Mold 10 Commandments

1. Always Take Mold Seriously

If you suspect mold in a particular area of your home, take great care not to disturb it, clean it (unless you know what you are doing), or remove it without following proper remediation protocols including containment and air management. If you had a serious mold problem and porous items in your home were contaminated, don’t pretend like nothing ever happened. Those items need to be thrown away, period.

2. Follow Your Symptoms & Follow Your Gut

The vast majority of people discover that mold is a problem because they simply can’t live with their worsening symptoms and declining quality of life anymore - and those symptoms lead them to discovering the cause (mold). You aren’t crazy. Follow your symptoms and you will find your answers. Following your gut and mom/dad intuition is also vital to helping your family get through the big life decisions that often come along with dealing with mold.

3. If You Find Water Damage, Assume There is Mold

If you have dealt with mold long enough, you will realize that you are in a never ending battle with water. The best mold inspectors don’t look for visible mold, they look for signs of water damage because 9 times out of 10, that is where they will find the mold.

4. Document Everything!

It may seem obvious, but when you’re battling extreme brain fog and feel like you can barely function, documenting will be your best friend. Keep a regular log of symptoms, doctor visits, life events, environmental factors, etc. We have 2 handy worksheet printables that you can use to help keep track of everything: the Symptoms Worksheet, and Timeline of Events Worksheet.

5. Test, Don’t Guess

Unfortunately, there is no perfect test for mold. But, testing as part of a larger mold strategy is vital to making decisions about remediation, the extent of the problem, and helping locate the issues. Just because you’ve found a mold source, or suspected mold source, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is dangerous or the only problem area. Smart testing can give you the data you need to make an educated decision.

6. Old (Historical) Mold Can be Just as Dangerous

You move into a house and notice water damage in the ceiling from a leaky roof and caused some mold growth. The roof has since been replaced and the mold hasn’t received any new moisture for many years. Is the “old mold” still dangerous? YES! Imagine a green healthy lawn that eventually dies because of a heat wave and lack of water. Is the grass still there? Yes. But the blades of grass are now dry and brittle and can be easily broken off and crumble into multiple fragments with even the slightest pressure. Mold is the same way. New spores may not be being produced, but the spores can still give off toxins, and the spores can easily break into fragments and spread which can still create a toxic environment.

7. Don’t Believe Everything you Hear (or Read)

The first remediation company that came to our house literally made things worse, not better. The technician had no training regarding mold, recommended spraying visible mold with bleach (a big no no!), and literally did nothing to identify or fix our mold issues. The 2nd remediation company - while they set up proper containment and were somewhat competent, they spoke with authority about things they clearly knew nothing about. Knowing what we know now, we would have never hired them as they made many significant mistakes. When it comes to the topic of mold, try to identify the medical and environmental (IEP) experts in your area to be your advocate with any remediation companies and get multiple opinions before writing the big checks.

8. Get Help

You can’t do this on your own. The decisions are too big, the stakes are too high. Before mortgaging your house to pay for a remediation, or making any big life decisions, get a 2nd opinion, and ask people that have been through a mold journey. We’re one of those families that have gone through it and would love to talk to you about your situation.

9. Don’t Let Mold Destroy Relationships

Mold has been known to break up marriages, destroy friendships, and ruin families. I know it’s easier said than done, but your marriage and relationships are the most important thing in your life. You have to fight for them. As for friendships and extended family that think you are crazy - be patient and show them grace. Many will think that they are being helpful by offering you advice, but just because they can’t understand and can’t empathize doesn’t mean they don’t love you.

10. Always, Always Take Mold Seriously

Not a typo. It bears repeating. You probably aren’t afraid enough of mold. It’s so easy to let your guard down with an enemy that you can’t see. But if you don’t yet have a healthy fear of mold, just remember that 1 square inch can produce as many as 1 million spores. The biggest problem area in our home ended up being only a couple of square inches in size in a bedroom and caused 2 members of our family that shared the room to have seizures and other sever neurological problems. Please, take it seriously.