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How to Test Your Home for Mold (Easy Instructional Video)

August 1, 2022 By Erin Porter Leave a Comment

You might be here because you are wondering how to test your home for mold because of mysterious health symptoms. Or maybe you have had recent flooding in your home and want to check the mold levels. Whatever the reason, you have come to the right place.

Testing your home for mold is not as daunting of a task as you may think.  Mold petri dishes can be purchased at very minimal cost, yet can provide results that will help you in your journey.  The results will help you to determine if there is indeed a mold issue to be fixed, or a negative culture may lay your worries to rest regarding dangerous mold in your home.  Knowledge is power and so I will show you an easy way to test your home for mold.

How To Test Your Home For Mold (Video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYU7tjqakeQ&t=7s

 

Read on and I will also answer some common questions surrounding mold as well as share my story of past chronic illness due to toxic mold exposure.

My Story of Toxic Mold Illness on PBS American Health Journal

https://youtu.be/LZllawIQSdo

 

The home depicted in my PBS television interview above was not the home I lived in.  They used that home for purposed of B-Roll.  Although I am no longer in the house or apartment that had mold issues, I am very cautious about my environment these days.  When we bought our new house one of the first things we did was test for mold.  There are two reasons for this.  For one, I know firsthand what mold can do to your health, also because I am highly allergic to mold, my health depends on keeping mold counts down.

You can read about my downward health spiral due to mold here.

Below is the Microbalance fogger and antifungal I spray my home with each month.  It is safe for pets and contains no toxic or harsh chemicals.  If you cannot afford the fogger, they sell the same solution in a spray.  You can simply spray your entire home including your furniture and carpets.

mold spray for the home

FAQ About Mold Tests

Where can I buy the petri dishes?  

You can buy them at Home Depot, or from Mold petri dishes.  They are pretty cheap and you can send the samples away to a lab (they enclose an instruction sheet on how to do this) so you can find out what type of mold you are dealing with.  We did not find any dangerous mold in our home but we did find the mold counts were too high in certain rooms which can cause problems for people with mold sensitivities.

If the mold counts are high enough, even people that are not sensitive to mold can begin to have problems so we went about bringing those counts down to an acceptable level.

Can Fungus still be the cause of my illness even if my home doesn’t have a mold problem?

Yes.  Environmental mold is not the only cause of systemic fungal infections.  Overuse of antibiotics and alcohol, as well as the standard American diet (SAD diet) are just a few examples.  Keep in mind a large percentage of office buildings and schools in this country have mold issues.  In the past I actually took a petri dish into my place of work to test for mold.  Don’t forget to also test your car when you decide to test your home for mold.

My home is so clean, can I really have mold issues?

Absolutely.  Mold can be hiding under floorboards (as you can see in our video), carpets, curtains, upholsteries, or in damp moldy areas like basements.

What if I don’t see any mold in my home?

The petri dishes can detect what is in air or in your carpets and furniture that you may not be able to see.

Petri Dish Full Of Mold Spores used to test home for mold

Petri Dish Full Of Mold Spores

My Television Interview On Know The Cause About Mold Illness

https://youtu.be/XPbrO_F6X_E?t=819

Signs Your Home May Have A Mold Problem

There are many signs your home may have a mold problem.  I’ll tell you what my Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor used to say.  “If you can see it or smell it, you have a problem!”

  • Can you smell mold on items such as clothing or books?
  • Moldy Carpets – as you can see in my video above, the carpet in my son’s bedroom had high levels of mold.  Once we replaced the carpet and rechecked with a fresh mold plate (petri dish) there were zero levels of mold detected.
  • Chronic sinus infections, allergies and asthma.  As a child, as soon as we moved into our new home I developed asthma.  Later as a teenager when I moved into a moldy apartment, I began to get sinus infections I just couldn’t seem to eradicate.  These chronic type conditions are often associated with mold.
  • You see mold on the walls or furniture.  Remember what my doctor said, “If you can see it or smell it, you have a problem!”
  • If you have had previous floods or leaks you may have a mold problem.

Tips For Reducing Mold Spores In Your Home

  • A good rule of thumb is to remove carpet from rooms you are sleeping in, or any carpet that has a high mold count.
  • If you have pets, shampooing them with a safe anti-fungal shampoo once a week really helps.
  • Good quality air purifiers are fantastic at removing mold spores in the home.  I think they are such a great investment!  We bought an IQ air purifier and I know that it works.  I did a test before purchasing the filter as well as after and the proof was in the petri dish.  I provided a link to the exact air purifier we purchased.

If you know that mold has made you sick, visit my posts below on how to detox and get mold out of your system.

Check out the second edition of my book Eat Pray Get Well – A Journey from chronic Illness & Brokenness to Wholeness & Healing.  Foreword written by Doug Kaufmann – Host of televisions Know The Cause.  As seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, CTN, Know the Cause and more.

Related Posts

How Long Does it Take For Mold to Get Out of Your System

How to Recover from Toxic Mold Exposure (How Long Does it Take)

Disclosure this post contains affiliate links.   Opinions are all my own, and I do not recommend any supplement, brand, or product I didn’t personally love and benefit from.

What Helps My Lyme Disease? (I’ll Show You My Daily Routine)

July 21, 2022 By Erin Porter Leave a Comment

A diagnosis of lyme disease can feel devastating.   I know it was to last year when I got the news right as my book was sent to print.  Especially since I had felt that I had somehow already paid my dues so to speak.  What I mean is I had decades of illness due to toxic mold exposure in the past.  It took me some time to decide how I would create this video.  I couldn’t address the lyme without talking about mold and viruses that often time accompany lyme disease.  I speak more on this in television interviews below.  Thanks for watching my video on what helps my lyme disease.  I hope it gives you ideas to discuss with your doctor.

There are many factors that go into helping fight my lyme disease.  One is keeping co infections at bay such as Epstein Barr and mold.  It can be a complicated road to walk as you are trying to find balance and healing while fighting multiple infections.  A wholesome diet, proper supplementation, a knowledgeable holistic doctor, and making your body inhospitable to infections go a long way to help fight my lyme disease.

Video:  What Helps My Lyme Disease? (I’ll Show You My Daily Routine)

This video is not sponsored.  All supplements (and the Vitamix) have been purchased by me.

https://youtu.be/0dPSyGYnJkw

 

In this article  I will show you what I do on a daily basis to help keep my lyme disease at bay.  Read on and I will also provide the full list of supplements I talk about in the video and some I didn’t mention as I only take on occasion.  Never start any supplement or protocol without consulting a doctor.

What Is Lyme Disease?

Per the CDC, lyme disease is “caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and rarely, Borrelia mavorii.  It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black legged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.”  The article also goes on to say that most cases of lyme can be treated with antibiotics successfully.  Many with lyme disease disagree with this statement as antibiotics have failed them.  In that case, many will go on to try more natural protocols under the watchful eye of their physicians.

In my case I decided not to go the antibiotic route.  If you don’t know my story, I had spent decades taking antibiotics.  I have calculated probably over one hundred courses.  It destroyed my gut and never resolved the root of the problem which was different illnesses brought on by toxic mold exposure.  In my case all of the antibiotics were only serving to feed my mold illness.  I have placed my televison interview on Know the Cause below describing the illnesses and symptoms I experienced from mold illness.

Watch my interview on televisions Know the Cause below –  we discuss the expense of chronic illness as well as Epstein Barr and Lyme being triggered or worsened by mold.

https://youtu.be/SzZVP1x5cbM?t=1117

 

woman writing eat pray get well on the refrigerator

Below: In This Television Interview We Discuss My Years Of Chronic Illness Due to Mold Exposure

https://youtu.be/XPbrO_F6X_E?t=819

List of Supplements I take (not all shown in video)

Colostrum, probiotics, Biotoxin binder, betaine hydrochloride, digestive enzymes and GI Complete are what I take for gut health.  The probiotics are important to replenish good bacteria which can become depleted after antibiotics.

Glutathione – for liver support & oxidative defense.

Chlorophyll – this is such a wonderful detoxing tool.  For anyone who was affected by toxic mold (specifically aflatoxin like I was) chlorophyll helps protect the DNA from damage caused by the toxic mold.  It also helps fight cancer.  If doing infra red saunas, Doug Kaufmann suggests taking some liquid chlorophyll prior to going in the sauna.  I have done this many times!

Cell Trophin– for those exposed to mold, you may experience adrenal fatigue as mold and fungus can cause harm to the pituitary gland.  When the pituitary gland is not working properly this can also result in low thyroid.

Vitamin D3 – the majority of American’s are vitamin d3 deficient.  We need it for bone health, it protects against cancer, and can help prevent diabetes.  I was low on iodine so I personally take the vitamin D that includes iodine and periodically get my labs checked.

The Awesome Foursome

The “awesome foursome” I discuss in the video are  (CoQ10, L-carnitine, D-ribose, and magnesium)

Supplements Continued

Beta Glucan (allergy forumla) – you can buy just the beta glucan, or if you have food or environmental allergies the beta glucan allergy formula is awesome!

NAC -Promotes healthy cellular glutathione levels, powerful antioxidant support and supports the immune system.

Supplements my doctor put my on specially for lyme disease:

Byron White AL-Complex – Lyme disease herbal formula designed to activate the immune system against all forms of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb).  Must be under a doctors care.

Argentine 23 Silver

Fish Oil 

Biocidin

What I Take for My AutoImmune Disease

GTA Forte

ImmunoMod A – my doctor told me this supplement essentially tells your immune system to “calm down.”

Help For Mold Sufferers

A company called Microbalance was created by an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician who specialized in fungal infections of the sinuses and systemically throughout the body.  This company carries products to clean your nose, body, home, and clothes of mold.  I even spray my home once a month with their safe natural botanical antifungal mist to keep levels of mold spores down.  Controlling mold in my body also helps control my lyme disease.

About the Vitamix I Use In My Video:

If you are interested in investing in the Vitamix I use in the video it is worth every penny.  Being able to consume large amounts of fruits and vegetables in one sitting is important to me and I believe helps my lyme disease.  Personally I try to follow the Doug Kaufmann diet (also known as Kaufmann diet).

Take advantage of this sale: right now take $260 off the Vitamix 7500.

7500-black Vitamix

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bites Recipe shown in video

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bites surrounding by almond butter and chocolate chips

My second edition book, Eat Pray Get Well – A Journey from Chronic Illness & Brokenness to Wholeness & Healing is now on sale through my website and Amazon.  Includes exclusive interviews with Doug Kaufmann – Host of televisions Know the Cause.  Joe Cross – Filmmaker and star of the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  Renowned cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Supermodel Carol Alt and so much more.

In these wonderful interviews they all share their story of illness to recovery and what they have learned about health along their journey.  I also interview Tommy Rosa, author of Health Revelations from Heaven and Earth.  Tommy had a near death experience and believes he went to heaven.  He shares his experience about meeting who he believes to be Jesus and what he was taught about staying healthy here on earth.

 

Disclosure:  I am not a doctor.  Please discuss with your physician before starting any supplements or diet.

This post contains affiliate links.  I get a tiny percent of your sale if you purchase using my link.  Thank you for helping me to continue creating content on Eat Pray Get Well.

Related Posts:

How Long Does it Take For Mold to Get Out of Your System

 

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About Erin

Erin Porter taking picture of food

I have been fortunate to be featured on national Television including PBS American Health Journal, Know the Cause, CTN, ABC, NBC, CBS and more. I was sick for decades, endured many surgeries, took over 100 courses of antibiotics, and then I changed everything and everything changed. My book Eat Pray Get Well is about overcoming a tumultuous childhood, decades of chronic illness, and finding God in the process. Includes exclusive interviews with renowned Cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Supermodel Carol Alt, Doug Kaufmann, and many more. Plus 55 gluten free recipes woven throughout. continue →

Favorite Health Posts

Lyme Disease Mold Exposure And Chronic Illness (How To Heal Your Body)

Erin Porter and Doug Kaufmann

Why Supermodel Carol Alt Rarely Gets Sick Anymore (Interview)

Carol Alt sitting

How to Recover from Toxic Mold Exposure (How Long Does it Take)

Close-up Of A Shocked Woman Looking at moldy room

How Joe Cross Overcame His Autoimmune Disease | Exclusive Video Interview

Erin Porter and Joe Cross

Television: Talking Heart & Emotions, Comparing Oneself & a Recipe on NBC’s Bloom!

Favorite Recipes

Video: How To Make Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Sugar + Gluten Free)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chocolate Banana Pudding… And Do You Suffer From Please Like Me Disease?

chocolate peanut butter banana pudding

Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup Recipe…And Are you an Eagle or a Chicken?

broccoli chedder soup

Beef Fajitas… And Facing Your Fears

beef fajitas

Berry Cobbler… and 12 Things the First Year of Marriage Has Taught Me

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