The Truth About Mold: It’s Really About the Source (And Our Response)

The Truth About Detecting Mold in Your Home

There are many different things that can trigger or exacerbate chronic illness. It can take you down many rabbit-holes that can be both exhausting and expensive. Mold is one of them.

But here’s the thing: when it comes to detecting mold, the real question isn’t “Is there mold here?” but rather “Why might it be growing here in the first place?”  

If you’ve ever heard of “First Principles Thinking,” it definitely applies here.

Harmful species of mold, which produce something called mycotoxins, grow in three conditions: dampness, darkness, and stagnation. 

At the end of this post, I’ll share how I healed from CFS that was perpetuated by my body’s reaction to mold. After all, “How are people healing?” is the very first principle.

The Source of Household Mold 

Mold thrives where organic matter meets trapped moisture and still air. In homes, this can look like:

• Hidden water leaks including under sinks, behind showers, under dishwashers, from a leaking toilet pipe, and from holes in the roof. (In my case, there was a big hole in the roof of the bungalow we were renting from 2016 to 2018, but we never went into the attic to notice. Remediators would also finally discover a leaky kitchen faucet, a skylight needing to be replaced, and a leaky pipe in our unused second bedroom toilet.)

  While water leaks can often happen in decaying old dwellings, it can also happen in improperly built new construction. 

• Condensation from improper seals including sealing of the windows and HVAC systems. Condensation can also build up if the builder failed to install proper waterproofing membranes in the walls and roof.

• Poor ventilation in bathrooms, attics, crawl spaces, and basements. 

• Lack of sunlight, especially in shaded corners and behind and under heavy furniture like dressers and beds. 

  Keeping your blinds and curtains closed at night is good for circadian rhythm, but it’s important to keep them open during the day. If someone is extremely sensitive to light, I would recommend an eye-mask rather than blocking natural sunlight from your room. (Nothing on this blog is medical advice.) 

The Standard Approach of Detecting Household Mold: 

People can spend between $200 to $2200 on air sampling and/or dust swabs for spores that get sent for testing to speciality labs.

The cost of course goes up depending on your area and how large your house is – this number is an approximate range from small studios to 5 bedroom houses in higher cost of living areas.

Here is why it is not a magic bullet.

🧪 Where Air and Dust Tests Can Fall Short  

Professional home tests often use air samples or dust swabs to detect mold DNA or spores. These can be helpful clues, but they have major blind spots:

• Air filters and purifiers if used prior to the test can reduce airborne spores temporarily, and potentially render a false clean test result.

  Someone who is chronically ill might be too scared to turn off their air filters to get an accurate result; it’s a tricky situation to be in that I was once in myself.

• Dust swab tests just tell part of the story. If the inspector doesn’t test multiple rooms, behind furniture, and inside HVAC returns, you’re really just testing a few square feet of an entire house ecosystem.

Why Killing Mold is Not a Solution

Mold fog bombing doesn’t treat the source and can exacerbate mold sensitivity as it can release unfriendly byproducts into the air. 

🌤️ The Goal: An Ideal, Resilient Home Environment

Instead of focusing on chasing or killing invisible spores, the most powerful thing you can do is create conditions where mold simply can’t thrive:

1. Find and fix the water leaks.
   Look for plumbing leaks, slow drips, and roof or window seal issues. Even small leaks behind walls can create large hidden colonies over time. 

   Mold inspectors typically perform three actions: Air samples (they have a special device), moisture readings in different rooms and walls (they have a device for this, too), and dust swabs (they mail these to a lab to analyze and you typically get the results in 2 weeks). They are not experts in identifying or fixing leaks. They might be able to give you an idea of where the leaks could be, though.

   Mold inspectors often partner with remediators who identify and resolve water damage issues. Remediators often only come after proven elevated mold spore, dust swab, and moisture reading results from a licensed mold inspector. Experienced remediators will be able to do a full assessment of your home to identify water damage and the source of leaks, and provide a quote for repairing things.

   Remediators themselves can fix issues, but just be aware that they are typically not licensed to identify the exact species of mold like mold inspectors. Keep in mind some mold species are harmless and do not produce mycotoxins, but also that there are several types of mold that produce mycotoxins beyond the infamous “black mold.” This includes invisible species that grow on household dust.

   For known visible leaks, I would tell a friend to hire a top-rated plumber to fix things. In my former situation, our landlord sent an 80-year old “handyman” who never resolved things, and provided very temporary patches. Often different sinks etc. require very specific parts. Sometimes the solution is very easy, which an honest top-rated plumber will tell you.

   Ideally there would be a inspector/plumbing/remediation/safe home expert who could help identify the source and take measures to prevent mold growth without having to go through the many steps, but I haven’t heard of such a team. 

2. Let your home breathe.
   Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens. Open windows on dry days! Create cross flow by opening two windows across from one another, ideally. 

   Air exchange is nature’s detox system.

3. Invite in the sunlight.
   Sunlight is nature’s disinfectant, literally. Trim outside plants blocking light and let natural light circulate.

4. Remember: there is a happy medium with humidity for our health.

   Mold grows around 70% humidity, though can grow in 60% or less if the air is very stagnant.

   In warmer months, aim for around 40–50% indoor humidity to discourage mold.
   

   If you’re in a humid climate, you may need a dehumidifier. And for anyone with a damp basement or crawl space, regardless of geolocation, you may very well also need a dehumidifier for these specific areas.

   However in the winter, when the heat is on and indoor air gets dry (under 30% humidity), many of us actually benefit from bringing in a bit more moisture (in the 35–49% range). This is why I also recommend humidifiers when and where appropriate.

   Dry air can actually irritate your lungs and nasal passages, making you more vulnerable to viruses and inflammation. Your mucous membranes are your body’s natural defense system, and they function best in that balanced humidity sweet spot.

   One of my favorite options for this cooler season when we turn up the heater (I live in the Northern Hemisphere) is the Carepod humidifier. 

   It’s made of stainless steel, not plastic (so no slimy buildup or mold potential inside the tank), and it’s easy to clean. It adds moisture to the air keeping your lungs and your skin happier in the colder months. 

   Be aware: With the Carepod, you need to place a large stainless steel pot filled with water back into the pod. It can be quite heavy when filled all the way to the top line. It is quite easy to jam your fingers between the lip of the steel pot and the pod, so be careful. 

   Reminder: Humidifiers are supposed to be elevated. Otherwise, the mist can create puddles on a cold hard floor or dampness on a rug or carpet, which can create mold in under a week.

   If you need to put a humidifier on the floor, you can use a towel in front of the direction of the mist, that you should replace every few days. 
   

   Sorry if this complicates things. Dehumidifiers and humidifiers, I know, right?! This is how life works. We need a balance depending on the season and location.

5. Don’t let dust build up.
   Dust is where mold spores hitchhike, including a toxic species called Aspergillus a., Aspergillus n., types of Penicillium and more. Vacuum with a HEPA filter vacuum and wipe surfaces regularly. Swiffer any hardwood floors at least every 48 hours. I love Heavy Duty Swiffer pads. They often are only available on Amazon. They pick up a ton more dust than the regular Swiffer pads.

   My sons are Swiffer pros.

    

6. Keep your sheets clean.

   Replace bedsheets and pillowcases regularly and wash and dry on higher heat (ideally with unscented detergent). We switched to natural latex mattresses a while ago which are naturally mold resistant and do not off-gas any volatile organic compounds.

🌿 The Bigger Picture

Mold teaches us something profound: healing our environment, like healing our body requires flow and light. When we remove what’s stagnant and allow life to circulate again, both our spaces and we ourselves become healthier.

So before ordering another test kit or worrying about invisible spores, take a deep breath, open a window, and ask: where might the light and air want to go?

🛠️ Recommended Tools for a Healthier Home

Here are a few of my favorite tools to help you maintain a balanced, mold-resistant environment:

• Moisture Meter – Can help detect hidden leaks or damp drywall.

• Digital Hygrometer – Monitors humidity levels (aim for 40–50% most of the year). These are very cheap on Amazon and often come in the form of a dual thermometer and hygrometer.

• Vacuum with a HEPA filter – For reducing dust that carries mold spores. Get Swiffers paired with “Heavy Duty” Swiffer pads (sold separately) for picking up dust on hard floors.

• Air Purifier – Captures fine dust and spores. I recommend the Germ Guardian or the AirDoctor.

• Dehumidifier – Ideal for basements or humid climates. We just bought one for our basement crawl space, and I’ll let you know how it goes.

• Humidifier (get this type or maintain it well) – I recommend a stainless steel design, like the Carepod, that keeps air comfortably moist in dry winter months without breeding bacteria. You can of course maintain lower cost plastic ones through daily cleaning of the bottom trough and thorough sanitation drops and/or cleaning balls. 

What You Should Look For in a New Home or Apartment

A few people have asked me about this. If you’re very sensitive to mold and need or want to move, you’ll likely be able to smell if another home for sale or apartment has elevated mold levels or not.

If you see any sunken and chipped paint on the ceiling, discoloration on the walls that look painted over (this could indicate a water leak was painted over), and the roof looks very old, I’d be wary.

For larger apartment buildings, I’d check the reviews on how responsive they are to service requests.

You probably do not want to move into a home that faces north where most of the windows point north if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere (and the opposite if you’re down under). Your home won’t see enough light. Especially, if the top floor hangs over the bottom floor (for example if there is a porch and support pillars, the inner rooms on the bottom floor will get no natural light).

You probably do not want to move into an old Victorian row home that doesn’t get any side light. I would be wary of moving into old homes that have an extremely fresh coat of paint, as I would wonder if they are trying to mask something to quickly get rid of the property.

That said, I would also avoid completely brand-new apartments (ie fresh paint, new carpet, new vinyl faux hardwood flooring, or fresh floor top-coats) as they can contain high levels of volatile organic compounds that can be hard on the body.

Thankfully we found a good 4-year-old apartment with a responsive building staff to move into, before eventually finding our current place.

I would go for homes that already had an inspection and disclosures, or casually ask for an inspection as part of the closing (don’t tell them anything about your health or they might be scared to sell to you). If the sellers seem to be guarded, then I’d be concerned. You want to buy from people who give you a sense of honesty and candidness.

But just remember, most things can be fixed, and let there be light!

Also remember that hundreds of millions of people live in old homes and have no issues; avoiding mold doesn’t suddenly make one healthy. Health must be cultivated. 

How I Healed from Mold: Helping my Body Release it and Changing my Fight-or-Flight Response