Where IS the Perfect Place to Live with Mold Allergies?
Mold allergy sufferers may spend their lives in search of the perfect climate. There are criteria when selecting a home based on environmental conditions, but unfortunately there is no true, universal answer.
Since there are so many types of people and so many varieties of mold, not to mention the fluctuating climate of any area throughout the seasons, it is virtually impossible to name one spot as the Utopia of all allergy victims.
That said, there is still some amount of hope. Allergy sufferers should always check the mold and pollen count of each season in any area before moving. They may be moving into a war zone.
It is good to be prepared for what lies ahead, especially if this enables them to choose a different new home.
Large Cities
Large cities, such as Charleston, SC, and Houston, TX seem to be worse for those fleeing allergies. Charleston and Houston were number one and two of the top twenty-five cities in the US in 2001, according to a study released by Flonase.
It may be the pollution or the population, but no matter the reason, those who are subjected to allergies have found living in large cities to be miserable.
Conditions
Warm, windy conditions are also distressing. Mold thrives on warmth, and travels by way of the breeze.
Those violently allergic to mold should stay away from this type of climate at all cost. Even those who are less allergic than others should avoid this.
Humidity
Humidity, too, can be a mold’s friend and allergy victim’s enemy. Areas that are often moist promote mold growth, creating an environment unfriendly to most.
Those that live near water, such as the coast, and suffer from mold allergies, ought to consider moving inland. Those that are thinking about moving to the coast: don’t.
Coupled with heat and wind, this is a nightmare.
Seasons
Many molds are dormant in the winter, but not all. A region that freezes more frequently or for longer periods of time than most would be ideal for allergies.
However, the Northwest United States is still uncomfortable for anyone bothered by mold. The fact remains that not many people long to spend their lives in a cold, arid location.
Some people do eventually find their own version of Utopia, and still more don’t. There is no right answer.
All anyone can do is keep a clean, dry home, and do their best to avoid situations that may cause an allergic attack.
45 comments
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I heard that salt water kills mold and the best places to live would be in Salt Lake City or near a beach. Is that true? Even with the humidity? I do feel better when I go to the beach.
What auto has the best AC system for filtering out allergens including mold?
I’m new to this page & have genetic mold illness and mold allergies. Great question above about whether sea salt kills mold. Wish someone could answer that :)
There is a new invention which simulates fresh air. It kills mold,takes out dander and spores. I should know since I’m highly reactive to mold. Ive used the “Air Restore” for a month now and haven’t been disappointed in the least! In fact Ive learned that it deters insects because they don’t like this quiet running device. Please check this out for yourself or for a loved one. I trust you will benefit from what you learn! See my site at my.airrestoreusa.com/rcm
I live 12 miles from the Gulf, and the mold is very bad here. It is hot and humid, so mold is rampant.
I didn’t come here to do anything but look for the best places to live with mold. I’m hoping to relocate. But I tell you this is the best thing yet for mold and allergies. My.AirRestoreUsa.Com /rcm.
I have been having a tough time breathing for a couple of years now. It seems the culprit is
a mold allergy. I cannot see any mold in my house, but according to mold testing it exists. My question is with not being able to see it, how can I deal with it and clean it up.
I want to be able to enjoy my home, but at this time I am having to live elsewhere. When I visit my home, I am back to struggling with my breathing. Any suggestions would be so appreciated.
I live in western Oregon and have a mold allergy. If I moved to central Oregon, 2 hours away, where it is much drier would that help?
Does Bend Oregon pose lesser of a threat to a mold allergy sufferer than Corvallis?
We built a brand new house and took great precautions to protect against mold. After only 3 years there was aspergillus mold in the crawl space but it is not seen and the source never found. We spent over 6,000 in renovations and 10 months in a hotel and even though the test finally came back negative I still can’t breath in the house. My advise is to sell the house and move!
We live at the Jersey shore. Mold is just ad bad unless perhaps you can afford a nillion dollar house on the beach. But then you deal with coastal flooding and resultant mold. So, no…I don’t think living at the beach helps. I can often smell the mold outside….everything is damp.
I am moving to Bend Oregon to escape the mold I’m experiencing living on Oregon west coast… I live 45 minutes from Lincoln city and this mold is taking a toll on my health… Bend is a way dryer climate and I do better there. I used to live there..
I bought a new home in SW Florida 7 miles from the beach. I was sick and didn’t know why and found out through a mold sample test done by an expert my house was contaminated by three molds that are airborne. Penicillium Aspergillius, Chatasporium and Cladasporioum. I wish I never learned the names of this type of mold caused by high humidity and water damage.
I had an expensive remediation 85K my home and passed the clearance test. I chose the best companies with squeaky clean BBB’s A++ ratings moved back in and now 8 moths later am sick again. The new air quality specialist sold me a Carrier Infinity (do not buy this line in a humid area especially in Florida). My comfort specialist assured me this was the perfect HVAC system to remedy my problem. Obviously it was not.
I lived in Minneapolis MN and wish I never left. The snow kills off everything and it is the most beautiful state I have ever lived in and when they say Minnesota nice is that true it is!
My advice is the same sell the house do your homework and move on!
Does living near the ocean help in mold sphere allergies
My 11 yr old daughter has severe mold allergies. We started out in San Diego, which was amazing if you can afford it. Then Dallas Texas – horrible! So I thought. Moved to Northern Georgia and not so bad except for spring pollen counts. Went on the Birmingham, AL which made Texas look easy. 45 days out of school due to illness. Medicated likes she is an adult… nothing helped. Recently came down to the Gulf Coast and she is ok right near the beach but 5 to 7 miles inland, it changes.
We did a 4700 road trip last year and noticed she did really well in Colorado.
When I discovered I had toxic black mold in my air-conditioner in Orlando, FL I hired a technician who I thought had cleaned my home free of mold and whatnot the Mold Treatment center in a suburb of Atlanta. They told me I can’t go back to my home, car, clothes or any of my possessions. I just walked away from it all after spending thousands of dollars with so called experts in the Industry. I have been living in NJ for the last 4 years mold free. I had to start over, it’s very hard to do, but you MUST to live healthy and mold free.
I had mold growing INSIDE my body for at least six years. It is now out, but the damage is done. I live in Florida and perpetually am symptomatic due to the heat and humidity. I’m trying to relocate to Colorado to salvage my health. I was thinking cold and dry might be my only saving grace at quality of life!
I need recommendations on suitable place to live when you have mold allergies
i am highly allergic to mold & suffer constant sinus infections despite every allergy medication, including shots. I lived in Denver CO during college & didn’t get sick once, so for a lot of you that is a great option. I’m right outside of Philadelphia now & am looking to move, because as much as I love being near family & friends, I am sick all the time. This year with all the rain, outdoor spores are terrible. I lived in Charleston SC a few years ago & it was just as bad. My husbands job keeps us on the East Coast, but we are thinking maybe Florida close to the beach?
I live in Philadelphia and am dying from the mold allergies
I moved to Florida south of Tampa last year from Michigan to retire. I found out I’m highly allergic to mold, had all the tests. I have never been so sick every day in my life. The air isn’t fresh smells of mold and fungus all the time. Mold and fungus grown everywhere, on roofs, sidewalks, driveways , trees , etc it’s everywhere. Just look , see black, it’s mold! I’m now having my condo evaluated as I’m so sick inside too. No one understands just how sick it makes a person feel! Have to move ASAP to try on get health back. But where??? Help? Would love suggestions! I don’t really want to go back to Michigan due to 5 months of snow! Florida is #2 for mold due to weather conditions. Stay clear if Florida. And if you like drinking water from a tap , forget it! Have to haul bottled water or buy Culligan! Also 2nd worst state for water quality. Everyone here I know is sick from something !
Currently residing in southern Alabama and it’s the worst place for my mold allergy out of the 6 states i’ve lived (PHILA BURBS, JERSEY SHORE, SAN DIEGO, CHARLESTON SC, SAVANNAH GA.) My mold illness makes me extremely sensitive to chemicals, pesticides, fungicides, perfume/cologne, hairspray, laundry detergent, etc. I’ve lived here for a year and a couple months in a brand new home and my health has degraded faster than ever before. I can’t be anywhere near people because the sensitivities have become completely overwhelming for my body. All the stores and everything in them including fresh produce are covered in what smells like perfume, plus toxic mold. I am assuming the perfume smell is usually fungicides. I think all structures down here have a plethora of mold, mildew, pesticides, and fungicides. It’s been hell.
From my experience, living in the northeast, as much as I hate the climate, seems to be a better option for dealing with my mold illness. My next goal/hope is to move back to the jersey shore, close enough to the ocean to get consistent ocean air in my lungs without living in a flood zone. At this point, living in an older home is always going to be a huge risk, so the newer the construction the better. I have also found that tanning whether outside or in a tanning bed helps my body clear out mold immensely. It also helps with the depression and anxiety that come along with mold illness. UVB rays are what you’re after. Not too much and get exposure year round (hence tanning bed if you’re far from the equator.)
From the bottom of my heart, I hope everyone here stays strong battling these issues and fights to get themselves and their loved ones into clean homes in clean places…as hard as it may be.
Jenn I experience the exact same thing, I can differentiate the smell of mold when it’s sort of masked by perfumes, the air coming out of a dryer mixed with fabric softener, we renovated our house to try & fix the problem but it persist. I can’t really go out because of how strong it smells in some areas especially near storm drains. We’re moving to a new home about 20 minutes away more inland in Los Angeles county. 34 miles away from the ocean & im currently 24 miles away. I really hope this will be it, but today we had bad air quality and I wanted to go check the area out on a bad day. The moldy haze/smog/most is strongly present there on somedays :( but it’s the opposite of my current downtown home. God bless you all
Deathly allergic to mold, trying to stay alive. Live in SWFL and cannot escape toxic indoor mold to literally save my life. Now that we took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, EVERY building has water damage.
I’m fresh out of the hospital again and just got disability because of the mold, so I now have the ability to move.
I’m debating Berkley, Denver or Madison for the disability services, environment and social climate.
I’m not really into snow, so I about have my heart set on Berkley, but now I’m worried about it being on the coast.
Are Denver and Madison my only real options?
Grew up on the Jersey Shore and about 10 years ago was getting so sick I could not function. I was diagnosed with mold illness. I tried Living in AZ, NC, SC, now NY. I Just got Subsidized (disability) Housing in NY near Binghamton and did not initially smell the mold. Thought I would take the chance and I can only smell it on certain days, depending on the humidity. I need to move, once again, looking up best places and CO is a place I think I may try, if I can find Housing! I hate being away from the ocean but I just cannot live in a humid, damp, wet climate. I did okay in AZ but I was living in my car. A lot of buildings in AZ have mold and the air quality is awful in Phoenix. Any suggestions?
Nicole,
Denver is ranked #8 highest in mold count in the nation and there is literally zero legal protection. I don’t advise it. Everyone I know in the front range corridor has experienced black mold since the 2013 flood. Our family has suffered severely and 9 moves later we have given up and are relocating with nothing, no possessions and trading out our vehicle, because cross contamination is rampant. The only viable climate for mycotoxin illness is cold, high desert.
I lived in the Midwest most of my life with no problems. Moved to coastal NC and it’s killing me. There is no escape from mold. Developed bad asthma at age 63 and I’m sick all the time. I never should’ve left Illinois . Unless you have this allergy, you have no idea how it changes your life.
Cold high dry desert is Nevada. Reno is about 4000′ and very dry. It rarely gets hot. It rains little, the sierras suck out the water. I hope this helps.
Not that this helps, but during a vacation to Corsica- an island in Mediterranean- my mold irritations vanished.
Obviously this doesn’t mean we can all uproot and move to Sardinia or Sicily, but it may be worth thinking about what is specific to a Mediterranean climate In a search for places OTHER than inland and cold.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ALLLLLLL, THE COMMENTS BECAUSE WE MOVED TO EAST TEXAS DUE TO MY HUSBAND’S JOB, BUT I AM SICK ALL THE TIME. UNLESS IT IS TOTALLY DRY AND HOT BECAUSE OF MOLD ALLERGY, IT IS TERRIBLE I CANNOT BREATHE IN MY HOUSE AND IF IT IS RAINING I CANNOT OUTSIDE AT ALL… BEEN HERE 12 YEARS AND MY HUSBAND CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY I AM SO SICK ALL THE TIME… I AM GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE ASAP.. IT IS RUINING MY HEALTH ALL THE TIME EVERYDAY…. IT MAKES ME CRY AND MY JOINTS AND BONES HURT CANNOT HARDLY WALK AT ALL… SO SICK…. AND YOU CAN GO TO THE DOCTOR BUT THAT DOES NOT HELP THEY JUST GIVE YOU MEDS THAT YOU TAKE ALL THE TIME… EVEN MY DOGS HAVE PROBLEMS WITH LIVING HERE . SO SAD… PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MOLD AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH AT ALL… WELL, I WILL BE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE IF ANYONE HAS SUGGESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL OR I AM ON FACEBOOK ALSO…. GOD BLESS AND I AM SO SORRY THAT EVERYONE IS SICK WITH MOLD.. IT IS VERY SAD WHEN YOU CANNOT BREATHE AT ALL I HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE AND GET AWAY TO BREATH LIKE I GO TO THE WHATABURGER JUST TO BREATHE BECAUSE THEIR CLEAN AND HAVE TILE ALL OVER THE FLOORS AND WALLS…. LOTS OF LOVE FROM TEXAS…..PS. DO NOT EVER MOVE TO EAST TEXAS AT ALL. IT WILL KILL YOU THE HUMIDITY AND MOLD AND MOLDSPORES AND MILDEW….
i live in Maine and also have mold health problems. I dont notice it from outside because the air is clean and crisp.
mine is from buildings that have had water damage and they don’t have it removed. I have been clearing it for two years.I treat with a homeopathy and a naturopath. I take drops for mold and fungus. If not treated it turns to staph in the nose and breathing is horrible. I would love to chat about this more with you
Thanks for commenting! How can we help?
At 56 yrs old , I finally figured out my allergies. A lot of Dr’s , but never telling me what the real issue was! I’m originally from Michigan, lived in Florida , Las Vegas NV, Spokane WA and all over AZ and now I live in Fort Worth, TX. I have been very sick growing up in Michigan, I could smell the Mold in Florida, then lived on RX every single day in AZ .
The Same RX for a few yrs in NV , I moved in Spokane for 7 yrs and felt great. Because family and work I returned to AZ then TX.
This time I plan to move just for my allergies to Mold. It’s crazy to learn that mold is actually between the walls in the desert from condensation .
It makes sense…..but why live on RX drugs ?
I don’t want to go back to WA, thought of Colorado or Nebraska ? I really don’t know where to retire. Idaho has bad pollution as well as many other places. I’m frustrated , but defiantly ready to leave Texas. Google states with mold and you’ll see where not to live.
If anyone has lived somewhere positive, please drop me a line. Thx , Kim
Hi Andrea and Everyone,
I live in Indianapolis and even though many comments above say mold suffering is reduced after a freeze, mine is worst during the cold winter! I dream of salt water and beaches. This beach environment seems to be calling to me. I am currently treating with diet changes and herbs from my Chiropractor which help quite a bit. Now I am not foggy or lethargic anymore.
Just spent the weekend in Kansas City where I felt fine! The minute I left the airport back here in Indianapolis I was hit with extreme nausea and a headache. After one night’s sleep in my apartment, I have the painful sore throat and irritated sinuses again.
I wonder if I have to get rid of all my belongings – letting go of the past. This seems too drastic.
Love and Light to All of Us and Our Healing.
someone mentioned Berkeley as a place to move, do not even think about it. Mold is a huge issue here.
If anyone is interested in working on their health issues please contact me. Dr. Rosalia Mariz 510 459 5761 text
or email at [email protected]
I suffered from chronic headaches, sinus and bronchial infections, asthma, lethargy, bone and joint pain, vertigo, inability to walk without support (i.e., holding onto walls), weakness all over, open sores and scarring on my arms and legs, etc., for 4+ years. I was under doctor’s care throughout, living on antibiotics, steroids, and pain killers. I tried every type of natural remedies, vitamins, herbs, etc., to no avail. Doctors only treated my symptoms. One doctor stated she could see how sick I am, but didn’t know why. No one could understand why I was so sick and gaining so much weight. I had been a lifelong walker, a tennis player, and aerobics exerciser. I had been a very positive person until I began to get sick. I began to stay at home more often due to the chronic illness and fatigue, and to avoid the judgements of others. I knew nothing about mold.
One day, I found a pair of shoes covered in mold. I knew nothing about mold other than what you might see on a loaf of bread. So, I threw the shoes out. Sometime later, I mentioned the shoes to someone and she exclaimed, you’ve been sick, it could be mold. She suggested I contact the Health Department. A representative came to my home and began pulling heavy furniture from the walls, all covered with mold. Under my bed, on the mattress. Mold is airborne, it seeks warm moist places, like your nose, mouth, and ears. It enters your body and your lungs. It permeates your skin. It was causing all of my illness since I moved into this home. The mold was under the paint on all the walls and under the carpet. It was all over my home and out of sight. I had moved into this home 4 years prior when my illnesses began.
I was told to get out of the home immediately, leaving everything porous behind. I lost all my furniture, clothing, shoes, sheets, electronics, bedding, etc. Basically, all I took with me was non-porous, i.e., glassware (after thorough cleaning). Yes, it gets into your electronics (TV, microwave, radios, clocks, etc.).
Long story short, after about a week out of the mold environment, most of my symptoms disappeared. I could walk again. What I still suffered from was daily headaches, asthma, and sinus infections. I later learned after several trips to head surgeons, that getting out of the mold environment would not cure the severe sinus disease caused by the mold. However, I was given a 99% chance that sinus surgery would cure the sinus pain, infections, headaches, and asthma. I had the second worst sinus disease that the surgeon had ever seen. He didn’t understand how I lived one day with this disease, much less 4+ years. The surgery was a success and everything disappeared almost immediately, including the asthma.
It should be mentioned that I had no history of any of these illnesses prior to moving into this mold ridden home.
Please understand that leaving almost everything behind is the surest way to ensure you don’t take even one contaminated item with you to your new home that can contaminate your new home. Also, remember, you can’t see mold spores, and they are airborne. Seeing the mold comes long after the damage is done to you and your family. Also, remember, not everyone in the household will get sick, making it difficult for others to understand why you’re sick.
One last thought is that to this day, I do not believe that mold remediation is effective. It is temporary at best. My recommendation is get out, leave it all behind you, and start a new life without the horrific illness that comes from living with mold.
I wish you all the best of health and happiness.
You guys most of you probably have Biotoxin illness. Not a mold allergy! Look it up. Most drs do not know what it even is! You need a functional dr! Get a urine mycotoxins test. For God sakes don’t move to the beach. Do not live near anywhere hurricanes or flooding has been! Clean your hvac. Get an air purifier. Learn how to bind these toxins out of your body. Look up Marcons! Get a mold illness dr not Allergy! I have suffered and lost everything. I live in Florida it’s a struggle mold is everywhere!!! My hubs is military so I cannot move:(
Hello Everyone. I now live in Florida, but I lived in Nebraska for forty years. I would suggest trying Papillion, NE or Lincoln, NE. I lived in Lincoln for over 20 years and did not have any problems with mold or air quality. The air quality is great in Nebraska and the cost of living is reasonable compared to Colorado. Lincoln and Papillion are rating very high on the US quality of life rankings.
Hmmm I’m in the midst of all this too. Glad to know not the only one. I’ve tried living eveywhere..it’s hard unless you have enough $$ for a decent rental. My severe mold exposure was some time ago as in 12 years or more ..I’ve had jaw surgeries since which prob the mold exposure didn’t help the outcome as mold exposure was prior to and jaw surgeries for different reason ..now have extreme dry sinus regardless where am but since married live in dry High sw co which has proven a disaster. Sinus infections over and over and 2 sinus surgeries. Severe upper upper airway issues and sleep apnea from the inflammation. I’m at coast in a hotel sc..however the pesticides..the aeriel mosquito spraying and who knows what else affects..same with anywhere in Florida. Anywhere out west severe problems bc too dry and all those places still have mold damaged buildings as well as allergies. Cotton fields in az full of chemcials. I’m running completely out of ideas and husband has property in co we love but I can’t seem to live ? I also have significant multiple chemical sensitivity. Western nc where grew up is one of the worst places for me and is where the mold damaged building..(parents house). Coastal nc had hurricane had to break lease bc black mold last fall.
Hello, I moved from Austin Texas to get away from airborne mold. I first moved to Salt Lake City, and for several months the change was good. Then the heavy snows that year made the following spring and summer very bad for mold. The mold was in the high range every day for at least 6 months. I progressively got very sick and finally had to move again. This time I moved to St George Utah, which is on the southern border of the state and it borders Arizona and Nevada. The mold is always in the low range here so that is great. I developed a new allergy to dust and dander which is bad here in the fall and winter months. I’m still glad I’m here rather than Texas. They do have plenty of seasonal allergies here that affect me all year long, but I have a chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Disorder, so that is always going to be an issue for me. Hope this information can help someone. St George also has extremely low pollution, I read that it’s in the top 3 cities for clean air in the US. Air pollution is a killer – It shortens people’s lives. Another tip – try using an old school antihistame and see if it helps – it’s called Nasalcrom, which is over-the-counter (also can be ordered on Amazon – the brand is HealthGuard on Amazon, and it’s called Cromolyn Sodium Nasal Solution, USP. You can also get a prescription for the oral type – it is in small vials that you mix with water and drink it – no taste – this has made a measurable improvement in my life. The other name for it is Cromolyn Sodium. Some people who have breathing problems get the type of cromolyn sodium that can be inhaled (prescription). If you think you might have something more serious than a typical allergy, check into these 2 conditions: Histamine Intolerance and/or Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD). There are also facebook groups for these conditions where you can learn more, and plenty of websites too. My suffering is much more tolerable now and it’s also nice to know what is wrong with you. I can’t afford a functional medicine doctor or an Integrative doctor, but those doctors will be able to help when the traditional allergist is at a loss for what is wrong with you. Three allergists that I saw didn’t know what was wrong with me. I did test positive for plenty of allergies but I was sicker than I should have been. Hope all this helps someone!
I am dying from histamine intolerance due to mold allergies. There is no natural solution I’ve found. Most illnesses, diseases and ailments known to man are caused by histamine. It is poison.
I actually got mold poisoning from a building in Flagstaff, AZ but surprisingly outdoor levels of mold are low there and with it being at high elevation its generally extremely dry except the place I was living in had a bad roof leak so not even a dry climate would fix that. I will say I did the best in southern Arizona near Sierra Vista in a clean dry house in the high desert where you can usually open the windows constantly and mostly year round due to mild climate, also they got occasional hard frosts which helped kill off mold but since it was so dry there I don’t think it was too much of an issue there plus due to elevation the air is more dry and less condensation than in Phoenix. I found buildings in Phoenix AZ to be so moldy and set off my allergies constantly because everyone lets their AC’s run 24/7 and never let their evaporator in their AC unit let air dry at least once every few days I think that’s why its a huge contributor to mold problems there. I used to live in Ogden, Utah and I ended up moving because of the local air pollution, toxic dust from the salt flats and higher outdoorr mold than I was used to in AZ set off my headaches unbelievably bad. I then moved back near my hometown of San Diego, CA. Outdoors it seems great especially in the rural areas but the buildings are very old and most are very mold prone due to the extremely high ambient humidity. I feel like its a constant battle to keep mold at bay here. You can leave used clothes in a hamper for a few days and can guarantee mold growth. Also most nights a cool sea breeze causes a damp dew to saturate everything with humidity. I think its a big problem living near the ocean IMO. I’m hoping to move back out to the high desert again away from major urban centers I think its the best place for a mold avoider granted you have the right building to live in.
We are in a home where we now have mold spores spreading everywhere including bedding clothes and cars in New Jersey.
Does anyone know anything about west Texas?
oh my lord okay I heard one positive location Lincoln, Nebraska and one positive solution: leave everything behind. Wondering if there is a mold-free shelter in Lincoln to which my son and I can move?
Blessings and prayers to this issue; obviously we as the human race need mold-free building solutions.