove that it’s in the air and if I should definitely move out of this apartment even though it’s very difficult for us to do it this time God bless you and thank you
You can do a dust sample in the apartment. Here is more on that. http://it-takes-time.com/2013/10/17/how-to-test-for-toxic-mold/
Ultimately you may not be able to “prove” this, but it’s imperative to put you and your son’s health first. A safe environment is critical at this point. You’re on the right track with this I assure you.
Hi, my name is Steph and I am desperate and lost.
3.5 years ago my boyfriend and I moved into a rental home that was very very old. At this time, I was suffering with health issues due to an autoimmune reaction from my breast implants..but we didn’t know why I was sick yet.
This house became a nightmare. The tub would constantly run, mold would keep trying to grow in the bathroom..when we moved in the house was filthy and we scrubbed it top to bottom. Some of the cupboards appeared to have mold in them. We didn’t know how dangerous mold can be, and so I just scrubbed the cupboards clean, we cleaned the bathroom and that was that.
I became worse in that house, there were bug problems and rat problems. Once we actually SAW the rats we had had enough and we got the heck out of there.
Fast forward a year later, and I found out I was responding in an autoimmune way to my breast implants and so I had the surgery to have them removed. In one of my breast implants, there was a tiny bit of mold.
Since then , we have bought our own home. I have been trying to follow a protocol to eliminate mold in my system since it was in my implant and we strongly believe I have biotoxin illness based on tests and advice from others.
Now we have run into another issue- some of the stuff- well, a lot of the stuff we still own is from that old house we rented that we now call ‘The Rat House’.
I have been told that everything we own- even though its been 2 years since we were there- has to go. Everything that was ever in the rat house, and everything else since it will be cross contaminated. This would leave us on the street. Its winter here. We have no money and are already struggling to keep the heat on and food on our table.
Do we really have to get rid of everything we own??? How do we know the little mold in that old house affected us and everything else?? We aren’t even sure what kind of mold it was, we never had it tested and we never saw a huge problem in that house OTHER THAN the rats.
Please help me. I’m at my wits end and no one is really helping me.
This is so tough. I will email you directly.
My home has had a bout with mold three times I did mold remediation last year as the company thought it was from faulty air condition. The mold is back and now it was diagnosed to be a faulty leak from old toilet. My house is paid for.
Trying to decide whether to do another remediation or move out. 15 yrs. ago I had remediation. I am having severe sick symptoms
Remediation does not eradicate the problem as you well know. When the body becomes sensitized to any remnants from the remediation, then it becomes a chronic inflammatory condition. Far better if you are able to sell “as is” with full disclosure and find a home without this history.
I had a high level of aspergillus/penicillin in my kitchen basement and crawl space after a pipe burst and water remediation company did not responsibly remediate. I had a mold remediation company bring the levels down to below normal levels. I have disposed of all items except dishes and pots. If I wash these is dishwasher will mold spores and mycotoxins be totally removed? Will washing them contaminate dishwasher? IQ hen I opened plastic bins I felt sick. I am very sensitive.
It’s hard to say for sure, Jan. Everyone is unique with different sensitivities and successes when it comes to cleaning items. I would listen to your gut and border on caution for your own peace of mind.
My daughter has severe mold and corn allergies, in addition to multiple food and chemical sensitivities. Her home was mold tested last week and came back high for aspergillus/penicillum. Her allergy doctor told her to leave the home or die. She moved in with us yesterday and is much worse today, having numerous anaphylactic reactions to the atmosphere in my home. Is it normal to get worse after leaving a moldy house? K
Anything can happen with an injury like this. Is there any history of water damage/leaks in your home? I’m glad to hear your daughter has made this connection. It’s a tough road, but mold avoidance is a strong treatment. Feel free to email me directly: andrea@it-takes-time.com
Hello Andrea — thank you for this incredible service. I suffered from Lyme Disease for many years, but was able to nurse my way back to health — and felt great for several years! About 2 years ago, I started to feel sick again and assumed it was Lyme Disease once again rearing its ugly head. After intensive treatment, not only did nothing change but my symptoms were becoming worse. That’s when I stumbled on the mold theory — and all of my blood work (and
HLA genotype) screamed mold. I live in a beautiful new sun filled apartment and couldn’t imagine where the issue was coming from. Turns out the washer and dryer are in a closet at the entrance to the apartment. Mold was growing inside of the washing machine. When I moved the washing machine out to replace it with a new model, I discovered that liquid detergent had fallen behind the machine and there was a ton of toxic mold growing on the floor and the wall. I had a professional mold remediation company come in and removed the flooring and the wall. They sprayed and vacuumed the entire apartment. That was about a month ago. Since that time, I have been on a strict anti-fungal diet and have been regularly taking CSM — I also was able to clear MARCONS. I removed and replaced everything that was in the laundrey closet — clothes, cleaning supplies, brooms, mops, vacuum cleaner, bags, umbrellas. Here’s the thing — I am not at all feeling better. Mold has not been found anywhere else in the apartment — both by ERMI testing and air sampling. Do you think it is necessary nonetheless to discard all of my remaining possessions — and then start over — including a new round of remediation? Many thanks for any guidance!
Hmmm, I’m not sure on this. Would you mind emailing the ERMI and air samples to me? andrea@it-takes-time.com
I am renting a townhome and there was a leak in the wall and we found mold spores that exceed 8000 count. I had just undergone cancer and treatment and was told to please leave the home immediately. The homeowner is evicting us and refuses to pay for remediation. I have been told I have to remove all my property. I am getting quotes of 3000 and above. I dont have that kind of money. I am prepared to discard all porous items, Mattress, sofas etc. Is there a way to properly clean items such as jewelry and wood items like my dining room table, end tables etc. I can email you the air report but 3 months have already passed since taken and our belongings have just been sitting there. They did put some kind of machines in the home to help but no removal process has begun. I appreciate your advice.
You can’t lose to be cautious about this. You might consider storing these non-porous items and bringing them in one at a time. some people clean successfully, but with this history of both health and mold exposure, it can’t hurt to be over-the-top careful.
We have a safe, clean house. New renters coming in are vacating a terrible situation. They have mold experts advising them and may have to leave most or all of their possessions behind. As their new landlord, if they are advised they can bring some of their things, can the mold be brought into our house and contaminate it? What steps should we take? We want to help them get a fresh start but don’t want our house to become toxic or contaminated in any way.
This is a great question. I hope they leave most if not all. It shouldn’t be a problem if they bring a few non-porous items. If I were you, I would request they bring very few things in.
We were in Hurricane Harvey in Rockport. We didn’t have severe flooding but extreme windstorm damage and rain. Between the rain and humidity, when we returned right after the storm (within a day) everything just felt damp. We immediately opened all doors and windows to start airing out. We did have some water damage and left couches and beds behind even though beds were dry. Had some nice leather chairs that did not have direct water damage and are now in storage along with some wood furniture. Do we need to be concerned with the stuffing of the chairs? Anyways my question is how long do you have to get things out before you have to be concerned about mold if there is no direct water damage? We got most things out within the week and put in storage what we thought would be salvageable. Thank you so much for sharing your story and your wisdom.
This is really hard to know at this point. It’s a great question. You’re wise to be concerned. I think you will know. I would bring things out one at a time and thoroughly clean them. See how you feel, check for smells, etc.
We have high levels of mold in our basement and in the air on first floor living room. We are having it Remediated tomorrow. Do we remove all our personal stuff that was contaminated in basement before they clean or wait until they clean? Also how do we know if everything in our living room has been contaminated. I am so confused and nervous with all of this. Thank you for any advice.
You can email me directly: andrea@it-takes-time.com
A lot of this depends on whether or not there are health issues in the family. If there has been an impact on health, then you will want to be sure they are containing the area. If you have any test results for the home, include them in the email.
Hello Andrea,
After 20 long months with “mysterious symptoms” that no doctor could solve, I got the idea to have an environmental engineering firm check our crawl space–we have “heavy” levels of Aspergillus mold! My husband and dogs are fine while I am now on oxygen 24/7, can barely walk a short distance and am nauseating most of the time. Cleveland clinic functional Medicine is treating me for systemic candida and thought I had Lyme. We moved me out to an extended stay hotel yesterday, and mold remediation is coming in this week. I’ve requested an appointment with Dr. Janine Tarty of Roanoke VA. I am extremely ill. Once the remediation is done, then what? We are removing all carpeting and replacing with hardwood. Do i dispose of our bed because of my condition? Drapes? clothing? Must we have an ERMI test done even after the environmental engineering confirmed heavy Aspergillus and we are having remediation done? Please, where do we go from here? Will the house be safe for me to return? They said no signs in house or attic, but that spores could have seeped in from crawl space where mold is heavy. I’m still in shock but somewhat relieved to have probably found the answer to my continuing loss of health. Please advise me of what to do after the remediation is done. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Beverly,
Good job relocating. Remediation can improve a situation but does not eradicate the problem. There will always be a history with this home. Ideally, you would sell this home and find a place with no history of water damage or mold remediation. You’re on the right track and wise to be cautious with your belongings.
Remediation can improve a situation, but there will always be a history with this home. Ideally, you would want to sell this home “as is” and find a home with no history of water damage or mold remediation. You’re on the right track with this and are wise to be cautious with your belongings. You’re on the right track with all of this. Trust your instincts on this.
We have a small mold problem. Windows trim bathtub and walks need to be replaced. I’ve been sick for seven years. I believe the initial problem came from spending so much time at my moms house which was riddled with black mold. After time improperly installed windows seems to have created ours. I’m right now looking for somewhere to get out. I do carry the double mold gene. And yes have gotten worse over the years. I guess I’m wondering if when we get the house done treated. How do I know what I need to get rid of? Like all my books? Furniture, etc.? Is there anyway Books can be saved? Some say yes some no. Air scrubbers will be used as well as fogging, cleaning of all items several times. Each room contained from others then finally above process is repeated. Do we just sell the house chuck everything? Thank you.
We live in such complex structures, that there is always something lingering after a mold remediation. Ideally you would sell the house as is and make a clean break. As I mention in the article, you can always store and bring things in one-by-one. Trust your gut on this.
Hello Andrea,
I’ll get right into this, sad as it is. I have some mold damage that has been identified by a mold remediation company and a mold inspector in the wall. What no one knows how much?
I won’t go into all the details, but I have every reason to believe that this house that I own had been flooded in the master bedroom before. Now everything is dry, but I literally cannot go anywhere without this itch. My pets and I have this itch on our skin and in our hair that follows us everywhere, and for me, that means work and church, etc. And on top of that, everyone near me begins to itch as well, though they don’t always realize it. If I lay on the carpet at home, my face turns red with irritation. I had no real rash from any of this until lately and it looks like a fungal infection on my face.
My house is pretty darn clean, my animals are clean and flea-free, and I’m very clean, too.
Does this sound like a mold issue? I can’t get this off feeling off of me no matter the shampoo or treatment. The mold remediation is scheduled for later this month, but I’ve lived in the house for 12 years and this “itchiness” began several years ago. I had wanted to sell the house, then I discovered the extensive damage and I’m wondering if it’s been just too long for all this mold to have permeated things.
If it’s all over me, it’s probably all over my house. I had no pets for years, but I recently had a new little pet wander up and within 2 months of being in my house he’s scratching constantly. How could I ever get rid of all the spores? The remediators speak as if it’s only one room that needs to be cleaned. Is that possible?
I would listen to your gut on this. Remediators are not trained in the health effects of these spores, so if you feel unwell here, it makes sense to sell this home as is, just as you wanted to before all of this. Every situation is unique, but this sounds like a serious mold issue that is impacting you and your pets. You’re on the right track with this.
Hi Barbara – I had the itchys with my mold problem. They just wouldn’t go away. My golden retriever had to be shaved because she had a fungal infection on her skin. (this is before I found out about the mold in the basement) she responded well to treatment, but then it came back. I developed rosacea, which I still have to a certain extent even after being away from mold for a year and a half. I also developed extremely itchy, burning eyes, weepy eyes, and a rash of little pin points on my legs. At the height of my mold issues I was having trouble breathing and my heart raced. I began sofa surfing at relative’s homes. Now I am in a condo that I had mold tested before I moved in. I’ve removed all the wall to wall carpet and use an air purifier often. I had the ducts cleaned professionally, including the dryer duct, before moving in. Sometimes I miss my old furniture, but it is great to be mold free. Get out of your mold house! Wash all your pets well, leave behind the rugs and sofas and mattresses and start anew. You won’t regret it.
Hello,
I have read every mold website I can, articles, blogs etc One thing I see over and over are people saying they are selling their house and moving on or are prompted to do so. How is this possible? I can’t imagine anyone wanting to buy my house when I disclose that we had a mold exposure of Stachybotrys. I have no idea how extensive it is but after a year of my whole family being sick and having multiple symptoms each I finally clued in and had my kids bloodwork done and they came up positive for Stach. Do you have any suggestions for how to sell our house now? We just did a top to bottom remodel of our home, it’s so beautiful but we can’t afford to do any sort of additional testing or mold remediation. (aside from the dust test from Realtime labs) I can’t believe that we will be able to do anything but walk away. Thoughts or suggestions on how to handle the attempted ‘sale’ of our home?
I suggest selling “as is” with full disclosure. The potential buyer could end up with a worse home. Not everyone is affected the same way. If I had it to do over again I would sell our home as is….instead we sold it to a remediator for the cost of our loan. The most we can do with the lack of knowledge that exists out there is to take care of ourselves and family and be completely honest when selling. This is my opinion. Your peace of mind is important so do what you think best.
Help! We’ve been going from site to site trying to find some guidance.
Long story short, we live in a older mobile home and started doing some renovations in our bedroom (while wearing masks) when we ran into some black looking mold. Within a few hours of it being exposed in the room we started getting headaches and our eyes started burning. Started making phone calls and had our air tested. The results came back showing, aspergillus, penicillium and stachybotrys. We left our home and are currently staying in a hotel (not an expense we really planned for, but who does?) We have found another home as to cleaning out the mold with remediation and repair would cost more than the house is worth.
What we are looking for is what to do with all of our belongings? I’ve read some things can be washed and saved and others recommend not so much. However every site says something different? Like Washing clothes in so many different things? Oui! Our heads are spinning. Do we keep mattresses from other rooms in the house? Or pitch them? Etc…
We took the advice of our air tester and made doctors appointments to be safe, everything came back all clear. Guess we are just trying to figure out where to go from here?
Almost forgot a vital piece of information, our house was sold to us “as is” but the was no disclosure. Is there something we need to do about that as well? We just figured the “as is” meant we needed to paint, flowerbeds fixed up, new shed, etc…
With stachybotrys, it’s always ideal to make a clean break. The best help I can give is the above article. I know that I would not take a chance with any mattress. As for the full disclosure on the home, there are no legal requirements, so a home can be sold “as is” with a history of mold. Good job getting out of the home, though.
Hi there! I tested positive through muscle testing for very high mold. This didn’t surprise me as we found mold in 2 areas of our RV due to condensation. It was cleaned by us, not knowing how dangerous this was at the time. I tested my RV with Mycometrics ERMA and it came back -2.86 with HERTSMI score if 0. My question is, is it safe to move my belongings form RV into our new construction home? Now I’m wondering if it was a past exposure to mold that I didn’t know about. Would doing a ERMI of my storage uniit belongings sound wise to you? Not sure if this would work as everything is in totes. I’m terrified of contaminating my new home. I have severe health issues and have pretty much been a shut in for a couple years. Thanks so much.
It’s hard to know on this, even with testing. It depends on your health first and foremost. If you’re struggling at all then it would be wise to store things and bring them in one at a time. Listen to your gut. It never hurts to border on the side of caution.
My husband and I bought a condo in 2015 and found out later it was infested with mold. I had a bad reaction to the environment and could not live there or even be in the condo for more than a few minutes at a time. We sold the condo and left everything that had stayed in the condo behind. My husband kept some of his nice clothes in hopes of salvaging/cleaning. We did not try to introduce his cleaned clothes until recently. He had about 10-12 items cleaned and started wearing them. I was ok for about a week but we share a closet but now my clothes have been giving me a reaction and I’m feeling the same that I did in the condo. I’m scared that my clothes have been contaminated and want to prevent further contamination. We have three small children and I also want to avoid them getting sick. It is hard because my husband hates wasting things and is attached to his things. What do you recommend?
A clean break is always ideal. I would consider boxing his clothes and storing them elsewhere, Michelle.
Was wondering about some furniture I have in a house that has mold. Had an air quality test done for 300 bucks and the air was good. This was end of April. They were supposed to come in and fix the problem after memoril day. But my landlord said he can’t afford it. We don’t live there as of now but our stuff is in there. Couch is less than a month old so is fridge. Can I bring those or should I leave em
It all depends on your health. If health was compromised in the environment then these could be inflammatory for you. An air sample does not necessarily tell the story, so that’s why it depends on your gut instincts on this. You can also store and bring in once you’re settled to see how it goes.
I just bought a new house and tested it for mold using the Mycometrics Lab.
The test results were great.
3 weeks ago my son asked if he could keep some of his belongings here.
I agree to it as long as he did not bring anything from our previous home which had stachybohrs.
Unfortunately he brought some in and now I can’t believe how it has spread through the house.
Is it possible to salvage my house?
I would remove the items, diffuse essential oils, open the house and ventilate as much as possible. Continue to move forward, Nancy. I know it’s hard.
Hi over 20 years ago I lived in a house for 12+ years as a child/teenager that had severe black Mold everywhere. Could this still be causing health issues this long after being out and away and not having anything from that house? I am always run down catching colds, asthma allergies etc.
Absolutely previous exposures continue to impact us. It’s critical after an exposure like that to find safe homes, so hopefully the one you are in now is clean. You’re on the right track with all of this.
Hi Andrea. We did the ERMI test and it came back that 80% of homes have overall less mold than us. Our score was 9.63 for groups 1 and 2 together. Stachybotrys came back at a 2. We just had our kitchen remediated and the cabinets and countertops were extremely old from 1969. They found a lot of mold and we had the kitchen replaced. Next we will do the bathrooms. We both have lyme, babesia and bartonella and cannot get better for about 10 years, we have lived here for 6 years. Is it possible to remediate and still live here? My husband says he is too sick to move. They did a fogging to clean the upstairs area. My Great Plains test came back high for aspergillus mycotoxins, but all the other molds came back at 0 in my body. Thanks for any of your thoughts. I know you often say to trust your gut, but sometimes I am really not sure what is best….my gut doesn’t know haha. Thanks so much!
A home without a history of toxic mold is ideal for anyone with these health issues. Remediation definitely improves air quality, but there is always a certain toxic “goo” that remains. I assure you that your gut is intact and as long as you listen to it and continue to put your health first things will become clear for you.
i’m sorry. I left a few questions Monday and now I see that they are no longer here. why? I thought this was a place that you can get info on toxic mold.
I just need to know if I can contaminate other ppls homes or the office or even a theater if i go there with clothes that were only cleaned with regular detergent? my room is within 10 feet of the area with the problem. and the area with the issue is may be 3 or four feet of mold splotches
ty
I have emailed you directly twice. Hopefully you’ll see one or both. This sounds like a serious mold exposure and I would direct your energy to finding a safe shelter. You can’t take care of anyone else at this point.
Andrea, I moved into my rental apartment 2 months ago. I have been steadily feeling worse since then. After a late night of googling, I decided to have my air tested. Ascospores, Basidiospores, Chaetomium, Cladosporum, Memoniella, Penicillium/Aspergiullus, and Stachybotrys were found in the air sample test of my living room. There were two odd looking spots on the hardwood- which were not tested…but i assume to be mold. I left the apartment immediately and have been staying at my parents home while we work with the landlord on next steps.
My question is- how severe it this? I would be happy to share my report…my levels are A LOT lower than some of the other commenters. Do I need to throw out everything, including clothes? I want to educate myself quickly because we will be dealing with my landlord and I would like to be properly reimbursed for their negligence.
They have offered to break my lease, refund this month’s rent, and give me $1000 to replace my belongings. After totaling the cost of my furniture, i’m just perplexed.
Any thoughts or advice would be so much appreciated. Thank you! You’re welcome to email 😉
I’m happy to look over the report but the presence of these types of mold suggests a serious problem. It’s not always about the levels, but more about the symptoms and the types of mold found. You’re on the right track with this and the fact that the landlord is willing to break the lease and refund the rent (and even offer money for belongings) is great news. I would be very cautious with your belongings. You can always store and bring things in one at a time to see how you do.
My email address is: andrea@it-takes-time.com
Mold is awful, I get it. I have dealt with symptoms for almost a year now. I decided to move out of my apartment when I discovered the mold, but there is no possible way I can throw all of my stuff out. Not saying your article isn’t accurate, but their aren’t a lot of people walking around today who can afford that luxury of tossing everything. Especially a college kid scraping by. Not to be dramatic, but this is the worst thing I’ve ever dealt with and I don’t know how else to remediate my belongings. I cleaned absolutely everything via disinfecting wipes and washed all of my clothes before bringing them over. Don’t know what else to do.
Sounds like you’ve done everything you can. Good job making this connection. Trust your instincts as to what you need to do.
Me and my family recently moved into a older duplex in June of this year. At first glance that was no leaks and no visible mold. One thing I did notice at first was this strong musty odor in the basement. I had no idea it was being cause from mold/and or mildew. When brought up to the landlord he assured us that’s just how basements smell. Fast forward to the colder months after turning on the forced air we noticed the smell from the basement being blown around. We ask the landlord about this and he tells us it hasn’t been on for months and the smell will burn off. After research I’ve learned about mold and found water damage and a air vent leaking water in the basement. Now a few of our things near the leaking vent are covered in what appears to be mildew. Then we see all the condensation on the living room window pooling on the ledge which started to sprout black mold. Bring it up to the landlord after we cleaned it and he tells us once you can smell it, it’s too far gone. He wont do anything about it cause he cant afford it. So we found a new place to move into. But now I’m scared of contaminating the new place. We are on a tight budget and even more so now with moving and higher rent. We have 3 small kids, including a eight week old baby. We cant afford to start over but since moving here or health has been on the bad side. My sons nose and mine seem to be runny often. He has a cough all the time but mostly at night. Since moving here his behavior as changed and he wakes often in the night crying for no apparent reason. It seems like were always sick but it’s hard to say if it’s just from my oldest being in school and bringing home bugs or if its from the mold. Do really have to leave everything behind?
Is there really no way to clean the spores off our things?
We cant afford air testing or mold testing. Is there tests the doctors can do to see how severe the situation is?Sincerely a scared mother.
Well, good for you for making this connection. As much as you can, you want to think about the long run. It’s hard to say item by item what needs to stay or go. Continue to listen to your gut as the mom. Feel free to email me directly andrea@it-takes-time.com
What kind of blood work can show the exposure to mold? I have some serious health problems and I think it is from my childhood home… that I moved back two a few years ago with my young son. My health has been declining since I’ve been home. I want to get both of us checked for exposure, but my doctor doesn’t know what to test for.
Surviving Mold website has this list of labs:
http://www.survivingmold.com/docs/Physician%20Order%20Sheet_4_13_2011.pdf
I have this linked in the post: Where do I begin? “If you have a primary doctor willing to consider mold exposure as a cause of illness, ask for specific labwork such as c4a, VEGF, MSH, and leptin. Or ask for the full set of labs. Alternative health care offers a wide range of diagnostic and detox options, as well.”
This is just my opinion, but I think the school thing of getting rid of everything but the clothes on your back and run, run, run, has been contributing more “toxic” effects to my body as I live in absolute fear now of invisible mycotoxins and spores making me sick but value many of my possessions. When we found the Stachy and Aspergillus on a piece of drywall inside the outside wall of our bedroom, which explained why I was extremely ill, but no one could figure out why, we immediately had an investigator come out, then took the drywall for testing and based on that I removed myself from the environment for almost three months in various ways while the entire Master bedroom and bath was torn apart and we got down to the framing. We found water source-will be corrected. We put items in containment. I found ways to save some clothing with hydrogen peroxide and borax or vinegar and high heat, or dry-cleaning and storing them there. We have tons of mold spores outside and I am allergic to them all. Have allergy shots for it. So when you find “rare” amounts of multiple spores in a dust sample when air exchange was active between outside and in, what is the real significance of this? Most of them are molds in my allergy shots anyway. Mold cannot be gotten away from. The stress of this, especially the “run, run,” and take nothing with you when there are ways to clean and use commercial antifungals is raising more fear and stress that I am psychologically falling apart, which makes me sick, very sick, and hardly can tell the difference. Can you give me your insights? I am still trying to find a doctor to test me. My husband is unaffected by any of this. Jami
I completely understand what you’re saying, Jami. Once we left, I had to re-learn how to be in the world without living in fear. It’s very traumatic. The fear and stress is as toxic as the mold! I have found the deep breathing/meditation/brain retraining the most powerful tool for the trauma. That being said, there is much to say about a safe environment. Ideally we do best when living in a home without a history of mold or mold remediation. If you feel your home is a safe one, then I would consider brain retraining. No place is perfect that’s for sure.
Thank you for your insightful response! My husband raised a good question. Our home was safe for me for many years. We have the reason why it was allowed to enter and are having that corrected. A burst pipe, a flooding appliance, water coming in through roof singles and coming down the wall and flooding the house can happen to anyone. We actually did have that roof shingle thing happen to us many years ago and we immediately tore out all carpet, my husband tore out the offending wall and replaced the whole thing very quickly and we never had the appearance of mold in that situation. We got a new roof. It took us 4 years of living on slab flooring to be able to replace our flooring. It was better than growing mold! (but I was very happy to get flooring back finally). This isn’t my first encounter with black mold growing on a wall in a house that actually had a sump pump, but mold was not a hot topic back then. I just kept it at bay. We are in a time where more knowledge is available about everything and you read on the internet all the horror stories and if you are like me, never, ever want to experience being that sick again and have a highly suggestable brain, then fear strikes big and fight or flight sets in. But I have lived in several “moldy” houses that I was constantly trying to control way back as I lived in a damp environment. But I brought my possessions with me when we made a work move and lived in the heat and sun of S. CA for a while and I didn’t have fear of having those possessions because no one TOLD me to have such fear. I felt better there than previously-the sun and dry climate helped, but then the pollution made me sick. (Thus we took many week-end breaks in Santa Barbara to air out during the heavy pollution months). I have allergy symptoms from being “allergic to everything” so much so that I am in fear of eating food for fear of the hidden thing that might cause a nasty reaction. I actually am on supplemental iv nutrition, not because of the mold, but because of a life threatening reaction to anesthesia. I have been fighting fear of environmental illness most of my life. I have been told to get a therapist skilled in dealing with PTSD things again and try to get back to at least base line (more brain re-training, you hit that right on). So I guess what I am saying is that houses can be rebuilt, mold can be gotten rid of, but we live in a world of VOC’s and pesticides and all sorts of toxic things, and also beautiful things, like spring trees blooming and such, and delicious foods to eat, but I am allergic to them all. Where do you draw the line? What my husband said was how do we know that giving up this house and going to another one will make you “safe” from further mold exposure when it is everywhere? I know an allergy doctor who became so afraid of his environment that he lost his medical license and basically went crazy. He did some great work on allergy science, but then he became so afraid of his world that he could no longer function in it. I wish there were more positive things and more helpful things out there to help people not be so afraid. My allergy doctor is from India where humidity is high and my daughter lives in Kenya with a PhD from Princeton in environmental ecology. When she encountered black mold in her house she had the whole house scrubbed down with bleach, got a dehumidifier and swam in the Indian ocean every day for a couple of weeks. My doctor said people survive in those environments because they sweat-constantly. So the toxins are always coming out. He told me to detox by doing something that made me sweat. Hot yoga. Hard work of some kind. And he told me to meditate and pray! It is like Darwins theory of natural selection, in which survival of the fittest, or adaptation ability is what saves many people. If we take away all dirt, then we will not be able to tolerate being dirty! So yes I am dealing with major fear issues right now. Nothing feels safe. But I would hope that instead of just filling people with fear, more help and resources could be made available for people who have encountered mold issues as well. I don’t see support groups that are practical. I just see the horror stories. The stories don’t help me, they just build more fear and I don’t think I am the only one. Thank you for allowing me to express myself honestly. Jami
I agree we need less fear-based help and more practical help. The brain retraining/hot yoga sounds like a good plan!
if items in a moldy basement are stored in closed cardboard boxes or plastic tubs with lids, are the items in the boxes and bins contaminated? Or could they be placed in new containers?
This really depends on the health of the individual, Deborah. It can be worth a try – your body will let you know.
I have a question I have a storage that has black mold spots on walls and ceiling due to water damage possible from a pipe from upstairs apt from their water heater and I have items stored in plastic bins with cover on it wondering do I need to throw all items away? Some cantain cloths ,paperwork,and electronic stuff like games systems and head phones and I also have a laptop but it’s in carry case with zipper to close it and there are also items stored out in open that I thing I might have throw out fabric material and stuff animals
It really depends on the health of the individual. You can try saving/cleaning and see how you do.
Hi, our mold inspection revealed heavy cladosporium spores and rate curvularia spores. We moved into another apartment after cleaning everything we own.
I’ve suffered asthma type symptoms quite severely which I’ve recovered from after antibiotics and steroids as well as inhalation therapies. I continue to have a rash all over my trunk.
We are moving into a new build in six weeks.
I’m not bringing mattresses, etc but my dr said I can launder my clothing and pack it carefully. Any suggestions you have would be of more help than I can say.
Thank you.
Everyone is unique. It’s always optimal to store and bring things in one at a time to see how you do. Trust your gut above all.
A cousin had severe lung damage due to mold/fungus, he took it as a death sentence. I said no, it’s all treatable, so they hired pros to clean up mold. Pros used Co2 in attire on all wood, maybe replaced all ceiling insulation. Cost was upwards of $15,000 but best news, he was treated by Dr. and made full recovery to lungs. My question is can Co2 really kill mold spores..? Or will this problem just come back on them..?
I have no direct experience with Co2 so I can’t comment on it. Dust sampling at some point down the road might be a good idea.
Hi Andrea, thanks for all the information you’ve provided on your site! I really wish I had found it before my mold saga began. I’m hoping you can offer some insight on my current situation. I live in a small apartment with my parents. My parents are really sensitive to cold so they normally keep the apartment quite warm and humid. Last year I discovered a ton of mold along our biggest window (probably around 25 sqft in length). I don’t know how long it has been growing because my parents used that room for storage and didn’t open the window much. We hired a mold specialist who said it’s likely been there for years. Their team built a containment around the window and removed the wood and floor around that area. They said there was heavy mold growth and had to cut into the floor and walls to remove everything. They cleaned up the area and ran a filter after they finished inside the containment. After that, they took down the containment and reattached the plastic curtains we had hanging there originally.
Before they started working, they said we could leave everything in the room since they were building the containment, so we didn’t move anything. Now I think that was a mistake. Could we have contaminated all our belonging with mold spores by leaving them in the room outside of their containment while they removed the moldy pieces? Also, wouldn’t the curtains still have mold spores or mycotoxins on them since they didn’t clean them before hanging them back up?
We did not do any testing before they removed the mold because they told us it was pointless since the mold was clearly visible. We basically did not do any cleaning after they left because they told us ait was unnecessary since the spores were contained inside the work space and removed by their air filter.
Is there any way I can do testing for mycotoxins now? Is it too late to see if we have mycotoxins in our home since all the mold was removed? I’ve found some labs that do urine sampling for mycotoxins, but I’m not sure how reliable they are…I would really like to know if we have to move out and throw all our possessions away. I guess I should add that no one really had any mold symptoms in our family…which is probably why it took awhile to discover the mold. Please offer any input!!
My best suggestion is to do an ERMI dust sample of the apartment – dust from refrigerator coils/vents etc. This should help you see what you guys are breathing. If everyone is healthy then I would assume all is well. If there are health issues, then it is a good idea to test this apartment. The urine testing can be limited if one is still in the environment and isn’t detoxing yet.
My home was damaged from a recent Hurricane and a recent air quality mold test showed the presence of Chaetomium mold in the entire home. Is it safe for us to be living in the home at this time and should we be living here?
Good job asking this question! Are there health issues in the family? It all depends on health. If there are health problems then no doubt this is contributing.
Hi Andrea,
Thank you so much for all of your information. I have read through the posts and have some similar questions. We moved into our home 8 1/2 years ago-2010. 1 year into our move, I started having health issues: hashimotos thryoiditis, low white count, mycoplasma pneumonia, and gastrointestinal distress (ruled out both H-pylori, barrett’s essophagus). My issues have progressed to open sores under my arms, terrible brain fog, severe fatigue, and extremely high heart rate with any exertion. I am a runner and avid volleyball player as well as a nurse, and these past few months I have been pretty wiped out to the point of having trouble climbing stairs due to shortness of breath. Our then 3 year old son started having digestive issues (SIBO diagnosis-treated twice ), rashes, upper respiratory infections. My husband had intermittent digestive issues that he thought was related to stress. Nov 2018 I attended a conference with Great Plains and other companies and learned about the OAT and mycotoxin tests. The three of us all tested positive for Ochratoxin A. We found high aspergillus in our kitchen under all of the cabinet bottoms, and inside back of one cabinet. We have demo’d the entire lower kitchen cabinet, all under HEPA with a mold remediation group. We had our entire house tested with an ERMI which came back at a score of 0.7. We moved out of our house during the remediation of the kitchen. We are attempting to decide whether to save anything there, or to toss everything, wipe down all walls, flooring and try to move back in. I understand the implications of bedding, mattresses, furniture that has filling, but what is your thought about dining set and buffet that are all wood? (seats could be reapolstered). How about master bedroom furniture- just the wood parts? Clothing? Should we test the refrigerator vent? We did have our AC tested and it came back negative. As for my son and I, we are undergoing three months of nystatin treatment, as well as PC and glutathione and sauna. I am colonized; our son is not. I am guessing with his two separate treatments of Candibactin AR/BR for SIBO, it helped somewhat. I would love the opportunity for some guidance on all of the above. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Best, Julie
We were advised to treat our home like a fire and that’s what we did. I have no direct experience deciding what to keep in a post-remediated home. I wish I could help – it is all very individual and depends on your health response as our possessions can be very inflammatory. Follow your instincts on all of this.
Hi I moved into my sisters house 3 weeks ago and recently discovered she has mold downstairs in the kitchen and a suitcase in the garage also had mold. I have all my stuff in the garage in boxes other than my dinning table chairs and couch mattress I want to leave right away do you think it’s safe to take my belongings
It depends on your health and how you feel around the things that were stored there. You can try to take them with you and see how you do. They may be just fine.
We tested high on 27 molds/mycotoxins do you know of any doctors who specialize in toxic mold removal in the DC, Maryland, Virginia.
The website Paradigm Change has a comprehensive list here:
https://paradigmchange.me/practitioners/
I too am waiting for my urine test from great lakes lab me and hubby are both sick ermi test not good inspector found mold in shed and crawl space really need someone to chat with so afraid
If I can help in any way feel free to email me here:
andrea@it-takes-time.com
I just moved from a rental that was making me sick. My hair was falling out from root- had anxiety issues, trouble breathing, blood in throat with phlegm every morning. Since I moved I felt better- more energy- it’s only been six days and haven’t had any blood- until this morning :(. I wanted to ask you how soon does cross contamination start? Is it possible I cross contaminated my place and symptoms are starting again?
It’s hard to know. Did you bring your possessions with you? If so, these can aggravate the situation. You’re right to be asking this question. It’s hard to know – trust your gut on what is going on. Good job leaving the rental.
Hello! We recently had mold tested that is in our garage (our bedroom is above the garage). It came back positive for Stachybotrys and Chaetomium on the ceiling and part of the wall. My question is, can the mold be affecting us in our room through the floor?
Are any vents connected? Windows open near the garage?
Hi! Thank you for all your helpful information. This is the only site I have found that is giving us answers. We moved into a rental unit in August of this year. The smell in the u to was very earthy and gross, my son who is 8 was always complaining about headaches and showing signs of abnormal fatigue. In the early weeks of September we had a storm and small parts of the ceiling started coming apart, which was when we discovered what looked like mold. We immediately contacted our management company who has been awful at fixing any of it. Days later I hired a mold inspector to do air samples and it came back with high levels of stachybotrys chartarum. We have since left with nothing but the clothes on our backs. The management company has neglected to do anything and I’m wondering now if any of our belongings are salvageable. Photos, clothes, washer and dryer, books, and even our dishes? What would you recommend.
We kept our photo albums in the garage in bins and then had them scanned. Good job asking this question. You’ll see in the post that porous items are the toughest. It all depends on your health and the inflammatory response you may get from these belongings. Can be worth storing and trying down the road one thing at a time and see how you do.
My son and a moved to a new house in July and I have suspected an issue with mold. Recently discovered the basement had a leak and the sellers of the home had not disclosed it. At this time we are stayimg with family. I’m at a loss. The mold company days the levels in the home are safe buy I clearly am reacting to the mold. There are multiple types including penicillium/asp. On the mail living area and in my bedroom. I dont know if I should try to remediate or sue the mold inspector for missing the obvious contamination and also sue the sellers for not disclosing the water damage. I’m at a loss.
For now, I would focus on getting to safe ground. A home with a mold history always carries its history so remediation can improve the air quality but some toxicity will remain. Ideally, you want a home with no history of mold remediation. You can sell this home “as is” with full disclosure, unlike the previous sellers who did not disclose. Good job making this connection. As for legal action, this post may help:
https://it-takes-time.com/2016/01/29/toxic-mold-and-the-law/
We have been ill since we moved into our house, so we tested for mold. We found toxic mold in my daughters room (the room that was my bedroom until recently) and have closed it off. We cannot see the mold, it might be between the paneling and the wall and we have no clue about the extent. Everything in my house has been in contact with that room since we have a forced air heater. Should we flee the home and all of our possessions? Everything we own is in this home. Or
Would a good bleaching work to save our belongings. I have asthma, so does my daughter, and now my infant suddenly has it.
Have you tested the home? I would recommend the ERMI as a place to begin. What is happening in one room does impact the other rooms so you are asking good questions. Bleach does not kill mold. Here are two articles that may help:
Fourth myth addresses the bleach issue:
https://it-takes-time.com/2017/02/27/5-myths-toxic-mold/
Mold testing
https://it-takes-time.com/2013/10/17/how-to-test-for-toxic-mold/
We had a mold dog check for mold. He reacted to several areas in the home but he only reacted to two pieces of furniture. How is it possible just two pieces are contaminated ? I thought having anything in the home that is contaminated would spread it everywhere. I’m confused. We have not remediated yet or tested anything to find out what type of mold. My son has been diagnosed with PANDAS since moving here so I’m a little panicked to get things fixed. My husband is refusing to move. Anyway, my question is how do I know what’s contaminated? How can it only be two pieces of furniture ?
A mold dog does not tell you genus of mold or specifics about your home environment. It sounds like a mold problem in the home has been validated, however, and I would consider an ERMI dust sample to see some details about what your family is breathing. Good job making the connection between health and environment. Here is the post that discusses the ERMI.
https://it-takes-time.com/2013/10/17/how-to-test-for-toxic-mold/
We are renting a 2700 sqft home and there is approximately 45sqft of contiguous Stachybotrys. We suspect the owner has been painting over it and we are all sick. We’ve been living in an AirBNB for 2 weeks and all slowly getting better. We’ve lived there for 5 months and will be seeing a mold doctor this week. Remediator says all of our belongings are fine and it is safe for us to move back in once it’s curtained off for remediation. Owner refuses to pay for anything to be cleaned. We have gotten a lawyer involved (as they refused to release the mold report and kept telling us it was safe to live there as long as we didn’t go near the affected areas). I’ve been getting so much conflicting data on our furniture. We won’t be moving back in, but remediation guy said that if they hepa clean the furniture, it’s safe about 85% of the time. No air samples have been taken, only swabs.
It might be wise to put your belongings in storage for a month and then bring them in one at a time to see how you do. You are wise to be asking this question. It is tough to know but continue to trust your gut on this and don’t apologize for being extra cautious. Good job getting away from the environment and making this connection.
My house was flooded April 12th 2020 and still has not been cleaned up in the mold and has hair on it I can’t live there anymore but I had to live there for two months because of the virus and pandemic my parents I couldn’t go stay with them cuz they’re 85 and were scared they would get something. I’m wondering if anything is salvageable besides metal glass and plastic and ceramic I have oil paintings that I’m concerned about a lot of wood furniture and of course all the beds there’s three beds in there need to go but I don’t want to give up the art they’re not so valuable just I like them what is your opinion.
I would be more inclined to store the artwork and a temp. controlled environment. Then try being around them one at a time and see how you do. But a clean break for now is optimal.