Mold Remediation
Healing & Thriving After Toxic Mold
Toxic mold is a subject I had heard about but never thought I’d have direct experience with — at least I certainly hoped not! However, in 2022 my husband and I discovered our home was hiding several species of molds that were causing our health to decline.
Although the process of finding mold, letting go of many belongings, cleaning and rebuilding the home is an arduous process, the blessings of finding it far outweigh the inconvenience. I won’t say it was easy, it wasn’t. It was a most stressful experience. What I’ll say is that we had more things than we needed. Letting go was a fulfilling process of fear, detachment, then acceptance — which led to immense gratitude.
I live in Florida and hear many people say, “there’s mold in every home”. When I hear that, I now realize how little people know about the different species of molds and their dangers. Each have a cost. As an example, Black mold should never be present inside your home. Never. Testing options available today are priceless. With hurricane damage so prevalent, this information has never been more necessary.
Below is a list of the Companies and items we used to get our home "clean" and our health back! I list the company, contact person if applicable, and what their role was in the process. I hope this is helpful.
Step 1: Test to see if your body has Mycotoxins
I, Pam, did this testing since we did not know what was causing health issues. If you suspect MOLD you can skip to Step 2.
Dr. Peter Osborne
https://www.drpeterosborne.com
There is a test called a Mycotoxin test that can identify if your body is excreting any toxic mold mycotoxins and which species are present. I got mine through my functional medicine doctor, Dr. Peter Osborne, founder of www.GlutenFreeSociety.org
Dr. Osborne guided me through each step of healing my body by recommending several functional lab tests and evaluating the findings to create a customized plan designed specifically for ME.
Dr. Raj Patel, MD
Www.MedicalOptionsforWellness.net
Dr. Patel, as the founder of Medical Options for Wellness, sees primarily severe chronically ill patients who have not been able to recover in spite of working with numerous other doctors. These individuals typically suffer from multiple health challenges including Lyme disease, Mold illness, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, chronic viral activation, food sensitivities and multiple chemical sensitivities among other illnesses.
I am now working with Dr. Patel to address the post-mold issues affecting my health and well-being.
Step 2: Test to see if Mycotoxins are coming from House
There is a test called an ERMI that can identify if your home has any toxic mold mycotoxins in dust samples and which species are present. If you test positive for Mycotoxins AND the House ERMI shows species are present, then you know the home is the source. (other sources could be work, car)
ERMI Test (purchase directly)
https://www.mycometrics.com/ermi.html
The Dust Test (purchase directly) Modern alternative to the ERMI test. Jeff and I like this test option vs the ERMI but either will give you the information needed.
Step 3: Identify Water & Mold in Home
CMA (Certified Mold Assessment)
https://certifiedmoldassessments.com
Al Rabin
CMA brought in equipment to locate water and/or mold inside the walls, ceiling, flooring, etc. They run tests on mold samples to identify the type and species so they can recommend remediation. Some molds can be professionally cleaned and some need to be removed entirely by taking out the walls, etc. Their test identifies what areas need to be addressed. The report they create is then used by the Remediation Company so they know what work needs to be done.
Step 4: Pause and Evaluate the Situation
Consider IF you should remain in your home based on the test results.
We moved out. We had several types of mold plus our health was suffering. No question - take care of your health and well-being!
We were able to wash most of our clothes using special products designed by Micro Balance Health to kill mold spores. For laundry I used EC3 Laundry Additive . Also available is EC3 Enzyme Cleaner Concentrate which is an amazing product!
When we came back to dispose of items in the house, we wore Tyvek suits and N95 or Respirator Masks. We “let go of” all items in our home that could not be cleaned based on mold spores and mycotoxins present. For us, this meant discarding all paper, rugs, mattresses, padded items, sofas, particle board furniture, pictures, file cabinet contents, open packages of food, open spices, etc. Basically, the toxic molds we had could not be cleaned on paper or padding. Solid wood, glass and metal items could be cleaned. For this we used Benefect Decon 30 (https://amzn.to/3kv8IJX).
We also needed a HEPA vacuum so chose the best we could find, a Miele Complete Canister (https://amzn.to/3KAwBuh).
Step 5: Remediation
Lightning Restoration & Construction
Luis or John
Lightning took the CMA report and worked out a plan with us to uncover the areas identified by the tests, remove hazardous materials, and professionally coordin off each area of the house using special high performance air scrubbers, etc to avoid cross contamination. They cleaned what they could and removed what was necessary. It’s important to remove all mold!
TIES 360
Our AC ductwork got wet so it all needed to be replaced. TIES worked in conjunction with Lightning and replaced all ductwork during the remediation phase. They clean ductwork if possible also.
You will receive $100 off your service if you mention Jeff & Pam Terrell! Win-win!
Step 6: Post Remediation Testing
CMA (Certified Mold Assessment)
https://certifiedmoldassessments.com
Al Rabin
CMA retests areas that have been remediated utilizing swab and air samples. Swab testing is essential at this stage to verify areas are free of mold. Post remediation testing could be the most valuable tool!
Unfortunately, we did not remove the shower in the master bathroom the first time around. After we moved back home health symptoms came crawling back. We retested the house and found out the shower was still a problem. The second go around with remediation a year later unveiled a crack in the shower pan that was feeding black mold hiding underneath it. That was not pretty!
As I said, swab and air samples together are priceless! (the first time around we used a different company and only performed air tests that did not catch the additional mold issue)
Step 7: Rebuild Home!
Renew Restoration
https://renewrestorationfl.com
Adam Grant
Renew put our house back together! They handled all aspects of rebuild including drywall, paint, reassembling if needed, plumbing, flooring, etc.
RESOURCES:
Surviving Toxic Mold
https://survivingtoxicmold.com
This site is a valuable resource for all things mold.
Dehumidifier
Keeping humidity around 50% is ideal to not “feed” mold and a dehumidifier works wonders! This is the one we use so we can control where we place it and what setting to use:
Air Reactor
We are using an Air Reactor to keep our home "clean". Once you review, if you have any questions please contact Ray at the number below. He's amazing at answering questions and sharing the technology!
Contact (owner, inventor, CEO): Ray Robison. 405-820-3762
(mention my name (Pam Terrell) and inquire through him if you want to order)
https://www.hitechairsolutions.com/about-us
Learn about mold from some experts:
MOLD DEFINITIONS:
Aspergillus/Penicillium is a possible allergen, and a common cause of respiratory irritation and infection. Normally found on water damaged wallpaper, carpet and organic materials. Several species of Aspergillus can produce harmful mycotoxins.
Chaetomium is a fungus type can cause several health concerns in humans and pets that come in contact or even through inhalation. Some of the common health concerns are as follows: Allergies, Asthma, Hay fever, Dry throat, Skin and nail infections, Nose bleeds, Dermatitis, Headaches, and Seizures.
Studies have also linked neurological damage to myelin sheath from excessive exposure to Chaetomium. This in turn links the autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis to this mold species.
The mycotoxins produced by Chaetomium are potentially fatal. Some common mycotoxins produced by Chaetomium includes Sterigmatocystin, O-Methylsterigmatocystin, and Chaetochromin. These mycotoxins are known to cause both teratogenic and carcinogenic effects. Chaetomium mycotoxin tests on animals have shown that it is toxic to the spleen and the liver apart from being extremely toxic when consumed in the form of an infected food particle.
Stachybotrys is often referred to as “Toxic Black Mold.” It has the ability to produce Mycotoxins which may cause a burning sensation in the mouth, throat, and nasal passages. Chronic exposure has been known to cause headaches, diarrhea, memory loss and brain damage. It is found growing on water damaged cellulose, paper, and ceiling tiles.
Photos
Below are a few photos showing the tree that blew onto our home during Hurricane Ian, examples of testing for water/mold, the remediation process of removing contaminated areas, our belongings along the street ready for special pick up, the rebuilding of our great room, the rainbow outside by our pool that appeared after the remediation was complete, and the “after” pictures (including being back to sprouting)!
It was all worth it — I’ve never felt better in my home!