MCS Help

You are probably already aware that there are several concerns with most housing environments for the chemically sensitive individual. Mold is actually more of a common problem than you would first think. MCS/Candida sufferers are usually sensitive to mold in their environment. If you live in a humid area, chances are good that the wallboard commonly used in most construction is part of your trouble.

Walls: When researching materials with which to build our present house, we discovered that ordinary sheet rock wallboard has only to be exposed to 70% humidity before it begins to mold. We chose HardieBacker wet area cement board for our entire house. Yes, it makes it more expensive, but we don’t have to worry about it molding the first time it rains. My son is even more sensitive to mold than I am, so this is an important concern for us. If your house is presently built of sheet rock, I don’t know what to suggest except that to set a goal to build a safer environment as soon as you can. Believe me, I know this is not an easy task. Please be very careful with what you choose to paint your walls with, if you decide to go that route. Most paints commonly found in the hardware store will not be safe for you, especially the oil-based kind. Consider using milk paint, which seems to have a much safer ingredient list.  I’ve recently discovered that I get along very well with several different type of Flood brand paint.  I don’t know why, but it doesn’t bother me . . . and I even do the painting myself!  I’m sure they have many different types of paint available, so If you want to email me, I can tell you the types I’ve used with success.

Take care that the walls of your house, or your furniture does not contain particle board or plywood. Both of these are glued together with a type of glue that contains formaldehyde, which is very dangerous for MCS people. Even if you paint over it, the formaldehyde still leaks out—-so you will have to search for solid wood or metal furniture.

Floors: If you have carpeting in your house, you are again probably aware that this is another main area of trouble. Not only is the carpet and underlying pad made from synthetic materials to which you are quite probably allergic, but it also harbors dust and mold. As soon as possible, replace your carpeted areas with either wood floors or tile, either of which will be allergen free.

Ceilings: A safe ceiling solution that is working well for us is pine 2 x 6′s. We’ve used them in every room and it’s lovely.

Insulation: After lengthy research, we decided upon a type of blow-in insulation called green fiber cellulose. It appears to be made largely of recycled newspapers but oddly enough has no odor of newspapers (which is a good thing because I’m allergic to that too) and is highly mold resistant. We used it inside our walls and in the attic and it’s working well.

Beds and Furniture: Often these items contain polyurethane stuffing, not to mention polyester fabric usually treated with fire retardant. If you are suffering from MCS, you will most certainly be affected by this. Janice’s has pure cotton beds and sheets that you may want to try. A less expensive alternative that we employ is this: Take a regular spring mattress (twin-size) and remove all the stuffing so that you are left with only the bare metal springs. Then put this on a metal cot, or on the floor and cover it with a washable pad, then your sheets and blankets or sleeping bag. With this method, everything is washable and you can be sure that the fabric used is all cotton and safe for you. No dangerous fumes and no allergy-producing dust mites!

Doors: Make sure the doors in your house are solid wood and not particle board covered by a thin sheet of metal or wood.

Vacuums: The best vacuum you can buy is a Rainbow. It uses water in the tank, so the dust you vacuum up goes straight into a water bath, which keeps it from going back into the air. If you are sensitive to house dust, or have allergies, try a Rainbow. You can find used ones on E-bay.