Getting Rid of Mold + Mold Prevention (Part 2 From Our Founder Bethany)

→ This post is the second of a 2-part series focused on mold toxicity + getting rid of mold. Check out Part 1 first if you haven’t already read it.

If you read my post last week, you already know a little bit about mold toxicity: what it is, how it spreads, + how it shows up. We also discussed the value of testing your home – even if you may not like the results. 

After we realized how rampant the mold issue was in our house (and in my body), we took the matter seriously. We made some radical choices – and even lived in a tent in our backyard for a while (more on that in a minute).

Looking back, I wish we had made moves sooner – getting rid of mold – in your body or home – is no joke. But better late than never, right? 

This is my journey – and personal account – of what I did to heal my body + restore our house from mold toxicity. I’m not a doctor, and this is not medical advice – it’s just me sharing my experience in hopes that it will help someone else in their journey to eliminate toxic mold exposure.

As I quickly learned, getting rid of mold + mold prevention are a package deal. You need both to eradicate the problem.

Different Methods to Try Getting Rid of Mold

I say “try” because, again, getting rid of mold is such a complicated process. And truthfully, as humans, we’re still in the infancy of figuring out how to deal with mold in our advanced society. 

The only concrete method of eradicating mold at its source is to remove the mold on a physical level. Otherwise, mold toxicity will likely continue to affect you and your family if you simply “treat” it and move on. 

It’s recommended to remove the mold source physically and very thoroughly clean the whole area around which the mold was present. This includes:

• Vacuuming the entire space with a HEPA filter vacuum to remove mycotoxins that have settled on floors.

• Wiping down the entire area with a microfiber cloth + a non-toxic cleaning solution like Branch Basics to clear out mycotoxins that have settled on surfaces. 

• Washing or wiping down any items in the mold-infested area like stuffed animals, fabrics, or decorative items. If something can’t be properly cleaned, you’ll likely need to get rid of it.

After talking to different experts who assessed our house from a holistic perspective, I can’t help but notice that it feels similar to many of our tried and true beliefs with holistic skincare:

Treating with chemicals may kill some mold and temporarily lower results, but you can still end up with a mutation problem and more mold down the road. 

That’s why mold prevention will be a key player if you want the mold gone for good. Removal methods can be tricky. So here are a few mold removal methods that I would personally avoid.

Questionable Mold Remediation Methods

Something to consider: you want a proper remediator that doesn’t use toxic chemicals or risky (and unproven) methods. These are a few methods I’ve been advised to avoid.

• Encapsulation – this is a technique used to cover up or suppress mold growth, but it’s essentially coating moldy areas with toxic chemicals that don’t allow surfaces to breathe. The thought is to trap the mold, but in the long term, it makes it worse. It’ll even degrade the structural integrity of the building, causing wood and other materials to turn to mush.

• Ozone treatments – ozone treatments are great for a lot of things, but have not been proven effective in remediating mold, so I don’t recommend considering this option. On top of that, they’re lethal to humans and pets in large quantities and haven’t been approved by the EPA. 

• Heat treatment – heat can “kill” mold, yes.⁵ But here’s the catch: it doesn’t remove mold. And dead mold is still dangerous and can release toxins. Plus, it’s yet another treatment that hasn’t been approved by the EPA. 

Are you sensing the theme? Physical removal of all mold is best. It’s what I’ve heard from the top mold remediation experts time and time again. Because as you might guess, a moldy environment prevents your body from healing. 

So the plan for our family was: Get out, stay somewhere else, and remove (not just treat) the mold. 

Prevention + Healing From Mold Toxicity

Many ways to prevent mold toxicity are also excellent ways to heal mold toxicity if it’s already present in your body. 

Here’s how I’ve personally worked on healing my body from mold toxicity + how we plan to keep our home mold-free. The process will look different for everyone, but this was our approach.

Getting Rid of Mold in Your Body

Healing from mold sickness doesn’t happen overnight. So be patient with the process. Here are the biggest takeaways I learned from the healing process + my experience. 

• Leave the moldy environment while you’re getting rid of mold. 

Our course of action was to move into a canvas tent in our backyard – to heal and detox outdoors in the fresh air. This may seem a little woo-woo, but I can’t even begin to tell you how needed + healing it was – in more ways than I expected! 

My head felt clearer, I could think better at work, I didn’t wake up groggy, and I slept amazingly. Our kids were happier + had the time of their lives on our “extended camping trip.” :)

• Eliminate common dietary sources of mold.

Did you know that certain types of mold sickness could come from your food? This often includes grains, wine, coffee (some brands test for mold and are ok), and peanut butter. Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit can even be problematic. Taking these out of your diet will help reduce the overall mold burden on your body.²

This will also help you focus on building a healthy gut which contains so much of your immune system.

• Prioritize reducing inflammation in your body.

Reduce stress and eat an anti-inflammatory diet to support your body’s ability to fight mold sickness. Avoid inflammatory foods like seed oils. 

• Use herbs or binders that are excellent for getting rid of mold.

Using detoxifying herbs in combination with binders can be helpful in prompting detoxification and the elimination of toxins. You should consult your doctor on this for the proper doses and types for your mold toxicity. Don’t try to self-treat – different types of mold respond best to different binders. 

• Detox to kickstart your lymphatic system.

When you help kickstart the detox process in your body, it results in a lighter toxic load. Your body has many detox pathways, but some of them need a bit of activation. Take advantage of your lymphatic system – its main job is to move toxins out of the body. And fewer toxins, in general, means your body is less hindered + better able to fight mold sickness.

• Sweat more to release toxins from the body.

Sweating is a healthy release for your body in a variety of ways. Many functional doctors agree that sweat is one way your body can detox from mold. Saunas are known to be effective for some mold strains – and excellent for your health regardless! Detox baths can also help with getting rid of mold.

• Get more fresh air.  

You already know that I can’t say enough about fresh air. It’s such a simple yet powerful concept. We’re made to spend more time outside! I feel so clear + focused since living outdoors and breathing in all the fresh, unfiltered air. Plus, when you spend more time outside, you can add in the practice of grounding – which resets your body’s electrical charge and helps you fight inflammation + toxins.

• Work with a functional medicine practitioner. 

Getting rid of mold sickness on your own is a huge undertaking – and potentially dangerous. Because of the complicated nature of diagnosing and treating mold sickness, it’s best left to professionals who have studied it extensively. They understand how it presents in the body + how to treat it. 

These aren’t the only ways to remove + prevent mold in your body, but this is where I’d start because most of them are free and easy to do. If you’re able, see a functional medicine doctor that specializes in mold toxicity for the best results. And you’ll already be a few steps ahead with these tips. :)

Mold Prevention in Your Spaces (Natural Mold Solutions)

Prevention goes hand in hand with removing mold. If you don’t properly prevent the regrowth, you could end up with mold again – and a lot of time and money lost. 

After removing mold, I’ve found that the most essential things to focus on for mold prevention are:

1. Ventilation
2. Airflow

These both control moisture and serve as solid mold prevention. Here’s how to ensure you’ve covered your bases: 

• Hire an HVAC company to assess your living spaces. 

Better to leave this to the professionals. They can tell you whether your space is properly ventilated and has good airflow. (Though you may want to get more than one opinion if the assessment is free to be sure the company has your best interests in mind.)

• Open the windows. 

If the climate is conducive, it’s a free, easy form of mold prevention.

• Consider a heat recovery ventilation system.

An HRV system is designed to bring in more fresh air from the outside and reduce the chances of mold spores creating growth.

• Use paperless drywall.

If you’re building a home, you can look into additional mold prevention using paperless drywall. It helps minimize the risk of mold formation.

• Take leaks seriously. 

If you find a leak, ensure it’s fixed properly and that moisture is not still present. Mold spores can’t grow in a dry environment.

• Always use bathroom fans.

This is a simple but effective form of mold prevention. We like to leave ours on for a while after showering to give plenty of ventilation + move out any moisture.

• Have as many air purifiers + plants as possible.

This is an inexpensive + natural mold prevention method to regularly clean + detox the air from VOCs (volatile organic compounds), mycotoxins, and more. Speaking of purifying, I can’t help but mention: our now year-round candle collection contains beeswax + essential oils known to purify + detox the air. :) 

For us, these steps have been necessary in easing our minds – and ensuring we don’t deal with mold toxicity again. Getting rid of mold and mold prevention go hand in hand – you can’t have one without the other. So my best advice is to do your due diligence.

Getting Rid of Mold = Your Healthiest Life

We did everything in our power to eliminate exposure and set out to find the safest + most effective solutions for getting rid of mold. Did we do it perfectly? 

Probably not. 

But we learned some really valuable lessons along the way about listening to warning signs – and your intuition! And more than that, we’ve been reminded to take a proactive approach: prioritizing mold prevention to be sure this was a one-time experience. (Trust me, you don’t want to go through all this more than once!)

At the end of the day, it was a long + exhausting journey – one I’m glad to have behind me. But every step led to now: an empowered, confident approach to getting rid of mold. If you’re in the middle of a mold journey yourself, just know the only way through is one day at a time. But you’ll get there. Your health is always worth it. 

XO, 

Bethany 

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