No mold, no paint, no laminate, where can I go?

September 30, 2017 12:36 PM

Where to go and what to do when fresh paint and laminate flooring (in a fresh apartment or rental house) and mold and mustiness (in an older apartment or rental house) are both anathema? I'm seriously in a difficult situation now and not sure how to proceed. The short-term lodging I did find is not great and also slightly allergenic, and will be worse if cold weather forces closed windows.

Suddenly, it's not possible for me to put up with "just a little" of things that irritate my system. Mustiness now makes my throat scratchy, my nose bright red, and eyes very irritated, and my ophthalmologist is concerned. VOCs/formaldehyde/something from laminate flooring and new paint make me nauseated, then really sick and give me raging headaches. I can't live with either.

Air fresheners and many cleaning products also give me headaches and/or allergies, so hotels aren't great either.

I'm focusing on rentals since we might be leaving the area in a year or so. We own the current "home", I'm considering just tearing out all flooring, including the new laminate, but that seems wasteful and then we'd just have the bare sub-floor - I'm not sure that's livable either, since it would be hard to keep clean. We are going to do something to resolve the flooring there, but it will take time.

That means that I'm looking for a very clean, fresh home with no new flooring and no fresh paint. How do I do that?

(My current "home" has old carpet, which I started to replace with new flooring, and I just cannot be there at all now. My last night there I ended up trying to sleep in my car.)

I have toured a _lot_ of apartments and rental houses. Either the older wood-floor places make me feel awful because of the resident mildew, or the nicely-kept-up places make me feel awful because of the fresh paint or flooring.


Main question:

- How can I live in a place (house, apartment, whatever), where could that be, and how do I find it?

Currently taking antihistamines, but even with that, the cleaning products and air fresheners used in my current location are making my eyes burn and nose ache.

Related:

- Should I see some kind of doctor? An allergist would just say to get away from allergens, and the paint/flooring reaction isn't really an allergy anyway.

Have read about MCS, may be relevant, but I'd really prefer to find a traditional Western-medicine way to at least label this problem.

I have also looked at AirBNB listings, but none look suitable for a couple of adults looking for a 9-month stay with all their clothes.
I also need a full-sized washer/dryer so my clothes don't pick up stuff from other people's detergents.

I'm not allergic to animals, and I also don't have any animals right now, so that's helpful.

My only idea so far is to call up a bunch of rental management agencies and ask about not-yet-painted not-yet-listed real-wood-floored houses for rent. I think, though, that my great specificity has already put off one rental agent.

posted by amtho to Grab Bag (17 answers total)

Since you own your own home, can you rent or buy an RV that can fit in your driveway to sleep in/spend most of your time in while your spouse then has the ability to use the house? Since you don't need one that actually drives, a dealer should be able to find you a half-decent one at a reasonable price that may have a shot engine.

My other thought was a Tiny House in your garden, but an RV would be cheaper.

And yes, you should definately see a doctor, I doubt you will find a quick diagnosis but you need to start ruling out things and get some coping tips.
posted by saucysault at 12:45 PM on September 30, 2017

I think I buried the lede: This is kind of urgent. I'm not able to be in my house right now, and we are spending way too much money, way too quickly.

Also: What kind of doctor?

The RV/tiny house idea is interesting, but: I live(d) in a condo community, they would not stand for that (search [Finley Forest parking] if you're curious/not already depressed), and anyway I'd be concerned that an RV would be full of VOC-bearing materials (unless it was old).
posted by amtho at 12:47 PM on September 30, 2017

If it is just flooring, what about pre-finished solid wood flooring for most of the house(pre finished flooring generally uses a two part finish that doesn't release VOCs) and old school linoleum(linseed oil and cork) or tile for the kitchen and bath?
posted by rockindata at 12:53 PM on September 30, 2017

Not to thread sit, but in case the answers want to go that way:

Replacing the flooring with something like that is probably what we'll do, but I need somewhere to live while that happens. I've learned the hard way, quite recently, that rushing doesn't pay.

We're looking for something either short-term/1-2 months, or a year-ish lease.
posted by amtho at 12:59 PM on September 30, 2017

I would suggest asking your GP, if you have one, for a specialist reference; if you don't have a GP, and if you haven't seen an allergist before, that may be a place to start. Narrowing down what you're reacting to in "mustiness" would help a great deal, I think. Could be mold sensitivity, could be some other form of reaction, but knowing *precisely* what is causing the reactions will allow you to avoid triggers better, and might help you find some ways of mitigating those triggers, with air filters or other methods. There may be a sort of cascade-effect at play, where an ongoing (for example) mold allergy reaction is making you more sensitive to other triggers in your environment, and if you can get one reaction to settle down, the other sensitivities might become less severe. There are "traditional Western-medicine" types who do treat MCS-type issues, even if the AMA doesn't officially recognise a syndrome by that name, and it would likely save you more time and money to try and work out the cause of your symptoms before moving.
posted by halation at 1:01 PM on September 30, 2017

When I found myself in a similar situation (on short notice, determined that my residence was no longer livable for me though it was still livable for others), the most important thing was to get out of the apartment to someplace else for a few days so that I could get a few good nights of sleep and decide on a plan. Do you have a friend in the area who would let you sleep on their couch/house sit while they're out of the area so that you have a few days to decide your next steps when you're in better health?
posted by asphericalcow at 1:12 PM on September 30, 2017

Yes, I tend to think of RVs as having a lot of laminate / formaldehyde stuff, though I haven't looked into it recently.

You're not having any luck finding a place with hardwood floors and/or tile that doesn't have mildew? (Maybe somewhere managed by a mom and pop team that doesn't always repaint between tenants?)

Are you sure that paint is an irritant? Most paint for sale now is way lower in VOCs than paint used to be. When we painted, we didn't shell out for the "zero VOC" stuff because the regular stuff has such low VOCs that it was comparable to what used to be the best stuff available on the market (stuff that used to be marketed as "no VOCs" according to a shop clerk).

I'm struggling to offer "advice" but do really relate to this and am sorry you're experiencing it. In our experience, some laminate was okay (including the cheapest of cheap stuff from Home Depot) while some other stuff was very smelly. Cabinets were even stinkier, so I'd be even more cautious with places that have recently remodeled their kitchens. Then again, IKEA cabinets seemed okay based on my research, and with some of the new off-gassing regulations kicking in (e.g., CARB Phase 2 here in California), other new stuff might also be okay.

In short, I guess my thoughts are that in the long run, you can possibly find some low cost low VOC options to install. In the short run... are there any newly built places that market themselves as "green building" or LEED certified? They'd probably have info available on their paints and flooring.
posted by slidell at 1:13 PM on September 30, 2017

There's probably an MCS support group in your area, and you might be able to find some kind of emergency housing through them -- if nothing else, someone might be willing to let you stay in their house for a week, because a lot of them have been where you are.
posted by jamjam at 1:34 PM on September 30, 2017

You don't mention whether you've tried using air purifiers. When we moved into our house shortly after new hardwood floors had been laid down, running HEPA / VOC air purifiers throughout the house made a significant difference. These were just air purifiers we picked up on sale at Costco. If you haven't tried them already you could just try running one in a closed bedroom, and see if you can notice a difference between the bedroom and other parts of the house.
posted by research monkey at 1:36 PM on September 30, 2017

I have been using air purifiers for years. The ones I have don't work well on VOCs, but I have seen the big IQAir ones for VOCs (Vacuum Cleaner Hospital in Chapel Hill has them). I'm hesitant to invest in one since it's huge and expensive (the two-level plan of the condo makes me think we'd need two), and I'm frankly eager to move from the old condo for other reasons, but they are on the radar.

Also: known/diagnosed allergies: propylene glycol, mold, mugwort
posted by amtho at 2:06 PM on September 30, 2017

Natural wood flooring can be finished on-site using natural materials rather than polymers. This can be a viable option if you're not sensitive to the wax or shellac, and it's more esthetically pleasing anyway. There are a couple full-time wood floor installers in the Durham area who should be able to discuss your health concerns. Prefinished Bamboo might also be an option. When we were pricing flooring options last year, I was considering bamboo but was convinced to use wood in part because the resale value of property with wood flooring was much better than bamboo flooring (which is not a reflection on the quality of bamboo flooring, it's just that the market prefers wood).

Flooring tends to be installed one room at a time. Assuming there are no chemical exposure concerns you should be able to live there throughout the process, albeit with the added chore of having to move a lot of furniture.
posted by ardgedee at 2:36 PM on September 30, 2017

IQAir's top of the line looks to be around $1300. That is quite a lot of money, and will probably be even steeper if you have to change the filters regularly. But it will probably still be cheaper than monthly cost of a second living space.
posted by ardgedee at 2:45 PM on September 30, 2017

Asthmatic architect here.

Mold and mustiness are dangerous for everyone - many people seem to deal with it, but develop health problems they think are unrelated. Even when you live in an area with a high level of humidity, daily cross ventilation is key to preventing these very dangerous problems, A/C can do a lot, but it can also spread the mold. If you are in a very humid environment, you probably need de-humidifiers more that you need purifiers.
All textiles need to be thoroughly ventilated every day.
All hard surfaces need to be vacuumed, and then washed with old-fashioned suds once a week if you are sensitive. A strict cleaning regime will probably help you more than you ever imagined. Vacuum your furniture as well. Painted surfaces and surfaces treated with polymers need more frequent cleaning than timber treated with natural oils, as do all synthetic surfaces (like vinyl).
Linoleum is a great floor. It's all natural, soft to touch and easy to keep. Very good for allergies. Maybe not very trendy but there are amazing historical buildings with linoleum flooring.
Look for natural paints for your walls — when I was younger I always used old school natural mineral paints and they are not as difficult to use as some people claim, but it is a different aesthetic. Now I live with some laminates and contemporary paints, but as said, they need a lot more maintenance for me to not have respiratory and other issues. It's a priority, and it looks to me like you really need to live in a healthy building. A building that is healthy for humans is also a sound building, and it is absolutely worth it to invest in sound technologies.
If you can find a healthy old building, it might be better for you than a new one. Natural timber exudes gasses for decades and some of them may provoke headaches and other symptoms. So does concrete.
If you can find that healthy old house or apartment, strip it of all plastics, clean it with deep cleaning detergents, and then treat the walls and ceilings with natural mineral paint, and the floor with natural oils. You cannot move in for a week. When you move in, daily cross-ventilation (maybe supplemented with de-hydrators) and a thorough weekly cleaning should keep you feel healthy and happy.

I know this looks overwhelming. It is. When I realized that I would never get better, part of the issue was that I couldn't eat processed food or take-out ever on top of not being able to live in a "normal" house. Back then I cried and cried. Now I am grateful for all the interesting stuff I have learnt from the process.
posted by mumimor at 4:12 PM on September 30, 2017

Yep, I have tile, wood or lineoleum floors. The wood, they might use glue to stick it down but it is an old type of glue that dried very quickly, mine only smelled bad for a couple days. And as far as air purifiers I've had good look with Winix and similar that do take some VOCs out of the air. Open windows and fans is the real key though.

For short term there are Air BnBs that are fragrance and allergen free. You can search by that, I'd give it a try asap.
posted by fshgrl at 5:51 PM on September 30, 2017

Thanks for the idea, fshgirl. I'll ask about wood floor glue for sure; it didn't occur to me that there were different kinds!

Added in case others with this issue read this: AirBNB has drastically reduced searchability, and I don't think it's possible to search like this anymore (I just checked).

I went through the unfiltered offerings a few days ago, though, and didn't see anything that would work. AirBNB, I'm disappointed :(
posted by amtho at 6:17 PM on September 30, 2017

I am allergic to fragrances (amongst other things) and very sensitive to VOCs/chemical off-gassing. Suuuucks. I also have the IQAir and cannot possible recommend it highly enough. We run ours 12 hours a day right beneath the main intake for the A/C. The carbon filter really, really helps.

You need an allergist. It can be hard to find one that isn't just about allergy shot revenue. Getting meds might help you have the mental space to make some decisions.

Do you have a friend that you can crash with for a week or two until you can make a plan? There are several fragrance-free and MCS groups on FB- maybe post for a rental?
posted by PorcineWithMe at 6:43 PM on September 30, 2017

The Sabbatical Homes website offers rentals (as well as house sitting opportunities) and lets you check 'historical home' as a feature under options. (You can specify washer and dryer, too.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:12 PM on September 30, 2017