We worked with a client from Grover Beach who had suffered from mold sickness for many years. She described neurological symptoms that caused “tingling” feelings, brain fog, and dizziness whenever she spent time in her home.
The home in question had experienced some water damage years before which had been remediated, but the client still noticed mustiness in one room and felt unwell throughout the home. She had sought out the support of medical professionals, but no one had been able to help or otherwise explain what was wrong. She even described an appointment she had shortly before calling us in which the doctor told her she needed to see a psychiatrist. She called our office in tears, frustrated by the doctor’s implication that it was in her head.
We performed a visual inspection and took moisture readings to identify any possible elevation in moisture. The relative humidity in her home was high, especially in one room that had the “odd, musty smell”. As the client was being treated for mold symptoms, we expected that the previous water damage may not have been fully remediated. Incomplete remediation is common, as traditional remediation services frequently only address an affected portion of the home; they do not eliminate all mold throughout a space.
As a musty smell often indicates mold, we recommended our two-step whole-home decontamination process to eliminate any and all mold, wherever it may have been. We explained that we could prove with independent lab testing that nothing survived our process and that our work would give the client a new, healthy baseline within their home.
We also recommended that our client install our MAK 14 whole-home air purification unit to continuously reduce contaminants that would eventually be reintroduced into the home from the outdoors. Such reintroduction of mold spores and other bioaerosol contaminants is typical (everyone opens their doors and windows, after all), and is one reason we believe everyone stands to benefit from robust air purification. After seeking advice from other trusted sources, the client decided to proceed with our recommendations.
Following our treatment and installation of the MAK air purifier, testing indicated zero culturable mold spores throughout her space. Our client also expressed an improvement in the smell and of some improvement in her symptoms. Twenty-four hours after running the air purifier, she reported feeling significantly better, including no longer experiencing neurological symptoms.
To see the post-treatment test results, click here.
