Cleaning your home when you have a mould issue or suffer from mould illness can be a bit of a minefield.
As well as the body of mould itself, mould releases microscopic particles in to the air and surrounding environment. These particles – spores, fragments and mycotoxins settle on the surfaces of the home.
Really regular deep cleaning is very important for people who have mould illness or are living in an environment where this is or has been an exposure.
Keeping your home as dust free as possible is a priority. Where there is dust, there is all the other debris as well.
I don’t recommend a person who is mould-sick try and clean visible mould themselves, Mould testing and mould remediation both need to be done professionally AND someone who is mould sick can make themselves sick or have a flare from the exposure to stressed mould, such as mould that is being disrupted from cleaning.
If visible mould is repeatedly growing in an area, such as a bathroom or windowsill, then there is an underlying issue that needs to be addressed, for example ventilation, humidity and moisture.
All that being said, there are definitely some products that I have in my home and that I would recommend for being a good choice for people with mould issues.
E-cloths.
These are my favourite cleaning cloths and I have a full suite of them. The microfibre really grabs on to dust and fine particles in the dust and on the surfaces and removes the efficiently. I then throw them in the washing machine with the EC3 mould solution concentrate. These cloths, cleaners and dusters make keeping your surfaces clear and clean easy.
EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate laundry detergent additive
I add EC3 Laundry Additive directly to my wash to rinse away spores, bacteria and musty doors from anything I wash.
It a natural product made from similar antimicrobials that I use in my clinical practice with no added harmful chemicals. It also helps to keep the washing machine free from mould and bacteria.
It is difficult to get hold of in the UK and it’s on the expensive side as a result. But a little goes a long way, and it’s extremely effective.
Benefect Decon 30 Botanical Antimicrobial Cleaner & Disinfectant
This is a microbial disinfectant made for water damaged buildings. But it’s food-safe and non-toxic and it works to kill bacteria and viruses in just 30 seconds of contact time.
It’s also effective against fungal species and can be used on both porous and non-porous surfaces (eg, wood, carpet).
Again, this is hard to find in the UK but it IS possible. If it’s not available on this link, I recommend that you do a good google search until you find a distributer that will ship it to you.
This is what you want to be cleaning your home with if you are mould-illness.
HEPA Robo-Vacuum
First of all, with fatigue being one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of mould illness, having a robot vacuum cleaner is such a godsend as vacuuming is quite labour intensive.
But, the more you vacuum and keep spaces like under the bed and under the couch free from dust, the less you breathe in and and contribute to body burden and the less opportunity the mould spores have to settle in as well.
I personally have my robo-vac set to clean 2x a day and I love that it can get to spaces that are easy to overlook, such as under the bed and under the couch. When I’m fatigued, I’m definitely not living heavy furniture to vacuum under it.
You can buy vacuums that have HEPA filters already integrated, but you can also buy HEPA filters for robots-vacs on Amazon if you have or want to get a model that isn’t marketed as HEPA.
This one comes with a HEPA accessory filter kit as an add-on
(please note, I have not used these models, this link is for info and you may like to do your own research on the vacuum cleaners)
HEPA Vacuum
You can also get HEPA standard vacuums, or HEPA filters for your existing vacuum. For example there is a HEPA filter bag for the Henry vacuum cleaner.
Henry HEPA vacuum bag
(please note, I have not used these models, this link is for info and you may like to do your own research on the vacuum cleaners)
Air Filter / Purifier
With an air purifier, first, an air purifier doesn’t negate the need for mould remediation. What we are trying to achieve is to reduce the burden in the air and the home and once remediation has been done, to reduce or avoid return of issues.
You need to consider the size of the particulate you want to filter (basically, the smaller the better, remember the size of mycotoxins from the webinar, we need to get as close to that as possible).
I personally like to do a combination of HEPA or Hyper-HEPA and Carbon. Some filters also claim to destroy, not just trap spores.
Here are the two companies I have purchased air filters from in the past. I have had good experiences with both and they also provide a lot of good information about filtering the air in your home.
Here are some more resources on this subject that you may find useful as well!
The the Mould Symptom Questionnaire
Beiler’s Broth Recipe.
How to Eat The Rainbow with the Phytonutrient Spectrum.
Lastly, if you’d like personalised support for mould detox or working through your complex chronic health issues you can reach out here to work with me and my team.
Or sign up for my signature program The Foundations of Health for a really comprehensive deep dive.
