Our move is progressing. We opened the house on Monday morning and found strong VOCs. Stronger than we remembered. (VOCs are volatile organic compounds and are emitted from paints, adhesives, wall boards and such in newer homes.) Since mold produces VOCs we are susceptible to all VOCs.
Interesting note: when you smell a musty odor it is the VOCs from the mold.
We immediately began the ventilation process. We opened all the windows, closets, and cupboards, and got the ceiling fans going. Megan's close friend Beth is visiting this week from Colorado and willingly became part of the ventilation team. They put box fans in all the windows and scoured the floors with white vinegar and put baking soda in all of the cupboards.
By Wednesday night the VOC smells were much better. Thursday is another full day of ventilation before our first night in the home on Friday.
This process is so overwhelming that I find myself sitting around, lacking any and all motivation to pack, organize, or administrate. I think I'll take a deep breath and remember that this too shall pass. Our green pasture may just be a few hundred yards ahead.
About Andrea Fabry
I am a former journalist and the mother of nine children ranging in age from 28 to 12. My husband Chris, myself, and our children find ourselves in the desert of Arizona attempting to rebuild our health and our lives following a massive toxic mold exposure. The organization momsAWARE comes out of this crisis as a means to help educate and empower others on the subject of environmental health. Our family has also launched a natural line of personal care products called Just So, available at our Online Store.
Just So Natural Products
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Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteOh how familiar this sounds to me!
All I can say is that you guys are lifted up in prayers of huge magnitude....that your resistance to the VOCs will also be huge!!!!!
God bless! Big hugs,
Ruth/Wisconsin
Dear Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI heard Chris' show today about the ants, and have been listening with interest to other parts of your "mold journey". Today I finally came to the blogs! I noticed you have some herbal solutions listed...that's good! I use garlic & pau d'arco too. But chances are, the mold/fungal infestation may have also caused an explosion of yeast bacteria inside of you all, called candida, and it could even be systemic candidiasis. In this case, a strong, short-period prescription antifungal may be necessary along with your herbs, and also lots of probiotics ("friendly" bacteria supplements) like acidophilus and bifidus on a daily basis to start cancelling the bad bacteria. I almost died from systemic candida, so I know. To counter the antifungal's danger to the liver, milk thistle capsules are advantageous for liver health and also may help with allergies.
I've also learned that vinegar may be a great cleanser for some people, but not if your system is battling candida, because vinegar can harbor yeast. I could go on and on with info. Although my blog has nothing to do with health, if you are interested in more info, please contact me there (by clicking on my name)...and you may find the blog interesting anyway! God Bless you all.