Why I Built MoldSafeLiving.com
I'm not a mold expert. I'm a parent and a former renter who has lived through the chaos, confusion, and health scares that mold can cause. What started as small warning signs turned into months of illness, stress, and nonstop searching for answers.
Before I was married, my fiancé and I lived in a rental where mold quietly built up in the closet. It ruined our clothes, damaged our shoes, and started to affect our health. Luckily, we were able to move shortly after we discovered it. At the time, we didn’t even know what to look for, and we certainly didn’t know where to turn for help.
Years later, our daughter left for college. Within just her first month on campus, she got pneumonia. Then it happened again. And again. By the end of that semester, she had been diagnosed with pneumonia four times. We do not have a sickly child, so this was strange. Many seasoned parents told us it sounded like "the crud," which is a term often used to describe a mild illness with symptoms like a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and fatigue. My wife has over 20 years in the medical field as an RN and it stumpee her too.
She was living over 500 miles away. We brought her home to recover, only for her to return to school and get sick again. When she was too weak to travel, we booked hotel rooms near campus so she could rest and recover while still attending classes. We normally stayed a week each time, and we were traveling so often that we became Platinum members at one of the hotels.
The situation put stress on everything. Our work, our savings, our routines, and our peace of mind. We couldn’t get clear answers. Medical tests always came back with the same result: pneumonia. But no one could explain why it kept returning.
What really scared my wife and me was one morning when we received a call from our daughter. She said she was having trouble breathing again. I couldn’t leave right away, so I booked an emergency flight for my wife to be with her. She nursed her back to health, but once again, the symptoms returned.
It wasn’t until near the end of the semester that we finally discovered the real cause. There was mold in her dorm. Her suitemates were also getting sick, though at first we thought our daughter’s situation was isolated. Thankfully, the father of her roommate had connections and was able to get the room professionally tested. With proof in hand, the school moved her and roommates to a new room. Her symptoms went away, but she suffered from brain fog for 6 month after. The old dorm room was profesionally clead for mold by the College once all the students moved out.
Looking back, we were overwhelmed, unprepared, and completely on our own. That’s why I created MoldSafeLiving.com.
This site is for renters, parents, students, and anyone who suspects something might be wrong in their living space but doesn’t know where to start. I’m here to share what we wish we had known. You’ll find practical tools, clear answers, and trusted resources so you can take action and breathe easier.