Matt Kelly explores whether new construction actually fixes mold-related illness. New builds release high levels of VOCs from paint and carpet that can trigger inflammatory reactions in people with mast cell issues or chemical sensitivity, mimicking mold symptoms. Homes 3-5 years old offer a better balance: old enough for VOCs to off-gas, new enough to avoid water damage.
Is the answer to finding a mold free place to live. New construction. Some people get so tired and stressed and fatigued from trying to find a mold free place, which I get. It's hard. Depending where you live, it can be extremely hard. Hard to find a place that's safe to live that they just say, okay, I'm going to go rent a brand new place, I'm going to find the money, I'm going to pony up for this extra rent to have a brand new build. Or some people have the budget and they say, that's it, we're building a new house. Let's get in a new place. We won't have any mold problems. That can sometimes be a big problem. And the reason is the voc. So the volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde and all the different chemicals that come in your carpeting and your paint and your drywall and your furniture and all this, your cabinetry, the glues, all these, all these new items are full of chemicals. And that off gassing creates a problem for some people just as big as the mold. Okay, I've had people where they move into new construction and then they reach out to me. They're like, matt, it must be moldy because I'm reacting like crazy. My symptoms have spiked. And the reason is they just got this influx, this overflow of toxins, these volatile organic compounds, these chemicals just saturating their body, that it creates an inflammatory response, which if they already had a chronic inflammatory response or they already have mast cell or multiple chemical sensitivity, histamine intolerance, that it just spikes it. And when you spike your inflammation, whatever your personal symptoms are, they just get worse. So people react just like they went into a moldy place and now this is their brand new home that they get to live in. So is new construction always the answer when you're trying to get out of mold, you're trying to get a safe space, it's not. It can create awful trouble for people. Then they say, matt, I'll just get a VOC filter. What one should I get? And I don't think one exists that's going to compensate for what's happening in a house. I've tested Austin Air and I've never seen it to really lower VOCs. Dyson apparently has one. I don't have it. I'd love to get it. If I win Powerball, I'll get one. And then I'll do a. I'll measure with my formaldehyde meter and measure before and after and see if it actually does Help. But new construction of VOCs, when people have SIRs, when people have mast cell, when people have multiple chemical sensitivity or histamine intolerance can be a very bad option. So what do you do? I tell people to look for a place that's a few years older. You know, three to five years old is what I share with people a lot. Because you have time for VOCs to drop. You don't have 20, 30, 50 years of attic leaks, punctured water, leaky water lines, dishwasher leaks, tubs overflowing, shower going down the side of the wall. You don't have as many years of problems. Now, new home construction in some areas of the country is really bad. You know, in our area, our new builds are fine. Our house is okay. It's had a couple issues, but if you know what you're doing, you can prevent a lot of issues. That's why I made my mold proof your home masterclass, so that if you get a new build, you implement all these strategies to make sure you prevent a mold problem. But if it's too late, if you've already built a new home or you've already leased new condo for 12 months or something, what can you do? You're cracking your windows. Is your best friend fresh air? Hopefully it has an HRV or an ERV air exchanger. You want that inside air going out, you want air exchanging all the time. But usually that's not enough to drop people's symptoms that are reacting to those high VOCs. So you crack a window at the north and south or east and west, try to get across breeze. And that's the quickest way to drop VOCs and in your home to lower the toxicity, which then lowers the inflammation, which then lowers your symptoms. So is it always an answer? It's not for people that are very sensitive. But if someone doesn't have mast cell, they don't have multiple chemical sensitivity SIRS or histamine intolerance. It can be the good, it can be a great option, a brand new house. But just be wary of the VOCs. Even if you're not reacting, it's still very toxic to the body. Crack your windows, keep your air exchanger on high. You want that fresh air coming in. Hope, hope that helps.
Do you have questions about mold in your home or body? Book a consultation with Matt, AKA the mold man to guide your home and body to the next level of healing.
