Moving out of/remediating moldy house

[mama2alex]

We are getting ready to move out of our house. We take possesion of an apartment tomorrow and will ERMI test it before moving in. My doctor says we can take hard furniture, clothes, dishes, cookware - anything that can be washed. He said to wash with bleach, but I've read not to use bleach on mold, so I want to be sure we're doing this right. Its hard enough (and expensive enough) to do this once - I don't want to have to do it a second time. Not to mention I'm very sick, and want to get well as quickly as possible! I'm wondering if others have experience with this and what you used to wash clothes, furniture, etc. We will just run our dishes, utensils and pans through the dishwasher, per Dr. Shoemaker's website. But I haven't found a lot written about how to best wash other things so you don't contaminate the new home. Any tips, experiences and/or resources would be much appreciated.

 

I'm also posting on the Lyme forum.

[LNN]

You can wash clothes with vinegar or borax for colored clothing. In addition, I'd make sure that the washing machine itself doesn't have mold between the metal drum (that your clothes sit in) and the plastic outer drum (that encases the metal drum and catches the water). I have to take apart my machine (top loader) twice a year because mold/mildew builds up on the plastic drum and then all of a sudden, I get wicked itchy and have an allergic reaction when I put on newly laundered clothes. Sure enough, I'll find it's time to clean the drum. I find that after the drum is cleaned, I have to run a full load of hot water and bleach (no clothes) to rinse everything. And then it's not uncommon for me to have to wash recently laundered clothes once or twice in the now clean machine to get rid of the stuff that was making me itch.

 

To reduce mold from building back up, I spray the inside drum with a spray bottle of peroxide at the end of every laundry day. It's not perfect - the peroxide doesn't full get back to the plastic outer drum and I eventually have to clean it again but the peroxide spray gives me longer periods between cleanings.

 

For things like mattresses, you can consider allergy encasings. These encase the mattress, box spring and pillows with a tight (but not air tight) barrier. Primarily used for dust mite allergies but may help with mold, assuming your bedding isn't terribly "contaminated". We use this company - http://www.missionallergy.com/ I know thieves oil is helpful - I think it's possible to put that into laundry and perhaps you can use a diffuser or sponge a dilution of oils onto furniture. I use a nebulizer we once used for asthma and difuse the bathroom and bedrooms periodically. (gosh, I sound like a paranoid nut, don't I?)

 

I'd also consider a dehumidifier for your apartment and perhaps a really strong vacuum with a good hepa system. the allergy site I linked sells a vacuum or Dyson...you know - because money is no object for people with chronic illnesses, right? Or you might try looking for a forum that follows Shoemaker or perhaps email Scott (BetterHealthGuy) for additional suggestions or resources. I know he went down the mold path in the past few years. Good luck with the move- I hope you get relief!

[mama2alex]

Thanks for all the suggestions LLM. I'll definitely check the washing machine. Someone else suggested washing clothes at a laundra-mat before moving them to the new place, but I don't know. There's always the chance that building is moldy, or their washers are moldy, or people could be coming in from moldy homes and bringing the mold toxins, so I'm not sure its worth the extra work. We have already diffused our house with Thieves Blend b/c our doctor said it "neutralizes" the mold toxins temporarily. We did it for 3 days straight and will now do 8 hours every 3 weeks until we are completely out. I don't know exactly what that means, but it did pull our ERMI score way down, so it does have some effect on the mold. And you do NOT sound like a paranoid nut! Read one of Shoemaker's books and you will realize any and all paranoia around mold is completely warranted. I've read Shoemaker's web site, but great idea to email Scott! I hadn't thought of that.

[LNN]

If you have a top loader, check out youtube for videos of how to open your washer to expose the drum. Ridiculously easy - two screws. But if you decide to clean the drum - poke a string thru the sponge and wrap the string around your wrist. You do not want to drop a sponge 36 inches down a tight space!

[mama2alex]

If you have a top loader, check out youtube for videos of how to open your washer to expose the drum. Ridiculously easy - two screws. But if you decide to clean the drum - poke a string thru the sponge and wrap the string around your wrist. You do not want to drop a sponge 36 inches down a tight space!

 

Good tips! We have a front loader - is it similar?

[airial95]

We just bought a new HE top loader from Samsug - our biggest selling points were these: A sanitize setting that superheats the water during the wash cycle (it's a 2+ hour cycle - so don't plan on doing a lot of laundry that day!!). I use it on all the kids bedding and towels, and if anyone gets sick I also will use it on all the laundry that it's safe to use on that week. (Our matching Samsung dryer also has a sanitize setting - that I use on any clothes that can't be washed under that setting).

 

The second feature is the "sani cycle" - it recommends it be done every 28 days, but it's a cycle where you run the washer empty with cleaner (or vinegar) to help prevent the mold buildup. I usually run it every week to 10 days after all the laundry is done for the week.

 

We've had the set for almost a year - and we've still been mold fre the 3x I've taken it apart to check.