Howdy! This is the post of all posts on a running theme in my life: Mould. Welcome to ‘My Laundry of Mouldy Horror’. (Warning: if the word ‘moist’ bothers you, DO NOT read on. Read this post instead.)
Seven months back, my washing machine broke, and refused to stop filling with water; it overflowed, running down my hallway, and into my dining room. Twice over a period of two months. (So. So. Lucky that water didn’t get into my safe room(s).) Each time, my daughter and I donned rubber wellingtons, and used whatever we could grab—towels, sheets, tablecloths, anything—to soak up the mess; we mopped; we dried; and we ran every heater we could find on high for a couple of weeks. We aired the house, and we ran fans, so as to circulate the air. (The floorboards in this house are floating laminate boards, made from particle board, which can absorb water when wet, and consequently, grow mould, which by the second ‘flood’, and my worsening symptoms, I reckon it did. *Nice!*)
Some of my readers may already know that there are several damp problems in this house already; and, how I’ve been banished by this mould infestation from, not only most of the rooms of this house, and consequently—because of the health symptoms bought on by exposure to this mould ( sinus inflammation, hypersensitive sense of smell, headaches, facial pain, pulsating pain behind eyes and throughout the sinuses, chronically dry eyes, black circles under and around my eyes)—this banishment has extended into many areas of ordinary life: social, school, running errands, shopping, even family: this added mould horror was not needed. (Or was it?)
The laundry went mouldy, and the landlord had to gut the mould affected areas, run heaters to dry it up, and plaster it up ready for new tiling. The tiling products had to be tested, and before the tiling could be done, it happened again:
there is a real life metaphor in this, because behind the scenes, my personal life went the same way: festered and stagnant
You see, after the second flood. We bought a new Whirlpool Cabrio washing machine from Woollies, a place that sells seconds white goods at cheaper prices. Naturally, the machine had new hoses attached. Think cheap K-mart rubber, impregnated with a petrol-like substance: not real rubber; pretend rubber from China. And, when I rang and told the man from Woolies about my dilemma, that’s exactly what he said:
“Cheap rubber washing machine hoses from China. We can smell the chemicals when we open the boxes.”
Well, I couldn’t use the machine even on cold, because the fumes coming from the laundry, even with the door closed, made me incredibly ill. The man at the washing machine shop, sold me some others: white PVC type hoses, consisting of a harder kind of plastic, and they were much better, but after only a couple of washes, the fumes made me ill; but in a different way.
[Think plastic and petrol fumes as opposed to petrol and synthetic rubber fumes: different chemicals, different symptoms.]
Then, the same guy had the ingenious idea of cutting off the old hoses from the broken machine, placing them onto new machine’s attachments, connecting the taps to the washing machine. *Just swap the hoses* Seemed like just another clever-think-outside-of-the-MCS-bubble type of idea. So we did it! However, one snapped in the process, so we had only one non-chemical-emitting-already-outgassed hose, and one brand new PVC hose. Still, it was better; yet, I could only use the machine a few times before plastic and petrochemical fumes wafted throughout the house, irritating my eyes and sinuses; and when ill with my whole face pounding in pain from breathing in toxic mould, just breathing in these other chemical fumes sent me to bed for days. The laundry is right next to my main safe room, and if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t avoid breathing these fumes in, and besides, I had to go into the laundry to get the washing so I could dry it. (Usually, I’ll dry it in the house, due to woodsmoke, and damp soil (mould spores) outside at night; and fabric softener, pollution, or lawn mower fumes during the day—not a healthy practice as far as indoor air-quality goes, but hey, it’s my best option at the moment… )
The I-can-do-only-three-washes system worked fine until there was another leak. This leak was different. There was no torrential stream of puddled water running down the hall to alert us. No. Just a weird chemical smell in the laundry one morning, which I thought was coming from under the crack of the door, from the neighbours, perhaps? It it had the aroma of bleach, leaving a chemical taste in my mouth and a pit of panic in my gut. I asked my daughter to investigate, knowing better than to stand around ‘sniffing’ and ‘breathing’ in something, trying to perceive exactly ‘what’ it is and ‘where’ it’s coming from. As soon as she said: “Mum, it smells like wet soil.” I knew the mould goblin was raising up the hackles of his toxic, black, moist fur somewhere in there. My resourceful rabbit moved the machine and found this:
The hose that had been changed had a tiny leak, which had been quietly dripping away in the background of our lives. It seeped into the newly placed plaster, and into the wooden frame of the wall. And just like hurtful comments thrown about in an already damaged relationship, the dampness reactivated the mould like a raw emotional wound inflamed and left to fester. And just like an abusive husband, home for another round, the mould was back to wreck havoc within our lives once again.
(you know when you try to get away from something, and you can’t? well, there is a message in that: find. a. way!)
This time when it was fixed, and the plaster cut away, there was also some wet chipboard that needed to be removed too. (Particle board loves mould; the air cavities within the glued wood-chips are the perfect medium to harbour it in, especially once it’s all moist and soggy.) So, using an electric saw: all the sawdust, embedded with mould, became air-borne, pluming out under the door, and into my house.
So, there I was sitting on the couch, trying to motivate myself into having a shower after a two hour long car trip back from a trip to the beach (I went there to try and get relief from my mould exposure): My chest went tight, my nostrils burned, my eyes stung, and I became nauseous. My fight response triggered, and I ‘exploded’ into action by (1), using masking tape to seal the friggen door shut, and (2), screaming verbal obscenities at the stupid tradesman: my landlord!
I showered, and I stayed in my safe room. For days. I went down the beach, tried sleeping in my car, which I won’t blog about right now, apart to say: Don’t do it if you have problems breathing around petrochemicals (Never mind your bloody back!).
So here it is being fixed. I took these photos a week later (after making up with one very apologetic landlord):
The Less Toxic Tiling Products I Used
Low VOC silicone: Selly’s 3 in 1 Silicone Sealer – Low toxic, low odour and VOC
Tile Glue: National Tiles Grant’s PM 450 Tile Adhesive
Grout: Davco Sanitised Colour Grout (Note: Many people with severe chemical sensitivities use just plain Portland Cement as grout: it has no additives at all.) and here is the Safety and Data Sheet. (Just so you know: Inhalation of any cement dust can cause Reactive Airways Disease (RADS), even for non-sensitive people.
Other Things I Did
I stayed away from the room while it was being remodelled. The door leading from the laundry to the rest of the house was sealed shut using painter’s masking tape (painter’s masking tape is a great product (especially for renters) because it doesn’t pull away house paint as it’s removed–like ordinary tape does). All the products were tested by me for toxicity. (Just because it says ‘natural’ or ‘non-toxic’ doesn’t mean it’s going to be okay to use. I’ve learnt the hard way that to avoid disasters, everything needs to be tested first.)
My Outgassing Recipe
I used an oil heater, and a bar heater—ones I don’t use as a personal heater in winter—and I had them turned on high for 12-16 hours, with the door sealed shut from the rest of the house, and all other windows and doors closed. Then, switching them off, I opened all the windows and doors to the outside fresh air (or, rather, the city polluted air), which allowed the room to out-gass via the process of cooling down. This was repeated each day for a week. (To save on electricity, I did the heating during the day, and the cooling during the night. If it’s rainy or damp outside, this process would need to be reversed so as to not reactivate any mould left in the room by allowing damp air in; or you could just shorten the cooling times.)
How to Test Materials for Chemical Sensitivity
(so you have a better chance of not reacting to them after the renovation)
- Most important, ask your doctor exactly what products, or ingredients you need to be avoiding. As an example only, my treating Immunologist said that I needed to look for low volatile organic compound (low VOC) products, and that I needed to avoid solvents. (*Thanks be to my younger self, and 15 years of applying false fingernails*) But, if it were possible to avoid the area being renovated for a period of time, then products that have some solvents are actually good; they allow the product to dry quickly, which facilitates the out-gassing and hardening process. (This can take weeks or months.)
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- Ask around on MCS blogs, forums, and Facebook groups so you can find out what works for others; however, this is definitely not an assurance that the products won’t cause you symptoms, but it’s is a good place to start looking for products that may be suitable and can be tested for compatibility.
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- Ask the company who sells the product that you’re interested in, if you can see a copy of the Safety and Data sheet for each product. (If you explain to them why you need it, and you are asked: “Well, tell us what ingredient you are ‘allergic’ or ‘sensitive’ to, and we’ll tell you if it’s in it?” Tell them: you want to make an informed choice about what the product’s exact ingredients are, before you choose to use that product. Remember, you are a paying customer; you have a right to this information. And you have a right to ask for it without being judged! Trust me, practice at doing this will make you into a masterful, assertive person capable of asking the right questions, and dealing with salespeople, all while protecting your health!)
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- On the opposite end of the scale of ‘Un-helpfulness and Non-disclosure’ are the companies who will do anything to help you find the right product. There are many green-sustainable-low-voc products on the market; and the people who plug these products will often have Safety and Data sheets at the ready—some are even available online on their websites (have a Google for them)—and they will have, or be able to organise, sample size pots and packets so they can be tested for health compatibility (I’ve paid around $13 for a sample pot, and in other instances, companies have given them away for free.). These sort are the companies we want to buy from: they care about us, and the planet. And they offer Full-disclosure of their ingredients!
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- To start the testing process, I always have a non chemically sensitive person scrape, approximately, a teaspoon of the product onto a clean tile, or piece of hardwood (something I know won’t cause me symptoms);
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- This is left to dry for a sufficient amount of time (usually double, or triple what the manufacturer says);
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- Then, if I don’t have any immediate symptoms (remember my symptoms are mostly upper respiratory, and inhalant related), I bring it inside, leaving it in the same room for a while;
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- Next, I sleep overnight with the test piece on my bedside table (this may need to be done during a separate testing session, however, I did it all at once);
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- (If you do this, and there are no symptoms, just to be sure, you might want to test it again) I just leave the testing piece outside, and bring it in again once I’m not experiencing any other symptoms from any other chemical exposures;
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(This is not medical advice. These are just tips that have been suggested to me by others who are sensitive to chemicals, then tried, and deemed successful by me, for me. The rest is just ‘trial and error’ (erring on the side of ‘error’ in the case of switching to the old machines hoses…) and thinking outside of the proverbial bubble)
The Conclusion?
So, what was good about this mould-on-top-of-mould accident? Can there ever be anything good about mould? Well yes, while digging for answers, I found this: It inspired me to take action, and find a way to move on. Finding a property suitable for someone who is sensitive to chemicals is not easy; and I won’t say that I’ve done it yet. But stay posted for ‘Michellina Finds the Way Out of this Clusterfuck of Mouldy Tunnels in this Labyrinth of Chemical Sensitivities!’ Oh, and this gut-wrenching/real-life post: ‘Tips on How to find a Rental Property for a Person Sensitive to Chemicals’.
Want More on Washing Machines for the Chemically Sensitive?
Stay Posted for ‘Tips for Buying a Washing Machine’
I just came onto your post and found it quite interesting. I am associated with Mold Removal for Removing the moisture and water in your home .Thanks again for writing such a good post.
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Good luck with that. I’m becoming a bit of an expert on that myself; ergo, hopefully, not for much longer.
hey miche, guess what – the place I’m living at, the washing machine broke and the owners want to replace rather than spend money on getting it fixed. I’m silently freaking out… when you bought a new machine how did you deal with it? I’m very concerned that my clothes are going to smell like the new inside components, and while it’s in the basement I’m not as concerned about it offgassing since I’m nowhere near the room, but I don’t know what to do about my clothes! ugh. Any tips??
Hey twoteacups, this is going to sound weird but Tina, a reader, suggested soaking the hoses in vodka. This worked; however, the first lot of hoses were made from synthetic rubber, and were not an option to even try to outgass, the 2nd set were made from white plastic, these came up good. The process took three weeks all up, during that time, I ran it a lot, keeping it closed off from the rest of the house. I’m still looking for a replacement machine, as this one doesn’t wash properly. (It’s water efficiency stops it from washing out the soap powered residue off the clothes; therefore, that also means it’s not washing the clothes properly!) So, I can say two things: don’t buy a Whirlpool Cabrio; and try to find a machine that has a stainless steel basin inside. I’d also run it with only old towels inside, using plenty of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. At least this way you’ll be able to find out (via the smell of the towels) when it’s ready for your clothes. (If Tina, or Linda are reading this post, please share with us your ideas on this 🙂 You may have to hand wash for a while? I think some machines will outgass quicker than others though. You could also try switching the hoses back to the old ones if the new ones are a problem. Here’s hoping it goes well for you!
Great tips Miche. Thank you so much! I persuaded the owner (wasn’t easy) to at least take a look to see what the problem was, and they found a leak in something called a high pressure intake hose? It’s about a foot long and looks like it’s made of rubber. I think rubber might be the only option to replace it with, but at least it’s rather small and only 1 part of a whole machine. The back hoses are not an issue. So with the rubber, there’s no real way to outgas this? Maybe soaking it in hot water? Good suggestion about using towels – I will definitely do this before trying my clothes. Handwashing will be something new for me but it might not be so bad 🙂 Thanks again!!
Wow! Linda, and everyone here; this is my first comment, and I’m so glad to see other long comments…you can’t explain this kind of Hell in 140 characters…unless the 140 characters are *real people* with chemical sensitivity like all of you here…and now, *me*, too!
I’ll start with, I, too, hand wash….but now I “feet wash”…feet get dirty working in the garden – and so do my latest garden fashions 🙂 – so what I do when I’m finished in the garden?: I fill tub up with clothes and “smash grapes” for awhile, singing or forming lyrics out of words like Bastards…little evil ones :), and obscene poetry lashing out at corruption (I am one of the ‘Millions Against Monsanto’: The lovely corporation that developed Agent Orange, Round-UP(probably a dilluted form of Angent Orange! Ha!) and the Corp. who has been given BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, an OK TO LAUNCH! on the GMO fucking of the alfalfa seed!: The Base Of Our Food Chain! ODIOTS!!!!!!!
I worked for 8 years with purified benzene: an aromatic hydrocarbon C6H6 used in the developemnt of just about every chemical on the planet. Benzene workers today are protected. They look like they’re walking on the moon with all the self-contained breathing app. and protective clothing. I wore nothing but a T-shirt.(Purified benzene can go directly into the blood stream woth out inhaling..it just goes right through your skin!) Don’t drink hot beverages out of styrofoam! Ever!
I’ve heard, but haven’t tried yet; that soaking in witch hazel can help to stabalize plastic/rubber, such as in eye wear; like sun glasses and prescription glasses; where toxic chemicals “leak” after manufacturing process says,”stop”. Maybe something as simple as witch hazel would work on hoses and other such pain-in-the-ass crap out there on the market and in our homes. I know there is a lead-free garden hose available now…think about that? I’ve been using a garden hose to grow fruits&vegs that has lead in it!!!!!
Somedays, it’s like you just can’t get away from it, you know? One day I decided I would not leave the house under any circumstances. I had been dowsed, dipped and dumped in the dung of *Fragrants(=Kinda like *Vagrants – people who wear perfume no matter what! But *we* become the *Vagrants!) and the “normal” daily exposures. And suddenly, there was a knock on my back door. No one comes here without calling me first. And no one comes to the back door, which was standing wide open because it was such a nice day out. Suddenly, the smell of the perfume counter at KMart overtakes my Peace & Privacy, “Who is it?”, I screamed, already in a panic. “It’s John and Chris.” John and Chris? I know not a John or Chris and certainly have no men callers. “Why are you here?” They wouldn’t answer. I live in rural cow country…it’s no more safer out here for a Gal, like me, then it is living in the inner city; so I loaded the shot gun and waitied inside for them to answer me. Then I screamed, “Please move away for the door, I’m having a reaction to your cologne!” They wouldn’t budge. I stepped into their line of sight, they saw my shot gun(not pointed at them, of course, just armed against the who-was-it-at-my-door?)
“It’s Jehovah’s witnesses.” OMG WTF I went crazy! I called the Jehovah’s Witness Hall in town and left several messages; one of them comparing how it took just ONE woman to take prayer out of our schools and I am going to be the ONE woman who keeps you people from inviting yourselves into peoples homes…and smelling like a bunch of Pimps in a Whore House!”
From one raging episode to another I went until I could go no further and was finally awarded disability.
I hope my experiences can be helpful to others, like you Linda, and Michellina – your name is as beautiful as you are, and your site here is a lovely, helpful and hopeful place where we can breath with confidence and in the warmth of friends ready to touch back. I am moved to tears to find you all here. Please be patient with my need to run-on with my comment; I should calm down a bit now that I’ve been given a venue to speak, be understood and contribute. Thank you everybody here! I’ll keep reading and continue to join up with you all as we (AND WE WILL!!!) find our way out!
Fun fact: “moist” is the most disliked word in the English language. 😉 Thought of you when I saw this: http://www.moroch.com/blog/2012/04/the-most-offensive-word-ever/
It doesn’t bother me, but once I sat next to a girl who was horrified by the word. Great link, thanks. 😉
oh my dear,
I do not know how you are surviving! i read this sitting here going omg omg omg in practically every sentence i read! and AIR PURIFIER, my dear!!! You cannot rely on the “fresh air” , of which there isn’t any at all anymore, including the ocean, at least here on the west coast of CA. I too just bought a new washer and am now freaking out. I was already freaking because i just found out lead is in my body from somewhere. i had a metals test because i keep getting sicker, blah blah, and low and behold if the damned thing didn’t come back showing “elevated levels on lead”. Haven’t seen doc yet and hope he calls me tonight or I shall be after him with a lead pipe. that aside, now i have to go check out my new washer, dammit, because i bet it has hoses JUST LIKE YOURS!
All i can say is try to relax and breathe good air. I am interested in the above comment about the motor home. my doc actually suggested that to me when we had to super-bleach all the water lines. I am telling you, if it’s not one thing it’s another. that left me sicker than a dog then i had to do this metals test meaning swallow 6 DMAE pills…omg, don’t ask. after being crazy AND sicker than 100 dogs, i sort of recovered til we had another-ANOTHER!-inversion layer and couldn’t breathe due to that. thank the lord for my air purifier-i live next to that thing locked in my room for daze at a time…yes, dazed and confused… mine was expensive and i added the VOC filter too since those seem to be my worst nightmare. it’s called IQAir and i bought the $900 model. It clears the air in no time and leaves nothing behind including dog hair and dust, a real feat here! get one even if you have to sell your … well, whatever, you get the idea.
now off to offer up prayers, thanksgiving(welll…….)next grandkid, sweets and everything else for your problems…have you bought that gas mask yet? be well, my child!! and thank you for your very informative posts. i get them in my email and then forget-you know, cognitive problems-to comment so thought i would sort of make up for that silence now. 🙂 xoxoxox linda
What a nightmare!
Whoda thunk clothes washers could cause so much trouble (and more, that you haven’t written about) for people with MCS…?
Me… I’ve thunken about it…
In my research for safer hoses, I discovered “food grade” hoses. I don’t yet know where to get them from, but you’d need to check the inner and outer diameters of the laundry hoses, as well as PSI, and then get the equivalent in “food grade”.
Sadly, it seems most “food grade” hose is PVC, but they might be somewhat more tolerable than those toxic Chinese rubber hoses.
You can also get food grade washers (not the machines, but the little things you place between screws).
I learned about these things from a place that sells water filtration equipment.
I know, who woulda thunk! Not me that’s for sure. Food grade hoses; I’ll look into that. I’ve found a place that will attach them for me (seeing we failed – epically). Do you use a washing machine? Or do you know of a good one that people sensitive to chemicals use? I found these hoses, but they’re only in the US, and I think they may have to be cleaned due to petrochemical coatings from manufacturing, but they look as if they are of an inert material: stainless steel. YouTube: FloodSafe® Auto-Shutoff Connectors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdShoXPcloA There are more details here: http://www.watts.com/pages/_products_details.asp?catId=1159&parCat=1388&pid=603&ref=2
And here is the specs sheet if you–or others reading this–are interested http://media.wattswater.com/ES-FS-CWM-S.pdf I see that they are lead free, which is a bonus! I’m going to look into these and see if they are available here in AUS; I can’t afford for a flood to ever happen again.
It has just occurred to me that one way around this would be to cover the hoses in aluminium foil tape. (Foil is a ‘decorating theme’ I’ve got going on, which I’d really rather get away from!)
And, it never occurred to me about water filtration for washing machines. Thank you for the insight!
Covering the hoses with foil tape isn’t enough for me. The water going thru them would be contaminated, and my laundry would need to be tossed… I need hoses that are safe on the inside too!
I looked into some of the reinforced metal ones, but they all had PVC hose inside. If I’m stuck with PVC as my only non-stink-to-hell option, then I’m going with the food grade ones, which probably don’t come reinforced.
I don’t have machines yet. I need all SS or enamelled metal, no plastic, and with water and temps that I decide, not the machine. And that cost next to nothing and have never had any free laundry product samples in them… I think I need something that doesn’t exist 🙁
So I’m hand-washing… Have been for over 4 years now. I’ve ruined my back doing it. And do without much that most take for granted.
As far as water filtration for washing machines, it doesn’t exist, but should. Have to get whole house units. Shower filters would probably crack from the pressure unless yours is really low.
I am soooo sorry for your latest journey into the “land of mold”. You are one brave person that is for sure. Your post leaves my skin crawling and makes me want to run and look under every sink and behind my washer yet again!
By the way, still having trouble posting comments – get the website cannot found message.
Thank you, Kathryn, I’ve often though of you and about how horrified you would be if you could see what goes on in this house. Sorry to make your skin crawl; although, I find it helpful to express my woes in a creative manner, hence the ‘mould goblin’. I’ll do two or three more posts on the mould issue: one is about ‘all’ the mould issues combined, and the other one or two will be about what I’ve done about it, hoping that my digital footprint will help some other person one day.
Going through it, at the time, was just so unbelievable, I could not believe it was happening because without all of it, I was sick enough already. You’re right though (as you told me once before) it takes about three weeks after a mould exposure for symptoms to fully hit. It’s been about a week now, where i’m feeling better, no sinus pain etc… I can go outside and smell a scented flower and not have it hurt my nose, give me facial pains or set of inflammation, so that’s a good, good sign (because you know I love my flowers). I just can’t wait to get out of here!
PS: I’ve sent yours (and other commenters) queries about the messages not showing up. xx
I’ve cut and pasted your comment and sent it to studio press with a link to this page, and the comment. (I can’t find the other page where you explained in more detail
Do you have an air purifier– to help with the toxic chemicals?????????? For a hundred years we sold air purifiers & water purifiers– we started when we owned our first health food store about a 100 years ago now— I swear by a good air purifier– to help with any chemical smells–no matter how they get into your “safe home”- right now in our home– we have 4 Idylis brand air purifiers going all the time–24 hours a day– they have hepa & other filters & UV-C— over the years we have had many different air purifiers– I even sold commerical ones to hospitals & care homes– etc etc etc– for years— if you don’t have a good air purifier– to put in your safe room– & to filter the air– I would highly recommend one!!! I understand your trying to escape– when we had to have a new roof put on our MCS safe home– I escaped to our MCS safe motor home for a few months!!! I hope you are able to get back to have a safe enviroment to live– we all understand the stress of not have a safe place to heal & live!!!!
Hi,
I hope you don’t mind my asking but how/where did you find an MCS safe motor home? My doc suggested that to me, we have checked around but there’s so much plastic in them, I have no idea how you’d fix them? I am at vulturepeakmuse@gmail.com if you want to email me privately. thanks for all your information! linda
Oh, Linda, wouldn’t it just be perfect? I can see it now: all void of furniture, walls lined in foil, an air purifier, organic mattress and hardwood base. Seriously, I so want one too! Sonda, you are so so lucky!
OK– MCS safe motor home—over the years we have had a converted bus– to travel trailers– to class A motor homes–to 5th wheels– all sizes & all kinds over the years– now we have a mini home– 29 ft long– we searched for 4 years for the one that would work for us– my husband is able to do the work– so we can do all the changes our selves– this time I wanted a minit home– instead of a large home or bus or 5th wheel as we have had before– as i wanted one I was comfortable driving– the large large large ones we have had before I so many times was not comfortable driving or setting them up— of coarse we need a used one– with out all the formaldehyde– & toxic chemical crap— since it was one with a motor– etc etc– instead of a trailer– we needed one with low miles– & a good motor– & in good mechanical shape– good body with no fiberglass damage– good working order– & body in good condition– then the inside had to be what we could work with– we searched for over 4 years– most my husband would open up the door is it was in good mechanical condition & the inside was gross——–we finally founda used one that we bought from an older couple– in our state only a few hundred miles from home–the man was a retired professional mechanic– & the motor home had been kept inside of his huge workshop– so the body was in great shape– low miles– & etc etc etc— they had not used chemicals in the RV– they had even used baking soda in their holding tanks– so they had not even used chemicals in the holding tanks– she wore no perfume– & that crap- it was very very very very clean -we paid a really high price for it– far over book value– but it was in good condition & a starting point for us—we went in & took out any thing that would make me sick– that is totally different for every one as far as where their route is with MCS– we put in our own mattress– I recovered all the seats & furniture with antique quilts I had kept from my antique business that were MCS safe–we just took it out if it made me — sick & redid any thing we needed to redo— we have not taken out the carpet yet– as it was outgassed– & I use throw rugs on the carpet to totally cover it– that are MCS safe — but my husband– has flooring in his storage unit– that has been out gassing for 3 years now– that he plans on tearing out all the carpet & putting down the laminate flooring– but so far we have ben using it when the weather has been so he could work on the flooring– I redid all the curtains– we wiped down everything with vinegar– & we put a commerical air purifier–( the size a care home would use– as we use to sell them) & we put it in the RV– & turned it on & let it run for a good month— before we even moved any of our stuff into the RV— my husband– built in water purifiers– & air purifiers-& a place for my oxygen concentrator- he replaced anything– that we didn’t like or thought would make me sick–with our stash– of outgassed MCS safe things– I recovered the drivers seat & passengers seat– we only use vinegar & baking soda & Dr. Bonner’s in the RV– over the years– we have redone probably 25 or 30 RV’s or travel trailers-(the bus was the hardest-to redo & the most expensive-) – or 5th wheels– & made them MCS safe & used them & resold them at a profit & redid another one— but we are at the age now– we are retired & this is the last one we plan on redoing!! It totally depends–on condition & what you have to work with– & what you want-& what your health condition is – & an unlimited bank account– to make the changes you want!! 🙂 I hope that helped—–
Sonda, you are an amazing, resourceful woman! Thank you so much for your input on this subject, as it will help many people (and me). Can I use this in an article I’d like to research and write on this very subject? (Seeing I may get to live it, I may as well write about it 🙂 ) It will be on this blog (and yours if you choose to reblog it). I’m sure Linda Adelaide appreciated this too. 🙂 🙂 Amazing, and using Dr Bronner’s too! You were so lucky to find this motorhome, and in this condition; it just goes to show that if we persevere, we can find the things we need (or something close to it) – eventually.
Did you have to take out all the MDF or chipboard? And, if you did, what did your Gem of a husband replace it with?
What did you use to recover the seats?
What material did you use for the curtains?
Do you still sell those purifiers?
And, did i tell you that you’re amazing?
Enjoy your motorhome, and your retirement!
♥ ♥ ♥
Hi– thank you– I’m not amazing– just OLD –WITH LOTS OF EXPERIENCE!!! 🙂
Yes you may use any information– ok– in some places in the RV– we took out the MDF & put up fake slate board that had been out gassed for years- & also hubby used foil insulation behind the walls for more insulation & -all materials came from hubby’s MCS safe stash— also I used self stick on metal tiles in the kitchen area– we put in thin metal sheeting in places– Hubby cut it all to fit– so no glue– no paint– etc etc– & used screws to fasten most all of it—so as the rv shifts no loose material- & used out gassed seasoned wood for trim–which he then seasoned with oil instead of varnish or paint–attached with a staple gun–I recovered every thing in the RV with antique quilt material– (I owned antique shops for years & I’m in to antiques & that look)– so all the furniture is recovered with either an antique quilt– & antique bedspread material– or chenille bedspread material— the driver’s seat & & front seat –I also put a huge beach towel on them so they are easy to take off & wash– & we always have an extra set of beach towels with us!!! Curtains– in the kitchen are made out of tea towels– I embroidered on–also the the kitchen & dinning area– I went with a red & white theme– with silver tiles on the wall—- the theme is also cherries– so red & white & black & cherries–is the theme–with hand towels & hot pot holders– all in the same theme– the bedroom has an antique quilt on the bed– & also curtains made out of quilts with the same color sceme & chenille throw pillows– the shower curtain– is an antique table cloth– with yes– cherries– the curtains in the living room– are made out of antique table clothes– & antique lace table clothes-& throw pillows are embroided or quilt pieces made into pillows– throw rugs– are braided out of old bedspreads– or denim– that I made–
we travel with our 2 small dogs & 2 birds– so I have throws that I put on the couch & chair that are chenille– that wash easy– as when we leave the RV– i know they get on the furniture to see out– as we have caught them on the furniture–& the birds are in an antique cage– & their cover is an antique table cloth — with yes– cherries!! All accessories in the RV– are antiques– to keep with the theme!!! It is like walking into a home filled with the antique feel— looks NOTHING LIKE A FACTORY HOME!!!!!! Every RV — bus– trailer– motor home– we have ever redone– we did it with a theme– one was western– as I’m an old cowfgirl–but most have been the antique theme– they sell quick– if we dedice to sell them- –when we walk in the door– it is like walking into our second home– I use wicker baskets for organization in the RV– & trash– & dog toys– etc etc– I covered everything– & the curtains– out of MCS safe material– that is easy to wash & wear!!! I hope that helps—– later—–
I missed a question– do we still sell air purfiers– NO– we are retired– what we have now– is the remains of what we had left from our businesses & demo units– etc etc– & then what we have bought since then– thanks–
Hi Sonda, this may sound ridiculous (but then again, I see you own four Idylis purifiers!), but I have four (five if I count the foust air purifier in my car) air purifiers, and I run two air conditioning units, switching between air conditioning and dehumidifying (or heating in winter). Three are Austin Airs from the US, but they are all 4, 5 and 6 years old (each one). And I have an Inova Air, which is two years old. The Inova is the same as an Austin (it’s just Australian made) and this is the one that’s in my main safe room (the room I practically live in, apart from cooking etc…). The Inova Air, which is in my safe room makes such a difference; however, it’s not possible to only stay in there (but I’m doing a bloody good job at trying!) The other ones are up the other end of the house (the mouldy end): one in the main bedroom where I keep all my clothes, one in the living room, and one in my daughters room. I think the three that are up the mouldy end of the house will be no good, or at least will need replacement HEPA filters.
When I move I won’t take any with me at first, just in case they are contaminated with mould spores.
I’ll look into this Idylis brand. Thanks. As Linda Adelaide said in the comment below: this idea about a ‘safe motor home’ is an interesting one. Could you do a post about how to do this? What it takes to make one safe? I have this crazy-cat idea that if plan A to escape does not pan out, then I could purchase a caravan and kit it out just for sleeping in (not cooking or anything).
Thanks, I’ll get there xx
Hi Sonda, I’ve just researched a little about your purifiers, and decided to post this link: http://www.idylishome.com/healthy_products_air_purifiers.html This for anyone who comes across the page and wants to check it out. I’d love to know what other types people use too. In the US I know of the Foust, Austin Air, and now the Idylis too! (And, I’m so glad you have four; it makes me feel normal!) xx
I so hate to admit this— besides the 4 large idylish air purifiers– I still have 3 older commerical units that are no longer made–(that we use to sell) & Gary has units in his work shop– & in our storage units– & the 3 units in the motor home– & the ones in the car & truck–& the battery operated one I can wear around my neck– all that are no longer made either—–that we use to sell the units in our natural health care businesses– & now those companies are no longer in business– but Garey use to repair & refab to the units-we sold- so he still can do repairs & makes the filters to fit them!! So I have many many units– even have a few spare ones incase one dies!!!! 🙂 hee hee