Are You Dying from Toxic Mold Exposure or is it Just Your Disgusting Lifestyle?
We consistently have clients express concerns regarding mold exposure and request that a mold evaluation be done of their home to determine potential sources and establish appropriate remediation protocols. This is a common request for us, but when we show up to discover a filthy home that looks like it’s been ransacked by goblins, the necessity for our inspection feels confusing and sometimes frustrating.
Issues with both short-term and chronic mold exposure affect many people and are a significant part of the inspections that we do. Illnesses caused by mold can be extremely frustrating to live with, difficult to diagnose, and even harder to cure. The inspections required to help diagnose the source of exposure are thorough, extremely detailed, and require testing that must be performed in very specific conditions.
A filthy house makes it extremely difficult to inspect. We’re not talking about general household clutter or homes that look ‘lived in’. We are talking about ‘filth’. Heavy accumulation of dust on surfaces, sticky floors, and rank smells. There are alcohol bottles littered about, buckets of cigarette butts on the front porches, and food left out for weeks on the counters. The crawlspace and attic entrances are typically blocked by clutter and debris and make access extremely difficult.
Difficulties performing the inspection are just one aspect of the problem, however. Mold remediation is very detail-oriented work and is not possible to be done in an adequate manner unless all aspects of the home are clean. Many customers ask us for advice regarding remediation but aren’t capable (or willing) to perform the most basic of cleaning duties.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of these situations is the obvious unhealthy conditions that these people are willingly living in while at the same time searching for a hidden culprit to only one aspect of their health problems. Rather than take action on the obvious, they complain about the possibilities of something elusive. “I smoke a pack a day but this cough is new and I’m positive it’s mold”.
We shouldn’t need a mask to be in your house.
Mold sensitivities and toxicity illnesses are difficult things to live with and to recover from; but if you aren’t willing to take action on the obvious living conditions contributing to your health symptoms, then you will never be in a position to accurately and productively assess the more complicated and nuanced elements of your health.
