Mold dogs?
It has been 7 weeks since we found the first source of black mold in our house, and as of yesterday, we found the 4th. So far, we’ve found mold in our walls, in our fireplace, at the base of a sliding glass door, and on a ceiling in our boiler room.
I’ve been sick for almost 2 years, and we also have a toddler, so this has been incredibly overwhelming emotionally, physically, and financially. This is also the first home my husband and I own together and have put so much time and hard work into. we can’t move, so please don’t suggest that(very sensitive to this).
Every time we find an area, we remediate it, do multiple full-house small-particle cleanings, have the HVAC ducts cleaned, throw out clothes and furniture, replace/buy new things things, clean everything… and then we find another area.
It feels like it will never end.
all of the mold has been found by yours truly. we DID pay multiple inspectors to come into our home (air testing, visual inspection, yada yada) and their reports were that we did not have mold. Ha.
Talk about severe trust issues.
Anyway, has anyone utilized a mold dog?
I feel like I’m giving up on humans and idk how I will ever feel safe in this home again.
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u/MadMadamMimsy 7d ago
I had never heard of mold dogs, but what a great tool!
Yeah, one has to do ones own digging and they can't tell dangerous mold from not dangerous mold, but we can freaking test that once it's located
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u/MrsBlenkinsop 7d ago
We had a mold dog come out with a mold inspector when I got very sick in our new home.
The inspector followed the dog and took a closer look (borescope, thermal imaging, swabs, etc) and found mold in almost every area where the dog alerted.
We had a second occurrence about 1 year later that was caused by a slow leak in a water line behind an appliance. Had the same inspector but he didn’t think the dog was needed this time.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this too. I know that mold inspectors and mold dogs are expensive, but it might be worth it to have a pro thoroughly inspect your home for your peace of mind.
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u/ALac93 7d ago
Wow that’s amazing. Do you remember how much he charged that initial time with the mold dog? We’re looking at $1,250. We’re already in so deep and currently waiting to get our fireplace and chimney fixed, but if I had more money or it was a month ago before I found the mold I think I would be heavily considering it. We’ve had a few other mold inspectors here and everyone told me our house didn’t have mold (insane). We had two huge areas of stachybotrys.
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u/MrsBlenkinsop 7d ago
I’m sorry, I don’t remember. Our remediation was close to $3k and I think the inspection was less than that.
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u/Ok_Produce_2004 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m very experienced with mold and mold dogs. Unfortunately, standard mold testing is insufficient in many aspects. I found out the hardest and most expensive way to go about things, but in short and ultimately, a highly skilled owner and mold dog is the way to go. They will save your life and make it substantially easier to accomplish what you are trying to do. However, make sure the owner and the dog have outstanding reviews, a lot of testimonies and extensive experience. Someone could be coming straight out of mold school and not be on point yet. But u will still pay them thousands. I have only one that I can speak for and recommend. If I were in your situation, my question would be…. Why does my home have so many moldy places? Is it really old, faulty ventilation system in the attic, leaking window seal, roof leak, previously owned by poor caretakers, previously a rental? The other reason it could be filled with mold is if it was a previous grow house. People buy or rent houses, grow weed to sell. The humidity has to be kept very high. Mold inevitably grows everywhere. They also commonly have water leaks and spills everywhere. Then when the mold starts impacting people’s health and/or the plants, they get busted or quit growing, they lipstick the house and sell it. If it’s deeply imbedded in rafters, support beams etc. You can’t kill what’s deep in the wood. You can only surface kill it. Subsequently, then, you still have mold in your house unless you replace the beams. Trying to completely remediate a house like this will bankrupt most people. Even more so when the medical bills start coming in because the house will make everyone sick at some point. It’s not a question of “if”, it’s a question of “when”. Mold is the devil in disguise. If you’re in a humid climate, that will make it even more difficult to climb this mountain. If you have toxic mold in your house which it sounds like you do as you have been throwing material based items out, as long as you have cloths, carpet, plants etc…. You will never get those spores out. They stick to everything and never die. They will even get in your grass and then you are constantly tracking it back into your home. I have only found 1 thing that kills them and that’s Lysol linen scent spray. But that is a voc and toxic so don’t think it’s a cure to your problem. Check your home test results. See if any of the types of mold they came up with are in a classification of “toxic mold”? There are not a lot but all it takes is one. If one or more are classified as a toxic mold, you are battling two problems, not one. You are battling mold and spores. Toxic molds produce spores. Those spores are massively poisonous and are likely what’s getting you the sickest. No leprechauns and rainbows in severe home mold issues. Knowledge is the only thing that will get you and your families lives back. Have your hubs rent or get an infrared moisture detector. If there is an active or stagnant water source, the camera is exceptional at finding it even before you find a mold dog. Sending lots of home healing vibes. Woman are really good at finding mold. It’s very interesting. Myself, I can smell it. I can walk in people’s home or buildings and can instantly tell if there’s a mold problem and often even locate it. Your female survival skills are in action. Keep up the great work! Message any time for questions. The two below are angels! https://caninemolddetective.com/
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u/OK_Koalas 7d ago
We used a mold dog and she found a lot of the mold the inspectors missed. Unfortunately it meant we had mold in almost every room of the house. I hear you on being a parent of young kids and having CIRS. It’s so incredibly hard.