my first post Question long

[Guest guest]

I don't know if I am being redundant with this but my home is full of mold

, cellar has yellow all over as well as the black stuff that is crawling

upstairs its also on the 3rd floor in my tub .I want to know what I can use

to clean it up , I have 3 he pa air cleaners are there essential oils I can

use in vacuums and air cleaners that kill , I also have dehumidifiers , my

house has electric heat so its buttoned up in winter ..some have said

bleach some have said HP ..........I cannot move !!!!!.........I have lyme as

well and do feel as I am getting sick more so in some rooms than others ,

when I go into cellar for laundry I get a rash like spider bite but like

blisters all over , got some hazmat suits from freecycle and face masks , I

have to clean it up , and catch this I sent my american girl dolls to be

cleaned and repaired and they called me the other day and said they could not

touch them because they where hazardous waste .........my god I have

thousands of dollars worth of them , how do I wash the clothes .......I have a

tough time going to main page here because my computer crashes but did take

what time I could to look at files but if there is anything there on this

please send me entire file

and link section

..Like I said I cannot move ...

..I do a lot with herbs as I am a certified herbologist , and I have been

seeing some recipes for killing mold . I will seek more info and sent it off

to you all

, thank you for your time sorry so long .I am 52 and just got over

pneumonia , when I work outside or am away from the house for any amount of

time I

feel better , ya you might say burn the house down , but that is not an

option , my house is paid for in full but insurance I don't know if it

covers anything

,its a 76 house and some fool remodeled the cellar 20 years ago with shag

rug and I have wood paneling . would the hazmat suits work , should I have

a gas mask not a paper one ......I must be able to start somewhere , I know

I wont be able to get rid of it all , and I need to know about bloom

conditions so please email me off line if I am a bore to those of you that know

this already in my inquiries ,

I hope this goes thru ok as it is my first post and I just didn't really

want to deal with it on top of everything else going on .but its time to

batten down the hatches for winter and I have been here in Mass for 6 years

and I am getting sicker and sicker ............Thank you for having me and

I look forward to participate , PS what I do not want is advertisements for

expensive products that I am sure I can make myself , are there

supplements I can consume as well ..........

[Guest guest]

Hi,

    Sorry about what you are going threw.  I was trapped in my home because we

had no income to move.  It is the worst thing to be trapped like that.  However

if you have income you must move.  The fact that you have lyme disease makes you

a canddate for more illness.  You cannot clean that yourself.  You must get a

professional, file a claim on your insurance, whatever you have to do just get

out.  Sorry that is the only choice. You need a professional to do ths not

yourself.

 

  

God Bless !!

dragonflymcs

Mayleen

________________________________

From: " lizzianthus007@... " <lizzianthus007@...>

Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 10:39:33 PM

Subject: [] my first post Question long

I don't know if I am being redundant with this but my home is full of mold

, cellar has yellow all over as well as the black stuff that is crawling

upstairs its also on the 3rd floor in my tub .I want to know what I can use

to clean it up ,

[Guest guest]

Dear Lizzianthus,

You are probably going to find this response harsh, but it is meant to help

you understand that it sounds like you have a serious problem on your

hands. You have a severe mold problem and you are having reactions. Typically,

these reactions grow worse over time if one is continually exposed.

You only have two choices:

1. Get yourself away from the mold

2. Get the mold away from you.

There are no products, expensive or inexpensive, that change your only two

opinions. Don't dottle and risk getting irreversibly sicker.

Don't post a thousand reasons why you can't do it.

Make it happen.

Sharon K

In a message dated 9/23/2009 7:45:32 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

lizzianthus007@... writes:

I don't know if I am being redundant with this but my home is full of mold

, cellar has yellow all over as well as the black stuff that is crawling

upstairs its also on the 3rd floor in my tub .I want to know what I can

use

to clean it up

[Guest guest]

Lizzianthus,

First, I'd like to support and emphasize what Sharon just posted.

Those are your two choices: Stop the exposure by removing the

mold or by removing yourself from it. (move).

Second, here are some principles about mold which are

important to understand. They are not just my opinion but come

from objective industry consensus documents and standards of

what works. Because you say you cannot move, you will need to

understand what is going on so you can make correct decisions

on how to stop it and then remove what is there. What follows is

guidance on how to remove the mold.

1. Stop the moisture. Mold requires moisture to grow. The mere

presence of spores and fragments is usually not sufficient to

cause chronic reactivity. But continued exposure to growing mold

and the damp conditions which support it can. Then you might,

like many on this group, react to typical background spores and

fragments which cannot be removed except with extreme

measures. If you don't stop the moisture then even removing

mold won't last long. New mold will grow again in the damp spot.

2. Remove the mold growth. Killing mold will do little, if anything,

to help you. The components of the spores and fragments

associated with reactions, illness and disease are not changed

when mold is killed (except for infections, which are less

common). The proteins, enzymes, mycotoxins, glucans etc are

still there and they still affect you the same way. The mold must

be removed.

3. Mold is actually present in two forms. Mold growth (with roots)

and airborne spores and fragments which settle out of the air

onto surfaces like dust, and is actually part of the dust. They don't

have roots.

So the roots from growth on hard smooth surfaces won't dig into

the surface. They can be cleaned off with water and a mild

detergent just like dirt or grease. If growth is on porous surfaces

like carpet, upholstered furniture, stuffed animals and drywall the

roots go below the surface and intertwine with the material. They

cannot be cleaned and should be replaced. (wood can be sanded

so studs usually don't need to be replaced).

If settled spores and fragments (dust) are on hard surfaces they

are cleaned the same as for growth. If on porous surfaces they

can often be cleaned with a HEPA vacuum or carpet/upholstery

hot water extraction. However, if the porous surface is walked on

or sat on like carpets and couches then the spores and

fragments are impacted deep into the material and may not be

sufficiently removed. They may have to be replaced.

Mycotoxins from mold growth is a whole different and complex

topic. But they are usually best dealt with if they remain a problem

after removal of the growth. Many times, if caught early enough,

mycotoxins will be sufficiently removed along with the spores and

fragments.

4. Don't cross-contaminate when the mold is removed. That

means if the mold growth is in the bathroom the bathroom should

be closed off during removal. If it isn't then as the mold growth is

disturbed it gets into the air and will go where ever the air goes.

Which is everywhere. There is no " nowhere " in everywhere.

5. You don't need to test to know what kind of mold is present. All

mold is removed the same way. If you are going to start legal

action then a qualified professional with proven expertise should

identify and document the mold growth and the conditions

supportive of mold growth. Testing may or may not be needed. If

your physician needs to know what kind of mold you are being

exposed to, it is even more important that an appropriate expert

be hired so the relevant samples can be collected and sent to a

lab which can identify that species of mold. (Not all labs identify

the same things in the same way).

6. Your concern should not be just mold growth. Dampness

inside buildings also grows bacteria, some of which is even more

of a health problem than mold. Long term dampness, which

sounds like your situation, creates biofilms on surfaces which can

support even more mold and bacteria, insects, roaches, mites,

rodents and other filth. In fact, the latest authoritative document

on mold calls this " filth caused by moisture. " The description of

your house is a perfect example (unfortunately) of " filth caused by

moisture. "

Simply said, you need a house which is clean and dry. If it is not

dry, get it dry. If it is not clean (including mold, bacteria and filth)

clean it and keep it clean. (Not to be confused with routine

housekeeping).

The principles are easy. Actually doing a remediation can be

easy. But sometimes, such as how you describe your situation, it

can be extremely difficult and complex. You will need appropriate

professionals to help you.

If you can't afford professionals and can't afford to move, then

you will have to do it yourself. For that, you will need protective

clothing, an N95 or better mask, latex or nitrile gloves, and eye

protection.

Your situation, as Sharon said, is difficult. Especially since you

cannot move. So I'd pay very close attention to what others on

the group say about their experience of what works and what

doesn't.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

Dear Lizzianthus,

You are probably going to find this response harsh, but it is meant to

help

you understand that it sounds like you have a serious problem on your

hands. You have a severe mold problem and you are having reactions.

Typically,

these reactions grow worse over time if one is continually exposed.

You only have two choices:

1. Get yourself away from the mold

2. Get the mold away from you.

There are no products, expensive or inexpensive, that change your only

two

opinions. Don't dottle and risk getting irreversibly sicker.

Don't post a thousand reasons why you can't do it.

Make it happen.

Sharon K

In a message dated 9/23/2009 7:45:32 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

lizzianthus007@... writes:

I don't know if I am being redundant with this but my home is full of

mold

, cellar has yellow all over as well as the black stuff that is crawling

upstairs its also on the 3rd floor in my tub .I want to know what I can

use

to clean it up

[Guest guest]

I agree, it's seems that you may already be quite ill from the exposure in your

home. 2 things I would stress, remove yourself asap, leave everything there for

now and see if you can get to felling better.

2. let someone else deal with the mold problem in your home, maybe family,

someone not sick and make sure they protect theirself. you may have to be out of

your home for awhile, take it one step at a time, care for yourself first.

>

>Dear Lizzianthus,

>

> You are probably going to find this response harsh, but it is meant to help

>

[Guest guest]

>I just want to let you know that even though this sounds like a huge project,

Carl knows what he is talking about AND I did it so I know it can be done.

It took most of our money plus a complete gutting of our basement, past of an

home office ceiling, a hall closet and my bathroom shower stall but in the end

my house is mold free and dry-finally. Plus I feel so much better and I hope to

stay this way if I can stay away from the things that aggravate my MCS.

Unfortunately, this means no work for now (although I have started to try to

work at home) and it means being really careful about where I go.

Start by finding a safe place in your home that can be mold free so you can

survive the remediation. I stayed in my bedroom with the door closed and the air

purifier on high for almost a year when I was home.

Good luck, Surella

[Guest guest]

EXCELLANT POST CARL!

>

> Lizzianthus,

>

> First, I'd like to support and emphasize what Sharon just posted.

> Those are your two choices: Stop the exposure by removing the

> mold or by removing yourself from it. (move).

[Guest guest]

>What state are you in? In California every residential property being sold

must have mold testing and remediation done. This is the legal duty of the

buyer. If by any chance you live in Calif. you may get less for your home if

you find a knowledgeable buyer. But, you'd be surprised how few people consider

mold a health risk. Some people consider it a legal technicality, though an

expensive one, just like the need to fix termite damage. Anne

>

>

> I don't know if I am being redundant with this but my home is full of mold

> , cellar has yellow all over as well as the black stuff that is crawling

> upstairs its also on the 3rd floor in my tub .I want to know what I can use

> to clean it up , I have 3 he pa air cleaners are there essential oils I can

> use in vacuums and air cleaners that kill , I also have dehumidifiers , my

> house has electric heat so its buttoned up in winter ..some have said

> bleach some have said HP ..........I cannot move !!!!!.........I have lyme as