Hi! My name is Ashley and I'm the founder of Minimizing Mold, formerly known as Healing From Mold.

I've been through it all - starting with my health suffering greatly from mold illness after unknowingly living in a moldy home for nearly 11 years - to testing my home for mold - to hiring a mold inspector - to having THREE mold remediation jobs done on my home because the first two failed - and rebuilding my home post-mold remediation. Yes. You heard that right. I unfortunately had to go through 3 mold remediation jobs.

Warning! This is a pretty long story, so read at your own risk. If you don’t want to read it, feel free to explore the rest of our website.

A few years after moving into my home in 2011, I developed some minor health concerns including dry eyes (meibomian gland dysfunction), painful periods, reoccurring hormonal migraines, bad breath and post nasal drip. I could never pinpoint the root cause of these health concerns, and it always bugged me. I learned to just deal with it because doctors would always say I'm fine according to my lab work.

In 2021, one year after working from home full-time, I began experiencing an onset of alarming health issues popping up one- by-one over the year.

My mystery illness symptoms included:

• Chronic Fatigue

•  Hair loss

• Worsening dry eyes (My eyelids were so inflamed it looked like I had purple eyeliner on.)

• Acne

• Hyperpigmentation on my face

• Loss of collagen on my face

• Dry scaly skin under my eyes, and on my feet, legs, and elbows

• Irritability/Anger

• Feeling full and bloated all the time when I should be hungry

• Balance issues

• Dizziness

• Anxiety

• Racing Heart

• Insomnia

• Dry Cough

• Difficulty Breathing

• Blood in my nose

• Hypothyroidism - Hoarseness and lump in throat

Around September of 2021, I was becoming very concerned about my health. I didn't feel like myself, nor did I look look like myself. I had chronic fatigue no matter how much I slept, and I looked like I had aged 10 years over the period of just one year. 

At that point, I had no trust in a traditional conventional doctor helping me, and decided to seek guidance from a functional nutritionist I learned about on a local Facebook group. She could order all the lab work for me that a typical doctor would never order, and she was less expensive than seeing a functional doctor. 

After several visits and and some lab work, it was discovered that one of the major issues I had was Candida overgrowth. These results were seen on my GI Stool Map test. After discovering this, my nutritionist gave me a guidebook for an anti-candida diet. I followed it religiously for 3 months but I wasn't seeing ANY improvement. 

My symptoms were actually worsening, and towards the end of the year, I was becoming very ill. In fact I truly thought I was dying. My heart was constantly racing, my anxiety was through the roof, I had major insomnia, it was becoming difficult to read books to my son because my throat felt so inflamed (thyroid issue), I couldn't breathe well, I developed a dry cough, bloody nose, and more. 

Shortly after my anti-candida diet fail, I noticed my 5 year old son (at the time) was experiencing candida overgrowth symptoms too. Candida overgrowth signs for my son were itchiness upon waking, belching, and feeling full all the time.

It was at that point when I just knew that MOLD in our home was making us sick! I didn't see any visible mold in my home, but I had read enough about it in Facebook groups and Instagram posts to know that mold could be hiding in my home.

I also learned about an ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index) test on Instagram and decided to purchase one for my home. An ERMI is a dust test that analyzes the DNA of mold spores in your home and can determine if the level of spores are dangerously high, as well as decipher the different species of mold in your home.

The ERMI report confirmed my suspicion. I had high levels of several toxic mold species in my home - some being Chaetomium, Penicillium Aspergillus, and Cladosporium. To solidify my confirmation, I also took a urine mycotoxin test which confirmed I had elevated levels of a mycotoxin called Ochratoxin A, and crazy high levels of a microbial VOC called Mycophenolic Acid.

After both confirmations, I hired a mold inspector (Texas Mold Inspectors) to locate all the hidden mold in my home, got my mold assessment report, and then a mold remediation protocol from the inspector to provide to a non-affiliated mold remediation company of my choice. I was ready to make my home safe to live in.

Little did I know that finding a mold remediation company would be the most stressful part of my entire mold journey. Finding a knowledgeable mold remediation company with good workers that actually care about your health and your home is like finding a needle in a haystack. I'm not even exaggerating. 

After going through two botched mold remediation jobs with companies I genuinely thought would do a good job, I was starting to lose hope. I provided both companies with my mold remediation protocol and neither of them followed it word for word like they were supposed to; they just did what they wanted to. They failed to use proper containment in my home so my entire home was cross contaminated, they re-contaminated my air ducts, one of the companies used white encapsulation paint to cover up existing mold (which is a big no no), and neither company had negative air pressure established in my home.  

After searching for WEEKS, I still couldn't find a mold remediation company I wanted to hire to finish working on my home. The first two companies I hired did not take mold illness seriously, and I was worried about making the wrong decision again. I was so desperate I started posting on every Facebook mold group I could find asking for mold remediation company recommendations in the Houston area. 

Then one day, an angel commented on my post telling me about how her husband recently recovered from a terminal illness caused by mold. They had a botched mold remediation job and once he got better, he got licensed in mold remediation, fixed their home and then started his own mold remediation company called Restore and Renew Mold Remediation. My gut told me this was "the one" for me.  I finally managed to find that 'needle in a haystack' company.

I hired them almost immediately after my initial consultation with the owner, and was impressed by their kindness, knowledge and work ethic every step of the way. It took about two weeks to complete remediation of my home, but I am happy to say my home passed clearance testing and I finally got my Certificate of Mold Remediation!

I still haven't moved back in yet because there’s still a lot of rebuilding to do, but I have healed so much already since leaving my moldy home and staying with my parents starting in March 2022.  And I am thrilled I can continue healing in my home after it's put back together in the most mold conscious way!

Although going through three mold remediations is something I would never wish upon anyone, I am forever grateful for the knowledge I acquired along the way. I have learned so much about proper mold remediation techniques and processes, as well as things to look out for when choosing a mold remediation company.

Over the past 4 four years I have learned so much about mold prevention, mold avoidance, mold inspection, mold remediation, and holistic healing modalities for Mold Illness and Mold Toxicity. 

I want to empower those impacted by Mold Illness/Mold Toxicity to make informed decisions about:

• Hiring a well educated mold inspector and mold remediator

• Mold Testing

• Mold Prevention

• Discarding  vs cleaning moldy possessions

• Building or rebuilding a low 'mold risk' home

It has been a long, frustrating, and stressful journey for me but I have finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. I realize this all happened for a reason and I am thankful for all the obstacles I endeavored.  My hope is that Minimizing Mold will help ease any stress or doubts you may have in your mind as you navigate through this wild, confusing, and often lonely journey. 

I wish you the best of luck on your mold healing journey.

Love,

Ashley