Finding & Removing Mold: Environmental Treatment Protocol

DO THE MATH!
The goal for wellness for persons with mild to moderate sinusitis symptoms is 0-4 colonies, and for severe sinusitis symptoms, 0-2 colonies. Unless the environmental fungal (antigen) load is lowered, the patients will not experience long-term wellness regardless of the medical therapy or surgery or nutrtion. The reason for this is because when you breathe mold into your nose and lungs (a perfect moist environment), it multiplies faster than you can remove it. Therefore the net effect is a daily increase in total body mold.

Unless the antigen (mold) is removed, the stimulus for the immune reaction to the fungus does not stop.

STEP 1: Mold Plate Testing

UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE TO TEST
TESTING WITH MOLD PLATES AND HAVING RECORDED DATA AND PERIODICALLY TESTING AGAIN AS NEEDED IS NOT ELECTIVE. You cannot thoroughly assess your environmental situation without this data and it would be a waste of time and effort otherwise. 

Why spend money on surgery, medications and supplies then choose to NOT breathe clean air?

Mold testing is also your way to confirm or dispute the presence of fungus in the air you breathe. It is a scientific measurement, not a guess. It can tell you exactly which molds/fungi are present and exactly how severe the exposure is AND where the mold is located. It is also your way of knowing when you have accomplished the tasks of successfully removing mold.

MAKE A PLAN BEFORE YOU PURCHASE PLATES
Plan ahead of time by taking a walk-through of your environment and count how many test plates you need. It is a good idea to create a list so you do not have to repeat the process once your mold plates arrive. Mold test your bedroom, kitchen, den, attic, laundry room, crawlspace/ basement, office and car, HVAC vents and definitely anywhere there has been water leakage. MAKE SURE to order extra mold test plates because once you have found contaminated areas to be treated you will need to re-test as you begin the remediation process, ensuring the reduction of mold counts. It is likely that you will test a third or even fourth time in these areas. Each test period is 5 days.

We recommend beginning with the less expensive mold screening test plates to FIND mold. IF it is important for medical or legal reasons to actually identify the KIND of mold present you will need a Diagnostic Test Kit, you should likely order this Kit at the same time as the screening kit.

WHEN your mold test plates arrive in the mail, put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to test!

LET'S BEGIN:

1. Gather the following:
    - Sharpie marker
    - roll of tape
    - timing device (iPhone or egg timer or watch with alarm)
    - sheets of paper towels
    - your mold plates
    - your list of places to test
    - roll of tinfoil
    - sandwich bags with zip or snap closure (not folding kind)
    - flat tray or basket for collecting the test plates
    - ladder or step ladder if you are testing inside vents/remove vent faces BEFORE you begin

2. Review the instructions that come with your Mold Screening Test Plates or Diagnostic Test Plates

3. Your central air system fans must run while you test, this will move the air and spores, so turn the AC down or the heat up.

4. Place open test plates in designated areas or TAP test other suspect areas like your pet, clothes, mattress, and sofa(s) by holding the plate with media side down and firmly tap the plate down onto multiple locations on the surface of the test item. For hanging clothes use one plate to tap all the clothes in a particular closet. Use the TAP test for inside vents or air returns as well, tap at the mouth and as far back as you can reach. One plate for each item/area.

5. Set timer for one (1) hour starting at your first location.

6. While timer is running go ahead and pre-tear sheets of tin foil, enough to enfold each closed plate. Replace faces of any vents TAP tested.

7. Decide WHERE the plates will be stored while they incubate for the next 5 days.

8. At the end of the hour begin picking up, closing, labeling and wrapping each plate in the order they were put out.

 

**** WAIT 5 days ****

 

OPENING / READING / DOCUMENTING YOUR TEST PLATES

FIRST: Get your digital camera and several sheets of white paper and a marker.

WEAR protective gloves / maybe a mask. Or get someone who is NOT mold sensitive to do this job!

DOCUMENT: As you open each plate it is a good idea to document what you find. Write the date with a marker on the piece of paper before beginning. Make sure that as you photograph each plate that you can clearly read what was written on each plate as to location and date of test. This visual record will help you measure the success of your mold removal efforts. If you decide to seek professional help it may take several days to contact a remediation expert and they will want to know what they are dealing with. Your photos will be helpful and can even be emailed when soliciting an estimate. Just keep them on a disk, flash drive or folder on your computer for future reference.

Even if you have professionals come to your house to treat for mold it is a good idea to test before and after, and keep a digital record. Sort of a white glove test...

Once you have completed the clean up, decontamination, etc. you will re-test with the plates to make sure your air is in the range necessary for sinus wellness. From time to time you may begin to have sinus symptoms and problems again when that happens repeat the mold screening process where you had the most problems before. It is possible that some problems are seasonal - caused by rains or humidity build-up. Test plates and a dated photographic record will help you discern a pattern, or not. 

A lot of patients think that once they have done the remediation, gotten filters, replaced and/or removed contaminated items and so on that they are done forever. Unfortunately, air quality can change at any given time due to unforeseen situations like a leak, condensation, or some other small situation. If you find you are getting sick again the plates are the only way to know yes or no if there is a problem in your home. 

STEP 2: Mold Remediation

BE SHERLOCK HOLMES!
The root cause of the mold must be addressed by finding the areas of moisture intrusion (most often these are not obvious) then repairing, removing and remediating all things contaminated. FACT: Mold needs a humidity level of 50% or more to grow. Do you actually know what the humidity levels are in  your home? Hygrometers are small devices that will measure humidity levels and range in price from $7-$30 and are widely available in big-box stores and on the web. Anything that has been wet, water damaged or mold damaged must be removed. (i.e. sheetrock, paneling, insulation, carpet, cardboard boxes, etc). These items along with the central HVAC unit must be addressed since microscopic mold spores travel on air currents and find air ducts an ideal environment for growth.

Sometimes there has been a flood-type of event that is a one-time deal causing the mold growth. Other times it is a construction issue with plumbing, leaks in roofs, seeping in lower levels, contamination in the HVAC system, even the materials themselves. You need to really look at your own situation and plan accordingly. Be a Sherlock Holmes in your own home!

PROFESSIONAL REMEDIATION POINTS TO CONSIDER:
A trained professional who is educated and understands the relationship of human health to the environment ideally should do this work. Standard heating and air conditioning companies cannot perform this work correctly without specialized training and experience with the relationship between human health and proper environmental changes. Talk to professionals in your area and don't grab the first company out of the phonebook.

NATURAL vs. TOXIC:
Most mold remediation companies use toxic chemicals that are EPA approved, which conversely means they must be toxic to require EPA approval. Non-toxic substances like natural botanicals used in all of the Micro Balance products do not require EPA approval because they are formulated with all natural ingredients. I discourage the use of solutions that are toxic and chemical-based because fungal sensitive patients have a propensity to develop multiple chemical sensitivities and these just compound the problem. Micro Balance products are strongly recommended because they are natural with no harsh chemicals and are safe for all patients. They also happen to work really well.

Do not use bleach to try to kill mold.  It only cleans the mold from the surface, but does not kill it and WORSE it causes the mold to release mycotoxins, which are even more damaging, some of them even deadly. This is another reason you want to consult a professional and not try to take this on alone. Without proper protection and training, attempting mold remediation by yourself can cause serious, permanent injury that can be life threatening.

ALTERNATIVE, TEMPORARY, or DO-IT-YOURSELF METHOD:
Should you decide to remove the mold on your own you will use a combination of:

- Micro Balance EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate
- Micro Balance EC3 Air Purification Candles
- HEPA Air Filters or
- Micro Balance EC3 Air Wick Dispenser
- Micro Balance EC3 Air Wicks
- Garden Sprayer
- Pump spray bottle
- Dehumidifiers may be appropriate in some situations as well

Mold is insidious and difficult for even professionals to completely remove. Using a single-pronged attack is seldom completely effective which is why our patented system uses sprays, candles and air filters. Understand that prior to treatment you should remove as much contaminated material as possible and undertake whatever construction needs to be done. Be sensible when removing contaminated items by securing them in plastic bags before moving them through other parts of your home. Microscopic spores can be scattered far and wide when air is circulated. Do not sit on furniture in other rooms while wearing your work clothes either.

HOW TO USE MICRO BALANCE EC3 MOLD SOLUTION CONCENTRATE:
Mix ½ gallon water per 1 bottle of Micro Balance Mold Solution. Using a garden sprayer or paint sprayer spray floor, walls, ceiling, bedding, clothes, everything. Let air-dry. It is safe for all materials, surfaces, fabrics, etc. This brings the fungus count in the air down immediately but it does not keep it down permanently.  It is a “band-aid” solution until the mold source is fully remediated, meaning that the source of the mold has been removed and repaired. Spraying will only treat the areas you can reach.

CONSIDER FOGGING:
Another method is fogging which floats and seeps into the walls, ducts, rafters, etc., but fogging should be done by professionals. Fogging can take a room with a Too Numerous To Count mold presence to nearly 0 in an hour in many instances and it also will treat areas not accessible to spraying.

HOW TO USE AIR FILTERS & MICRO BALANCE EC3 AIR WICKS:
Get HEPA air filters – both Whirlpool and Hunter have been tested and proven effective.  Place 3-4 cans of Micro Balance Air C3 Purification Wicks with paper wicks inside the top of the HEPA air filter. (Place inside of HEPA unit, BEHIND the HEPA filter if small children or pets are present). This way the filter is not only getting particulate out of the air but also killing fungus. Change the wicks and cans every 30 days. The cans will not get dry but they are not effective after 30 days. Spray the front of the HEPA weekly with the Micro Balance C3 Mold Solution to kill mold that is trapped in the filter. You can also purchase Micro Balance EC3 Air Wick Dispensers that hang on the wall or sit on a flat surface - great for office spaces.

HOW TO USE MICRO BALANCE EC3 CANDLES:
Place Micro Balance EC3 Air Purification Candles in each room you are going to spend 1 hour or more in each day. Burn candle for 3 hours the first day and 1 or 2 hours each day thereafter. Each candle should last approximately 30 days. The candle will effectively treat a room 12 X 12 feet, so place more candles in larger rooms. Tests with mold plates showed dramatic decreases of mold counts in less than an hour.

For you to get well, it will be 10% what your doctor can do and 90% what you do. You will have a lot of information to go over and a lot to discuss with your family, so take time to decide if you are ready to follow all directions and get well.

Now READ MORE about exact instructions for ridding your home of fungus.

NOTE: The products recommended on this website have been thoroughly tested. The Micro Balance Health Products are ones that Dr. Donald P. Dennis has been instrumental in formulating and has seen great success with when used by his patients.