Don’t waste thousands on mold remediation

In the last few years, I hired multiple mold remediators to address mold in my family’s homes. I learned that most mold remediation companies have little to zero understanding of recent developments in environmental science nor mold illness. They usually charge thousands of dollars to replace areas of the home with known water damage, but after they finish the job and leave, the air in the home is no safer than it was before!

I will be writing additional articles to detail criticisms of the common approaches to mold remediation, including the inherently flawed testing trick that most remediation companies use so they can show you a clean test result when they’re done, despite the reality that they left dangerous mold in the home that will prevent occupants from recovering.

My family hired remediators who used such methods. My parents had their bathroom and kitchens totally gutted and rebuilt, all with the appropriate negative pressure environment. They lived in a hotel for a week while the job was being done. Yet after moving back in, our health symptoms continued without improvement! My sister also had a similar experience. I knew her remediator did not know what he was doing when I learned that did not know about (1) negative air pressure nor (2) mycotoxins.

This year I finally found a newer remediation technology that blows away all of the older, and less comprehensive approaches. Better technology results in a remediation that is more effective while also costing less than the more well-known demolition and tear down model of remediation.

Mold Remediation Done Right

I am talking about the VaPURE, a dry fogging system developed by Utah-based company, Pure Maintenance which is as close to a “demolition free mold treatment” as exists. Before entering the mold remediation industry, the company founder Mike Adams was the property manager for a surgical center and worked with his brother-in-law Jeff Evans on a method of eradicating pathogens using a vaporized form of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid (vinegar). When combined with innovations in dry fogging technology, this solution can be delivered via microscopic droplets that are 100x smaller than dust!

This stands apart from other fogging solutions as it hits all the desired characteristics:

• Non-toxic chemicals
• Family safe
• Pet friendly
• Environmentally friendly
• And it penetrates through porous material

This last point makes VaPURE unique among today’s existing mold remediation methods due to its ability to remove mold load from an entire property without doing huge renovation projects and discarding one’s contaminated belongings. And unlike pre-existing dry fogging solutions, it achieves this without using synthetic chemicals that can trigger an immune response, and that makes it a game changer for mold patients (and would-be patients) everywhere. For the last several years, leading doctors in mold illness have instructed patients to leave behind their belongings in order to make a full recovery, after they observed higher recovery rates in patients who did not take their belongings with them into their new home. But VaPURE removes all pathogens it comes into contact with, from furniture to clothes. This revolutionary treatment will allow so many more people to make their homes a safe place once again. Not to mention property managers everywhere will rejoice at this since the burgeoning evidence about the health effects of mold become known in the years to come, many real estate companies will struggle as the legal system finally integrates what doctors on the front lines of this condition now know: invisible mold in a property can quickly trigger occupants to develop chronic illness if not addressed properly and promptly, and recent studies have even linked SIDS to fungal

I’ve personally used VaPURE on my parents’ home and my sister’s house with great success, defined by (1) noticeable improvements in health and (2) pre and post testing using Immunolytics plates. I spoke with employees of the Utah-based company as well as some of their independent licensees. What really stood out from these conversations was hearing them say that IMPROVEMENT IN CUSTOMER HEALTH (subjective well-being) is their ultimate barometer of whether they succeeded. Yes!!!

Water Leaks and Preventing Mold Growth

While cleaning up the air quality of your home, it’s essential to make sure there are no current water intrusions, as these create the conditions to grow new mold. If you have water leaks, you must fix! I advise monitoring indoor humidity levels to ensure they’re in the generally recommended range of 35-55%. As it increases above this level the risk of mold growth increases, as it thrives on water available in such high humidity conditions.

Other basics must be checked as well, like making sure your bathroom has a fan to vent moist air from the shower outside of the house. You can get wireless sensors for monitoring humidity of key rooms. I like Govee’s WiFi Hygrometers that I place around my home and program to alert me on my smartphone anytime humidity exceeds the allowable amount. For situations where avoiding all EMFs is uber-important, and for those without cell phones, AcuRite makes this affordable, visual hygrometer.