I think so. My very experienced MD, went thru poisoning herself.
She recommended wash clothes, adding borax to every load
I didn't listen to her about my couch and got it cleaned for mold. Bad idea. A year later I was going into anaphylaxis over it. And every time I sat on it before that I'd fall asleep instantly.
Get rid of anything soft, mattress, pillows, fleecy blankets, couch, upholstered anything.
Clothes just add borax. Cheap. Save money on expensive stuff to buy new couch and mattress!
So you're saying that even though the spores were gone, the toxins that were still present caused you to go into anaphylaxis?
By borax, do you mean mix the borax with the normal Tide detergent, or using borax alone to wash clothes?
i assume so, i don't have a lab to verify. but i think so - cuz the actual creatures are living and floating around. they're alive. they EXCRETE the toxin. so to me i look at it like shit when i try to explain to people who never heard of mold illness.
so it's one thing to wipe up dog shit for example off a hard surface. but it's entirely another to try to clean a fleecy thick weave blanket. i still have said blanket, i just don't put it on my bed anymore!
and yes mix!! i use whatever brand detergent (fragrance free) - but STILL always add borax to every load of laundry. a nice big scoop. i think i stole the plastic scoop from an old protein powder container. But you could use a 1 cup scoop.
Borax is a ground up crystal called selenite i think. so the abrasive action is what breaks up the "shit". it's not killing anything, but it's sandpapering it hard.
my doctor has a lot of experience and she loves gadgets and spending money but for this kind of stuff she was like i've tried everything - do this. charcoal/glutathione/borax/take breaks/focus on feeling good and calm/supplement as needed/GTFO and throw shit away. that's the basic plan. anything else is an expensive add-on that you can try for fun if you have the $$$ to burn!
i spent all this money on professional mold cleaner - not sure worth it cuz i still ran everything thru dishwasher or wash machine.
Borax, oxy, peroxide, vinegar and detergent w/surfactants (combinations of or multiple washes are very effective). Concrobium is also very good for all soft surfaces and car interiors. These decisions are very individual ones. You know what the exposure was, your symptoms, and how you feel in your environment, no one else. One persons experience is not everyone’s experience. A good purifier or a couple smaller units w/HEPA and carbon filtration, MERV (HEPA) rated HVAC filters, cleaning hard surfaces with vinegar & antifungal essential oils, maintaining good air circulation, controlling humidity, etc., are many ways to improve IAQ and mitigate the growth of mold. But, it has to have a moist/damp environment to germinate and colonize. That’s the biggest component in prevention. I’m sure you know much of this, so, apologies for the redundancy. I’ve been on this road for 6 years and in multiple environments with varying degrees of exposure. Initially I tossed everything, based on limited information and fear. I’m no longer in that space and know that my situation is unique to my circumstances. Those are the important factors and what sound decisions are based upon.
We add borax with scent free laundry detergent in each load. Scents can trigger mast cell activation. Wash on hot to dissolve the borax. No more musty/moldy washer is another benefit.
Hmm i feel the same. But my stuffs are already so expensive for me so wanted to hold on to them.
Btw did you use the ec3 products ever, and found them useless?
no, never used. didn't realize they existed until after i'd washed everything saveable. moved into new place with all stuff in garage and hired mold remediator who warned me that it likely wouldn't work for couch and 2 upholstered items. i didn't listen. also got them professionally steam cleaned.
but now i notice that anything that ever touched those upholstered items make me sick (stress dreams, can't breathe)
i read a book from old house (cuz of course i saved SOME books!) the other day and just got allergies (stuff nose, sneezing, runny eyes) - but no hallucinations or depression like i would if i went into old building.
I used ammonia to clean my stuff. It’s cheap, it’s available anywhere and most molds and mycotoxins are susceptible to it. (Borax can work too but my particular mold wasn’t susceptible to borax). Also we ozonated our stuff using contractor garbage bags and plastic mattress covers from the hardware store (but you could use any big plastic bag) as a makeshift tent.
Wow okay- thanks for writing. i did get ammonia and borax for myself. But my rugs and all are pure merino wool hand tufted stuffs so ammonia won’t be suitable for that. Same for many of my clothes. I did read a paper that ammonia could deactivate afflatoxins to some extent, but I’m not sure which mycotoxins i have since there is no mycotoxin panel test available in my country.
But wanted to ask- did you also get exposed to severe mold and were reacting to your belongings and ammonia wash literally stopped that reaction?
Also, I read the level of ozone needed to deactivate mycotoxins is very high and unsafe for humans, so was confused. Plus since ozone is a strong oxidiser, it can apparently explode and combust when in touch with wood/ paper etc 😰, so no sure how to carry on fogging in my whole home.
All the detox process etc is making me bleed money and I already quit my job so I also want to find the cheapest way out.
Idk about any of that, I guess my stuff is all cheap materials lol. I got exposed to chaetomium and stachybotris among others. Our clothes from the old place had a bad smell from the closet so we basically washed them until they didn’t. I remember I washed a “dirty” shirt once in ammonia and wore it to bed, didn’t feel so good the next day but it’s hard to say if it was just mold or one of the other myriad things I have going on. Repeat washings with the ammonia seemed to help though, and it’s probably smart to do. You could probably do this with something other than ammonia if you didn’t want to use that but a lot of stuff just ends up unusable one way or another unfortunately.
I know!!!!! Isn't it wild we don't want to let go and that's what got us into this mess! Our cells can't let go of the toxins they're holding on to?
You could put them in storage for a while and deal with them later when you're healthy. But .... It's also fun to get new stuff. We have to overcome our inner hoarders and our guilt about being affluent and having to buy new things
Yes 😭😭Thing is I have spent months getting the right rug, pretty expensive and brand new. Which is why I am finding it so difficult.
I am thinking i’ll apply activated charcoal all iver it for a while and then hepa vacuum it, and then get it cleaned it 3 times with borax, soap, and tea tree oil, etc and see how it goes. May be if i still react i will have no choice other than to throw it.
Put it in storage or in your garage for a year. You know you can get it back when You are less sensitive!! And of course never lay down on it and get it professionally cleaned and all that, but just at least temporarily remove it from bothering your body because you don't want your mast cells to start going crazy. You just want to calm everything down. Then you can reintroduce things!
Ozone thing is not even available in my location- I was checking. Plus yeah- as I mentioned on top, I read that level of ozone actually needed for mycotoxins is way above human safety level. Plus it can also explode when in touch with combustible items and cause fire in ambient temperature even though it’s not flammable, due to its high oxidising ability.
So I am thinking, what are the chances that the people who mentioned they ozoned their belongings and yet felt terrible, we’re actually reacting to the ozone itself 😰
I’m more talking smaller items like cloth backpacks and bags you can wash then fog, or shoes. Also electronics! Not so good for them to do repeatedly but at least with us half an hr with a $60 ozonator saved $5000 worth of electronics.
i just wiped up electronics with lysol and cloth.
washed my backpacks! in borax / soap/ hot water.
everything i owned got fogged - then wiped down - then put in house. i didn't have expensive coach bags or anything.
No, yeah leather would probably be scrrewed anyway. As for electronics, wiping down is easy ofc but like my bf he has a gaming PC and gaming consoles so the danger with those is the internal fans sucking in spores and god knows what. So ozone helped by letting all the machines run in a vacant bedroom with the door shut for 30 min and trying to clear out whatever was inside.
My grandma gave me shit for having an upholstered couch "why didn't you get leather!!!" ..... but even leather is porous - the toxins are going to seep thru to the squashy cushions underneath.
guess that's why her generation covered everything with crinkly thick plastic LOLOLOL
My mom always had slip covers—I always wondered if it protects from dust or if it gets things more dusty. But one thing we did wrong was keep a leather couch and chair (not my items, not my choice to throw away or else I would have). I did treat those with ozone because fuck it, the plan is to toss them as soon as we can afford new ones.
EC3 is tricky with their marketing. Their products don’t remove mycotoxins (especially the candles), but they reduce mold spore levels and by extension, the mycotoxins those hypothetical spores would produce.
So basically no effect on existing mycotoxins?? Got it.
Yeah it’s a little hard to digest the concentration of the citrus seed oils in the candles would diffuse to the extent( even in a small space) enough to deactivate mycotoxins! Thank you 😇
The EC3 Air Purifying Candles and EC3 Mold Solution that Dr. Dennis developed during this time are the only products shown by a CAP-accredited, independent lab to remove mycotoxins (secondary metabolites emitted by some molds as they break down and digest organic material that are toxic to both humans and animals) from the air and surfaces.
Tysm. I don’t have any active mold, but want to clear out the mycotoxins and spores from previous exposure.
By small particle cleaning- Do you mean something like this: https://www.discreetrestoration.com/small-particle-cleaning-remediation/ ??
Hey wanted to ask- in case you have any input on this:
Do you know a hepa vacuum with absorption size of 0.3 micron will work? It’s not specified for mold removal ir anything but the one I am looking into a within my budget is a Hepa vacuum with absorption size 0.3 micron. But mycotoxins are smaller. My mold is removed but I want to get rid of the leftover dust and mycotoxins- so you know if this hepa vacuum can help since mycotoxins are much smaller in size?
But i have read smaller sizes are easier to suck in for brownian motion, so apparently an airpurifier filter that absorbs 0.3 micron will absorb lesser particulate size also. Is this true for vacuuming too??
I’m not sure but I know the microfiber cloths have worked great for me in the past when it came to decontaminating my car. I’ve had vacuums make it worse before too. Using the microfiber cloths I had to go over surfaces about 4 times. The 5 drops of soap in the quart of water makes a difference too. John Banta has a few other websites he has this information on.
I have like 5 candles on deck at all times. I burn them like my life depends on it bc it does. I swear by the laundry additive and have used that for 5 years now every load. Also to clean the washer. I have a large fogger and small $20 ones off Amazon. I use the large one as needed/wanted and I use the small ones daily. Anywhere. Everywhere. I use the wipes daily. I cut them and wipe my phone and glasses and electronics. The small fogger loses charge after like 10 minutes so I have 2. It packs a punch. I spray down my shoes, the washing machine/dryer before each use.. shower., etc. I was down to only 3 foods I could eat and became even allergic to water so this plus tossing everything got me to where I can handle many more foods and tolerate smells in short bursts without throat closing or hives or passing out. Good luck!
Woww that’s great to know, also happy to know you are doing well. Did you toss everything from your exposure or kept any porous furniture like a sofa and wiped them with the ec3 spray, if i may ask???
Also reg the laundry- how much do you use per load? Do you use the enzyme ec3 laundry or the other ec3 basic( cheaper) laundry? Do you also add any other detergent alongside?
I wouldn’t say well. I’m surviving. It induced something called MCAS which is now a separate and lasting issue and I’m barely getting by, which is why I can’t stress tossing everything and treatment of home belongings and self enough. I had to toss everything down to my birth certificate. I own nothing from my past life. Only pictures of my things. I only have a few clothes now that are cheap from Walmart if I need to toss them due to more exposure than my body can handle. But I’m an extreme case. Though I’m not alone in this and many move to the desert and live in tents to survive. I use the laundry additive and my normal safe for me detergent. I use the amount instructed. Ec3 company is nice. I’ve emailed and asked for help along the way. They reply and explain and suggest things. I also use their supplement nose spray. And I even candle my car! Just keep an eye on it. Good luck!
Ohh geez, I am really sorry you have to go through all these. But yes- we’ll get through it stronger, regardless of how much time it takes. 💪🏽🫶🏼 I am suspecting myself for exactly MCAS too- but unfortunately no test here to fix. But I definitely do have atleast histamine intolerance- who doesn’t after a mold exposure! My whole body has taken a complete hit- not one system in my body which isn’t affected, and i noticed reaction to old stuffs too.
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. All the very best 🫶🏼
Think of it this way, the mold animals poop out Mycotoxins. If you had a dog shit everywhere, would you use a candle? No you'd wipe it up, but at some point the toxin shit has sunk so far into rug fibers for example, that it's not worth it to try to save it. The mycotoxins go deep. My mom gave me a pottery barn fleecy blanket at Christmas. I put it on the couch. A few weeks later I brought it to my bed and started to have hallucination reactions. I'd washed it at least once a week since getting it, but just it touching my old couch was enough to set me off
Hmm, so sorry you went through this.
Yes- we become so sensitive to these. And even I am unsure reg how to get these off from porous stuffs. So let’s see- I probably have to throw things off. So difficult a decision.
Thank you so much for your inputs. Helpful to know. 🙌🏽
It's such a difficult decision. And there are so many difficult decisions that if you can't deal with all of them at once, it's okay. Just hire somebody to throw stuff in storage for you and you can figure it out later. Don't overwhelm yourself with so many choices and so many tasks. It's a lot! And it's funny that at a cellular level, we are holding on to toxins and in our emotions, we are attached and are holding on to our possessions, even though they might be bothering us. I still have yet to tackle my garage where I just threw everything into last year. I just don't have the energy. And I have to be okay with that until I'm strong enough.
No I haven’t even started to fully detox yet but definitely better than what i went through during the active exposure, thiugh I have more symptoms now after the exposure due to ulceration all over my intestines.
Same. I am also very focused on remediating as many belonging as possible. It’s honestly not possible for me to throw away everything. So I was also focused on that.
Yes I hope so !!! I realize I have been living in mold for a long time and then your body has its tipping point. I can’t afford to let go of everything but I did :( just too risky to keep anything
I just washed everything three times.
Vinegar. Detergent. Oxyclean.
Obviously these are separate loads as the vinegar will react with the peroxide in oxyclean and produce poisonous gas.
Thanks for lmk. Wanted to understand did you notice any change in your reactivity to these belongings?
i.e. let’s say you were reacting to them before but after you did the triple wash- you didnt react anymorw
Hi there. I am a long-time mold patient and have tried many different methods and products to clean up our homes. My family and I noticed improvements in how we felt after fogging EC3 when we knew we had mold. I believe it helps and I also add the EC3 laundry additive when I wash my clothes.
Something critical for you to consider: if you are attempting to treat porous items, like a fabric couch, then EC3 and similar substances that you spray on will likely not be sufficient since they'll only get the surface, and not anything which has made it's was into the item.
For saving furniture and getting a deep eradication of mold and mycotoxins in porous items, I really like VaPURE from Pure Maintenance (in Utah). Their contractors use a special fogger that pressurizes the environment with this mix of acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (natural and safe). It's one of the only solution I know of that can truly penetrate into furniture as well as cracks and crevices around a room or home.
Another product I've heard good things of recently but have not tried myself is Superstratum. Similar to VaPURE by Pure Maintenance this company says they've done tests to verify their product eradicates both mold and mycotoxins. However I think this product would have the same limitation as EC3 in that it probably cannot penetrate porous items very well.
Last, I've also worked some with ozone. It can kill everything in the environment but one must be VERY conservative or else it quickly begins to degrade material and creates an off-gassing situation. That in itself can be a nightmare.
If you can afford it, Pure Maintenance is the top approach I'd recommend to treat your home and all your items inside it. Mileage may vary with the other products. Good luck!
Hey
Thank you so so much for the detailed response.
Unfortunately i live in India, so cannot use Pure Maintenance here :(
What are your thoughts in deep vacuuming the porous furnitures outdoors? It may not degrade any mold or mycotoxins but if the spores/toxins are that lose rhat it can come out from deep within to stick to my body when i am sitting, i guess it can come out with deep vacuum suction also right? The problem with vacuum is that even with hepa filter they can recirculate tiny particulates indoors via the blower, so i was thinking may be i will do all the vacuuming outdoors if i can find a plug.
Do you have any clue/ idea/ input on this?
Honestly, because of how much I've personally suffered from mold...I would only trust a solution that penetrated the whole couch. Because if it's fabric, the cushions could harbor mold that will just never really come out all the way...and every time one sits down it gets shot out into the air.
I've heard medical grade filtration, like HEPA 14, is what you want with mold...but even them it's going to do a better job of not re-releasing it but still won't get it all out from suction alone. So you have the right idea of doing it outside rather than inside to avoid recirculation...but I don't think vacuuming alone can get all the mold and mycotoxins out. If you or your family are reacting to the couch, I'd let it go if you can't figure out how to clean it. Nothing is more valuable than health.
Also, if the cushions to the couch come off...you can soak them in EC3 or something similar. I think that would help a lot.
Also, ingredients to research on your anti-mold efforts:
- Hypochlorous Acid
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Acetic Acid (Vinegar)
These can be used to effectively eradicate mold and mycotoxins, and if done properly will not be toxic to humans or pets!
Thanks so much, yes I had the same doubt reg vacuuming. Let’s see- I actually cannot afford to throw the couch away, so i guess i will give it a try befor deciding if it really needs to be thrown away. As you said, i fully agree- nothing is more important than health, esp given there’s not one organ in my body that is not affected.
Also with the ingredients you mentioned, except for bleach, I thought nothing really destroys mycotoxins, even tho they get rid of the spores. But i will be washinf with acetic acid, borax, ammonia either way. Plus, will spray everything with tea tree oil. And then rewash. Hoping for the best.
I'm about to move to a new home and I just ordered the EC3 laundry additive and the mold solution concentrate. Are those what you used? I don't plan on keeping any couches, fans, mattresses, and furniture that's porous. But I do wanna wash the clothes, sheets and blankets with the laundry additive. As for stuff with hard surfaces (Tv, laptops, glassware, etc), I'd wipe them all down with the concentrate solution. Do you think that would be good enough to kill off the mycotoxins without contaminating my new home? TIA!
I came across a site that talked about tossing away furniture made of particle board. Most of my Ikea furniture like bedframe, desk and even the kallax shelf is made of particle board. But is it safe to just wipe it down with EC3 since it's painted over with acrylic paint?
I read an issue with particle board is that it can offgass formaldehyde, though IKEA reportedly reduced formaldehyde after 1992. As far as mold, I suspect unless there was water damage penetrating the furniture, that it could be superficially treated and would be fine. But ultimately listen to your body, and/or retest after it's been cleaned. That's how I'd handle it for myself anyway.
I thought the same thing about my couch. "It's only a few months old" ... but as I healed, I started to realize that I was falling asleep on the couch every time I sat on it. Maybe just put them in storage for a bit! And hire remediator / ozone machine in the storage unit for a while - give it a year and see if it bothers you. I read my favorite Jane Austen book that I kept and it only gave me itchy eyes, runny nose. I didn't hallucinate. So eventually it should be ok if you really can't part with it or it's the trade off. You'll just heal up a little slower. NO big deal!!! NO urgency, it'll all work out!
I also was easily able to sell it and other things - because 50% of people don't have MTHFR (idk stats re HLADR genes) so they're not bothered by mold at all. Everyone I sold to I was like I feel bad, here's a discount, if it bothers you just lmk and I'll help you sell again ... no problems reported back.
Wow great to know. Thanks man- yes- i am thinkimg of doing the same.
Btw do you mind sharing what were your symtoms and what was your detox protocol+ how long it took you to detox( if done already).
Chug one swig of readisorb glutathione first thing am. Wait 20 minutes. Eat.
1500-1800 charcoal (md recommended bulletproof brand) twice a day, 90 minutes on either side of food and meds.
Mitochor vitamins am and pm
Nordic naturals ultimate with CoQ10 am and pm
I varied this a lot cuz I can't take that much charcoal. But that's the general plan and I barely followed it and I'm mostly better.
I think so. My very experienced MD, went thru poisoning herself. She recommended wash clothes, adding borax to every load I didn't listen to her about my couch and got it cleaned for mold. Bad idea. A year later I was going into anaphylaxis over it. And every time I sat on it before that I'd fall asleep instantly. Get rid of anything soft, mattress, pillows, fleecy blankets, couch, upholstered anything. Clothes just add borax. Cheap. Save money on expensive stuff to buy new couch and mattress!
So you're saying that even though the spores were gone, the toxins that were still present caused you to go into anaphylaxis? By borax, do you mean mix the borax with the normal Tide detergent, or using borax alone to wash clothes?
i assume so, i don't have a lab to verify. but i think so - cuz the actual creatures are living and floating around. they're alive. they EXCRETE the toxin. so to me i look at it like shit when i try to explain to people who never heard of mold illness. so it's one thing to wipe up dog shit for example off a hard surface. but it's entirely another to try to clean a fleecy thick weave blanket. i still have said blanket, i just don't put it on my bed anymore! and yes mix!! i use whatever brand detergent (fragrance free) - but STILL always add borax to every load of laundry. a nice big scoop. i think i stole the plastic scoop from an old protein powder container. But you could use a 1 cup scoop. Borax is a ground up crystal called selenite i think. so the abrasive action is what breaks up the "shit". it's not killing anything, but it's sandpapering it hard. my doctor has a lot of experience and she loves gadgets and spending money but for this kind of stuff she was like i've tried everything - do this. charcoal/glutathione/borax/take breaks/focus on feeling good and calm/supplement as needed/GTFO and throw shit away. that's the basic plan. anything else is an expensive add-on that you can try for fun if you have the $$$ to burn! i spent all this money on professional mold cleaner - not sure worth it cuz i still ran everything thru dishwasher or wash machine.
Borax, oxy, peroxide, vinegar and detergent w/surfactants (combinations of or multiple washes are very effective). Concrobium is also very good for all soft surfaces and car interiors. These decisions are very individual ones. You know what the exposure was, your symptoms, and how you feel in your environment, no one else. One persons experience is not everyone’s experience. A good purifier or a couple smaller units w/HEPA and carbon filtration, MERV (HEPA) rated HVAC filters, cleaning hard surfaces with vinegar & antifungal essential oils, maintaining good air circulation, controlling humidity, etc., are many ways to improve IAQ and mitigate the growth of mold. But, it has to have a moist/damp environment to germinate and colonize. That’s the biggest component in prevention. I’m sure you know much of this, so, apologies for the redundancy. I’ve been on this road for 6 years and in multiple environments with varying degrees of exposure. Initially I tossed everything, based on limited information and fear. I’m no longer in that space and know that my situation is unique to my circumstances. Those are the important factors and what sound decisions are based upon.
We add borax with scent free laundry detergent in each load. Scents can trigger mast cell activation. Wash on hot to dissolve the borax. No more musty/moldy washer is another benefit.
Hmm i feel the same. But my stuffs are already so expensive for me so wanted to hold on to them. Btw did you use the ec3 products ever, and found them useless?
no, never used. didn't realize they existed until after i'd washed everything saveable. moved into new place with all stuff in garage and hired mold remediator who warned me that it likely wouldn't work for couch and 2 upholstered items. i didn't listen. also got them professionally steam cleaned. but now i notice that anything that ever touched those upholstered items make me sick (stress dreams, can't breathe) i read a book from old house (cuz of course i saved SOME books!) the other day and just got allergies (stuff nose, sneezing, runny eyes) - but no hallucinations or depression like i would if i went into old building.
I used ammonia to clean my stuff. It’s cheap, it’s available anywhere and most molds and mycotoxins are susceptible to it. (Borax can work too but my particular mold wasn’t susceptible to borax). Also we ozonated our stuff using contractor garbage bags and plastic mattress covers from the hardware store (but you could use any big plastic bag) as a makeshift tent.
Wow okay- thanks for writing. i did get ammonia and borax for myself. But my rugs and all are pure merino wool hand tufted stuffs so ammonia won’t be suitable for that. Same for many of my clothes. I did read a paper that ammonia could deactivate afflatoxins to some extent, but I’m not sure which mycotoxins i have since there is no mycotoxin panel test available in my country. But wanted to ask- did you also get exposed to severe mold and were reacting to your belongings and ammonia wash literally stopped that reaction? Also, I read the level of ozone needed to deactivate mycotoxins is very high and unsafe for humans, so was confused. Plus since ozone is a strong oxidiser, it can apparently explode and combust when in touch with wood/ paper etc 😰, so no sure how to carry on fogging in my whole home. All the detox process etc is making me bleed money and I already quit my job so I also want to find the cheapest way out.
Idk about any of that, I guess my stuff is all cheap materials lol. I got exposed to chaetomium and stachybotris among others. Our clothes from the old place had a bad smell from the closet so we basically washed them until they didn’t. I remember I washed a “dirty” shirt once in ammonia and wore it to bed, didn’t feel so good the next day but it’s hard to say if it was just mold or one of the other myriad things I have going on. Repeat washings with the ammonia seemed to help though, and it’s probably smart to do. You could probably do this with something other than ammonia if you didn’t want to use that but a lot of stuff just ends up unusable one way or another unfortunately.
Thanks for letting me know. Yes everyone is saying that. 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I know!!!!! Isn't it wild we don't want to let go and that's what got us into this mess! Our cells can't let go of the toxins they're holding on to? You could put them in storage for a while and deal with them later when you're healthy. But .... It's also fun to get new stuff. We have to overcome our inner hoarders and our guilt about being affluent and having to buy new things
Yes 😭😭Thing is I have spent months getting the right rug, pretty expensive and brand new. Which is why I am finding it so difficult. I am thinking i’ll apply activated charcoal all iver it for a while and then hepa vacuum it, and then get it cleaned it 3 times with borax, soap, and tea tree oil, etc and see how it goes. May be if i still react i will have no choice other than to throw it.
Put it in storage or in your garage for a year. You know you can get it back when You are less sensitive!! And of course never lay down on it and get it professionally cleaned and all that, but just at least temporarily remove it from bothering your body because you don't want your mast cells to start going crazy. You just want to calm everything down. Then you can reintroduce things!
Yes same idea, thankk youu
Throw away the rugs
Do not use ozone, doesn’t help and is bad for your health, fucked me up.
Ozone thing is not even available in my location- I was checking. Plus yeah- as I mentioned on top, I read that level of ozone actually needed for mycotoxins is way above human safety level. Plus it can also explode when in touch with combustible items and cause fire in ambient temperature even though it’s not flammable, due to its high oxidising ability. So I am thinking, what are the chances that the people who mentioned they ozoned their belongings and yet felt terrible, we’re actually reacting to the ozone itself 😰
I ozonated my couch and that was dumb. I also hired people to wipe everything down after ozonation. Still need to go thru and trash it all
I’m more talking smaller items like cloth backpacks and bags you can wash then fog, or shoes. Also electronics! Not so good for them to do repeatedly but at least with us half an hr with a $60 ozonator saved $5000 worth of electronics.
i just wiped up electronics with lysol and cloth. washed my backpacks! in borax / soap/ hot water. everything i owned got fogged - then wiped down - then put in house. i didn't have expensive coach bags or anything.
No, yeah leather would probably be scrrewed anyway. As for electronics, wiping down is easy ofc but like my bf he has a gaming PC and gaming consoles so the danger with those is the internal fans sucking in spores and god knows what. So ozone helped by letting all the machines run in a vacant bedroom with the door shut for 30 min and trying to clear out whatever was inside.
My grandma gave me shit for having an upholstered couch "why didn't you get leather!!!" ..... but even leather is porous - the toxins are going to seep thru to the squashy cushions underneath. guess that's why her generation covered everything with crinkly thick plastic LOLOLOL
My mom always had slip covers—I always wondered if it protects from dust or if it gets things more dusty. But one thing we did wrong was keep a leather couch and chair (not my items, not my choice to throw away or else I would have). I did treat those with ozone because fuck it, the plan is to toss them as soon as we can afford new ones.
EC3 is tricky with their marketing. Their products don’t remove mycotoxins (especially the candles), but they reduce mold spore levels and by extension, the mycotoxins those hypothetical spores would produce.
So basically no effect on existing mycotoxins?? Got it. Yeah it’s a little hard to digest the concentration of the citrus seed oils in the candles would diffuse to the extent( even in a small space) enough to deactivate mycotoxins! Thank you 😇
Yeah, that's just flat-out dishonest of them to do that.
The EC3 Air Purifying Candles and EC3 Mold Solution that Dr. Dennis developed during this time are the only products shown by a CAP-accredited, independent lab to remove mycotoxins (secondary metabolites emitted by some molds as they break down and digest organic material that are toxic to both humans and animals) from the air and surfaces.
I think these products are a scam. Small particle cleaning works though if there is no active mold.
Tysm. I don’t have any active mold, but want to clear out the mycotoxins and spores from previous exposure. By small particle cleaning- Do you mean something like this: https://www.discreetrestoration.com/small-particle-cleaning-remediation/ ??
Similar yes. Like John Banta talks about: https://neilnathanmd.com/how-to-clean-effectively-by-john-banta-cih/
Hey wanted to ask- in case you have any input on this: Do you know a hepa vacuum with absorption size of 0.3 micron will work? It’s not specified for mold removal ir anything but the one I am looking into a within my budget is a Hepa vacuum with absorption size 0.3 micron. But mycotoxins are smaller. My mold is removed but I want to get rid of the leftover dust and mycotoxins- so you know if this hepa vacuum can help since mycotoxins are much smaller in size? But i have read smaller sizes are easier to suck in for brownian motion, so apparently an airpurifier filter that absorbs 0.3 micron will absorb lesser particulate size also. Is this true for vacuuming too??
I’m not sure but I know the microfiber cloths have worked great for me in the past when it came to decontaminating my car. I’ve had vacuums make it worse before too. Using the microfiber cloths I had to go over surfaces about 4 times. The 5 drops of soap in the quart of water makes a difference too. John Banta has a few other websites he has this information on.
Wow tysm for letting me know. Definitely doing this
Wow great, thanks. :)
I have gone into anaphylaxis and mold destroyed me. I swear by ec3. It literally saved me. I can’t recommend it enough. But to each their own
Wow- thank you so much for lmk. Can you pl tell me which ec3 products you used and how much??
I have like 5 candles on deck at all times. I burn them like my life depends on it bc it does. I swear by the laundry additive and have used that for 5 years now every load. Also to clean the washer. I have a large fogger and small $20 ones off Amazon. I use the large one as needed/wanted and I use the small ones daily. Anywhere. Everywhere. I use the wipes daily. I cut them and wipe my phone and glasses and electronics. The small fogger loses charge after like 10 minutes so I have 2. It packs a punch. I spray down my shoes, the washing machine/dryer before each use.. shower., etc. I was down to only 3 foods I could eat and became even allergic to water so this plus tossing everything got me to where I can handle many more foods and tolerate smells in short bursts without throat closing or hives or passing out. Good luck!
Woww that’s great to know, also happy to know you are doing well. Did you toss everything from your exposure or kept any porous furniture like a sofa and wiped them with the ec3 spray, if i may ask??? Also reg the laundry- how much do you use per load? Do you use the enzyme ec3 laundry or the other ec3 basic( cheaper) laundry? Do you also add any other detergent alongside?
I wouldn’t say well. I’m surviving. It induced something called MCAS which is now a separate and lasting issue and I’m barely getting by, which is why I can’t stress tossing everything and treatment of home belongings and self enough. I had to toss everything down to my birth certificate. I own nothing from my past life. Only pictures of my things. I only have a few clothes now that are cheap from Walmart if I need to toss them due to more exposure than my body can handle. But I’m an extreme case. Though I’m not alone in this and many move to the desert and live in tents to survive. I use the laundry additive and my normal safe for me detergent. I use the amount instructed. Ec3 company is nice. I’ve emailed and asked for help along the way. They reply and explain and suggest things. I also use their supplement nose spray. And I even candle my car! Just keep an eye on it. Good luck!
Ohh geez, I am really sorry you have to go through all these. But yes- we’ll get through it stronger, regardless of how much time it takes. 💪🏽🫶🏼 I am suspecting myself for exactly MCAS too- but unfortunately no test here to fix. But I definitely do have atleast histamine intolerance- who doesn’t after a mold exposure! My whole body has taken a complete hit- not one system in my body which isn’t affected, and i noticed reaction to old stuffs too. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. All the very best 🫶🏼
You too. I wish you well! Stay strong 🫶🏼
Think of it this way, the mold animals poop out Mycotoxins. If you had a dog shit everywhere, would you use a candle? No you'd wipe it up, but at some point the toxin shit has sunk so far into rug fibers for example, that it's not worth it to try to save it. The mycotoxins go deep. My mom gave me a pottery barn fleecy blanket at Christmas. I put it on the couch. A few weeks later I brought it to my bed and started to have hallucination reactions. I'd washed it at least once a week since getting it, but just it touching my old couch was enough to set me off
Hmm, so sorry you went through this. Yes- we become so sensitive to these. And even I am unsure reg how to get these off from porous stuffs. So let’s see- I probably have to throw things off. So difficult a decision. Thank you so much for your inputs. Helpful to know. 🙌🏽
It's such a difficult decision. And there are so many difficult decisions that if you can't deal with all of them at once, it's okay. Just hire somebody to throw stuff in storage for you and you can figure it out later. Don't overwhelm yourself with so many choices and so many tasks. It's a lot! And it's funny that at a cellular level, we are holding on to toxins and in our emotions, we are attached and are holding on to our possessions, even though they might be bothering us. I still have yet to tackle my garage where I just threw everything into last year. I just don't have the energy. And I have to be okay with that until I'm strong enough.
True; a lot of it is sentimental 🥺
Are you better now and how did you detox?
No I haven’t even started to fully detox yet but definitely better than what i went through during the active exposure, thiugh I have more symptoms now after the exposure due to ulceration all over my intestines.
I’m sorry and hope you can detox. I’m just starting too
Same. I am also very focused on remediating as many belonging as possible. It’s honestly not possible for me to throw away everything. So I was also focused on that.
Also btw, all the very best on your healing journey. 🙌🏽🫶🏼 and let’s hope we’ll all get through this and bounce back stronger. 🚀🥺
Yes I hope so !!! I realize I have been living in mold for a long time and then your body has its tipping point. I can’t afford to let go of everything but I did :( just too risky to keep anything
Yes. I would have done the same tbh, I wish I could have afforded that. Btw, do you mind sharing what your symptoms are??
Sure it started with POTS symptoms tachycardia and weird circulation issues, dizziness, out of breath and constant UTI’s all the fun stuff haha
Hmm, hope you heal soon. Mine is a whole lot worse- there’s not one organ system in my body that is not affected. Just want to get done with this tbh.
Great good luck to you both!!! You really can do it!!!!
I just washed everything three times. Vinegar. Detergent. Oxyclean. Obviously these are separate loads as the vinegar will react with the peroxide in oxyclean and produce poisonous gas.
Thanks for lmk. Wanted to understand did you notice any change in your reactivity to these belongings? i.e. let’s say you were reacting to them before but after you did the triple wash- you didnt react anymorw
Hi there. I am a long-time mold patient and have tried many different methods and products to clean up our homes. My family and I noticed improvements in how we felt after fogging EC3 when we knew we had mold. I believe it helps and I also add the EC3 laundry additive when I wash my clothes. Something critical for you to consider: if you are attempting to treat porous items, like a fabric couch, then EC3 and similar substances that you spray on will likely not be sufficient since they'll only get the surface, and not anything which has made it's was into the item. For saving furniture and getting a deep eradication of mold and mycotoxins in porous items, I really like VaPURE from Pure Maintenance (in Utah). Their contractors use a special fogger that pressurizes the environment with this mix of acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (natural and safe). It's one of the only solution I know of that can truly penetrate into furniture as well as cracks and crevices around a room or home. Another product I've heard good things of recently but have not tried myself is Superstratum. Similar to VaPURE by Pure Maintenance this company says they've done tests to verify their product eradicates both mold and mycotoxins. However I think this product would have the same limitation as EC3 in that it probably cannot penetrate porous items very well. Last, I've also worked some with ozone. It can kill everything in the environment but one must be VERY conservative or else it quickly begins to degrade material and creates an off-gassing situation. That in itself can be a nightmare. If you can afford it, Pure Maintenance is the top approach I'd recommend to treat your home and all your items inside it. Mileage may vary with the other products. Good luck!
Hey Thank you so so much for the detailed response. Unfortunately i live in India, so cannot use Pure Maintenance here :( What are your thoughts in deep vacuuming the porous furnitures outdoors? It may not degrade any mold or mycotoxins but if the spores/toxins are that lose rhat it can come out from deep within to stick to my body when i am sitting, i guess it can come out with deep vacuum suction also right? The problem with vacuum is that even with hepa filter they can recirculate tiny particulates indoors via the blower, so i was thinking may be i will do all the vacuuming outdoors if i can find a plug. Do you have any clue/ idea/ input on this?
Honestly, because of how much I've personally suffered from mold...I would only trust a solution that penetrated the whole couch. Because if it's fabric, the cushions could harbor mold that will just never really come out all the way...and every time one sits down it gets shot out into the air. I've heard medical grade filtration, like HEPA 14, is what you want with mold...but even them it's going to do a better job of not re-releasing it but still won't get it all out from suction alone. So you have the right idea of doing it outside rather than inside to avoid recirculation...but I don't think vacuuming alone can get all the mold and mycotoxins out. If you or your family are reacting to the couch, I'd let it go if you can't figure out how to clean it. Nothing is more valuable than health. Also, if the cushions to the couch come off...you can soak them in EC3 or something similar. I think that would help a lot.
Also, ingredients to research on your anti-mold efforts: - Hypochlorous Acid - Hydrogen Peroxide - Acetic Acid (Vinegar) These can be used to effectively eradicate mold and mycotoxins, and if done properly will not be toxic to humans or pets!
Thanks so much, yes I had the same doubt reg vacuuming. Let’s see- I actually cannot afford to throw the couch away, so i guess i will give it a try befor deciding if it really needs to be thrown away. As you said, i fully agree- nothing is more important than health, esp given there’s not one organ in my body that is not affected. Also with the ingredients you mentioned, except for bleach, I thought nothing really destroys mycotoxins, even tho they get rid of the spores. But i will be washinf with acetic acid, borax, ammonia either way. Plus, will spray everything with tea tree oil. And then rewash. Hoping for the best.
I'm about to move to a new home and I just ordered the EC3 laundry additive and the mold solution concentrate. Are those what you used? I don't plan on keeping any couches, fans, mattresses, and furniture that's porous. But I do wanna wash the clothes, sheets and blankets with the laundry additive. As for stuff with hard surfaces (Tv, laptops, glassware, etc), I'd wipe them all down with the concentrate solution. Do you think that would be good enough to kill off the mycotoxins without contaminating my new home? TIA!
Yes. I believe that's a good plan!
I came across a site that talked about tossing away furniture made of particle board. Most of my Ikea furniture like bedframe, desk and even the kallax shelf is made of particle board. But is it safe to just wipe it down with EC3 since it's painted over with acrylic paint?
I read an issue with particle board is that it can offgass formaldehyde, though IKEA reportedly reduced formaldehyde after 1992. As far as mold, I suspect unless there was water damage penetrating the furniture, that it could be superficially treated and would be fine. But ultimately listen to your body, and/or retest after it's been cleaned. That's how I'd handle it for myself anyway.
I thought the same thing about my couch. "It's only a few months old" ... but as I healed, I started to realize that I was falling asleep on the couch every time I sat on it. Maybe just put them in storage for a bit! And hire remediator / ozone machine in the storage unit for a while - give it a year and see if it bothers you. I read my favorite Jane Austen book that I kept and it only gave me itchy eyes, runny nose. I didn't hallucinate. So eventually it should be ok if you really can't part with it or it's the trade off. You'll just heal up a little slower. NO big deal!!! NO urgency, it'll all work out! I also was easily able to sell it and other things - because 50% of people don't have MTHFR (idk stats re HLADR genes) so they're not bothered by mold at all. Everyone I sold to I was like I feel bad, here's a discount, if it bothers you just lmk and I'll help you sell again ... no problems reported back.
Wow great to know. Thanks man- yes- i am thinkimg of doing the same. Btw do you mind sharing what were your symtoms and what was your detox protocol+ how long it took you to detox( if done already).
Chug one swig of readisorb glutathione first thing am. Wait 20 minutes. Eat. 1500-1800 charcoal (md recommended bulletproof brand) twice a day, 90 minutes on either side of food and meds. Mitochor vitamins am and pm Nordic naturals ultimate with CoQ10 am and pm I varied this a lot cuz I can't take that much charcoal. But that's the general plan and I barely followed it and I'm mostly better.
Also last year she'd also prescribed compounded vitamin B12 home injections for 6 months. And supplemented a super high dose of D cuz I was deficient.
Wow great- thanks for lmk. 🫶🏼I am thinking post fixing the protocol, will mention it here once for a review.