Does anyone live/have info about trailer living with MCS/mold sensitivity?

[GypsyGirl]

As I managed to move from the house that originally caused mold poisoning, I'm finding that I'm now sensitive to my current place - paint fumes especially, despite no recent painting in this unit.

I'm wondering if a long term solution might be living in a trailer. Has anyone lived in a trailer that was "safe" for their MCS/mold illness?

Camplite has been mentioned on various forums. (Are there other brands/models that are safe?) I can find prices, but I'm not sure where to find other practical info, like estimated monthly costs, recurring expenses, upkeep guidelines...

I'd also like to hear more of your personal experience - pros & cons, things you've found out living in a chemically-safe trailer you didn't know beforehand, anything you feel is worth mentioning.

Other than purchase price and the fact that several people on various forums have said living in a chemically-safe trailer helped, I can't find more about the process.

Any info - or where to find more info - is appreciated.

 

[minkeygirl]

Where you live, (and do you mean mobile home?) determines cost of homes, park space etc. Would you rent or own? If you purchase the loans are typically higher interest rate for less time.

The expenses are the same as if you owned your own home. The only difference is you pay rent for the space, on top of loan payments, unless you have it on private property.

If it is above ground that would help eliminate mold from flooding etc and plumbing leaks would be underneath.

I also don't know what a chemically safe trailer is. Do you mean the materials? Newer ones are probably better than older ones.

Just google your city and mobile home parks and start from there to get an idea of cost, space rent etc. Find an agent who deals specifically with mobile home sales.

 

[helen1]

There are some expert mold people on this forum, especially Slayadragon who has recovered from CFS/ME mainly via mold avoidance and treatment (as well as methylation and other things). I suggest you use the search window to find posts and threads by her, you'll learn a lot. Or it might be easier if you read her website:

http://paradigmchange.me/

 

[GypsyGirl]

@minkeygirl Yes, I mean a mobile home. To clarify, I understand the basics of purchasing a typical mobile home. I'm referring specifically to chemically safe mobile homes/trailers, meaning they are either built or refurbished with as little of the "usual" material triggers (everything from non-VOC paint, built in furniture without flame retardant sprays, to no wood/so there's no mold). Some people have also been able to find older trailers without too much damage and adapt them as needed. Regular, new trailers aren't recommended as "off gassing"(release of chemicals from new materials) isn't tolerated by people with MCS. Unfortunately. :-\

@helen1 Thank you! I will check out her site and posts here.

 

[minkeygirl]

I know what off gassing and MCS is. I never heard specific people who do Mobile homes.

You just have to find someone who can rehab it "green". There's nothing specific for rehabbing insides except maybe the plumbing.

Also you have to think about EMF if that is a concern with park utilities.

Older ones, like 30 yrs old, can be pretty cheap and you can remodel as you want. But it's harder to get insurance on older homes.

You can Google mobile home repairs and find people specific to mobile homes although I think they may charge more.

Hit up yelp too.

 

[SickOfSickness]

I don't have MCS but I have Mast Cell problems and I wouldn't be able to stand one unless all the walls, floors, and ceilings were replaced and anything that was simulated wood. And, it may be better to have one which offgassed for at least 10 years before I got it.

When you are searching, also look for people who redid their campers, travel trailers, and cabins to be eco friendly or for MCS. You want something larger, but it will give you some ideas on what is needed.

The listings on this site are old, but you could pick up some useful information from them: http://www.safertraveldirectory.com/classified.php
Notice the "click here" link that goes to a PDF that describes the trailer in more detail.

 

[Martial]

Not directly on topic with RV's but have you thought of doing something like the CIRS protocol to heal from the mold issues? If you clear the toxins out of your system and don't move into a problematic mold house/area again then little exposure wouldn't cause as much issues. MCS also can be a symptom of poor or impaired de tox which can be cleared after getting whatever mold, bacteria, viruses, or endo toxins are in your system. Along with healing and working with methylation to heal those pathways as well.

 

[justy]

I think Mojoey of heal click fame may have revamped a camper for living in.

I live in quite a damp area of the world, but couldn't imagine wanting to live in a trailer to get away from mold or MCS issues. They are basically built out of cardboard with plywoods, glues, fake woods etc etc. I have never been in one anywhere that didn't smell damp and all the surfaces are man made.

If it where me, and I could afford it, I have seen some amazing trailer re-builds - but they literally rip everything off except the base and then build a new home on top with completely new and re -claimed materials.

Even ones that don't seem moldy often have mold in the floors and ceilings.

 

[GypsyGirl]

@SickOfSickness & @justy, Check out this site: http://www.livinlite.com/camplite-overview.php
Their trailers are made without wood. That's the kind of thing I'm looking at - I'm amazed it exists.

I originally found that site through either safertraveldirectory.com or reshelter.org.

@helen1 I looked at the http://paradigmchange.me/ link and realized I've already been there (haha). The locations page where people report how they reacted in different areas piqued my interest.

@Martial I've found an ENT who is treating me with Shoemaker's protocol. (I'm one of the "dreaded" haplotypes according to that.) Regarding methylation, I have the MTHFR 1298C gene, so my docs have adjusted meds & supplements to accommodate. (Shoemaker's protocol, particularly cholestyramine, is rough on my body and induces dysautonomia.) A functional neurologist is treating me for late stage adrenal fatigue, and his protocol focuses on detox and immune system repair. Genetically, my body isn't set up for detoxing itself. Maybe this explains my pre-sick days of hippie-esque tendencies to bikram yoga, saunas, clean food, & green living; my body already knew. ;-)

I'm wary of adding more regimens because of interactions. (But who isn't?) If you've found other protocols useful, do pass on the names because I'll research them. The MCS is new to me, and something my ENT warned me about - he said after moving from a moldy environment, any re-exposure would cause heightened response, and I was likely to develop new sensitivities. (He said the immune system usually stops overreacting after a few years of no exposure, so fingers crossed that he's right.)

 

[NilaJones]

In general, a trailer is going to be much worse than a wooden house. Of course, you may find an exception!

The key to mold prevention is keeping water out, and allowing water from internal sources (breathing, cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc. to quickly exit the building. This means you want porous, breathable materials such as wood and plaster.

Materials like metal, plastic, and fiberglass, which do not breathe, lead to mold problems even if they do not leak, because moisture from living cannot escape. In addition, trailers are famous for leaking.

Are you looking at renting, or buying? Have you considered having a (non-trailer) home built for you?

 

[leela]

@SickOfSickness & @justy, Check out this site: http://www.livinlite.com/camplite-overview.php
Their trailers are made without wood. That's the kind of thing I'm looking at - I'm amazed it exists.

The thing about camplites is they use adhesives and other materials that are not good for MCS people.
checkout http://mychemicalfreehouse.blogspot.ca/
It's a great resource for alternative materials she's put together. Bear in mind we all react to different things.

She had camplite build her one, I believe, without adhesives, but they still used products that made her ill enough that she could not live in it.
It had to outgas for a long time. If you were going to go for one (they're not cheap) I'd suggest either being on site to supervise the
build, or perhaps better, just having them build you the frame, and then do the finishing yourself or with a local team who will follow your instructions exactly.

 

[GypsyGirl]

@NilaJones Though it'd be great to rent, trailers built for MCS accomodation are rare, so buying.(There are only a few companies that make them, usually built to order. I've seen a few ads for re-sales after people with MCS/EI have healed though.) Custom built tiny houses are also something I was looking into. (As in the small house/tiny house movement)

@leela Thank you for the heads up about Camplite adhesives. Because MCS seems to be secondary to mold illness, I'd need to go inside one & see how I feel. I like the blog you mentioned! I'd come across it on google searches before and she's very informative. I feel like I'm not truly MCS (though maybe I'm assuming MCS is automatically very severe?), but that mold poisoning has created new sensitivities. Avoiding mold & treatment hasn't been enough, so I use the info MCS sites provide as a guideline, and that's helped.

 

[leela]

My onset was a complex muddle of factors, but one of those factors was moving into a house that had just been freshly built.
If I'd only known then what I know now! I didn't knowingly react to (or even smell, at the time) the OSB, fresh paint, grout, new carpet, etc.
I just slid downhill fast while living there.
I could never even go into a new house like that now without immediate reactivity.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you don't consider yourself truly MCS, @GypsyGirl, I would suggest considering how full your
"bucket" is given your various conditions, and how much extra work you want to make your systems do to keep you well. A brand new home, car, RV, trailer, unless built
with a specific array of safe materials (and "green" does not always mean safe) will be *loaded* with chemicals from plastics, insulation, adhesives, fire retardants, solvents--all kinds of VOCs etc.
One doctor I saw became himself severely ill with MCS from moving into a brand new home. It's good you're doing research and considering every angle, because you want your mold-safe house to support your health as much as possible.

 

[SickOfSickness]

I think Mojoey of heal click fame may have revamped a camper for living in.

Yes he was wanting an aluminum sided travel trailer, but I don't know what he ended up with. I know he was living in something pretty small.

He or someone else was living in one of those really heavy storage bays that are similar to a truck box, but very thick walled. I forget the name of them. Of course, those are not transportable like a trailer.

but they literally rip everything off except the base and then build a new home on top with completely new and re -claimed materials.

Yeah, building from the metal frame up.

 

[Christopher]

http://www.eiwellspring.org/saferh/camplite_review.pdf

 

[GypsyGirl]

@Christopher - thank you for sharing this info.

 

[Toxed]

Hi GypsyGirl,
Did you make progress on this? I don't have mold issues. I have no immune system so all toxic exposures result in severe life threatening reactions. I bought a used RV (2011) from a guy who had chemical sensitivity, so they hadn't used any fragrances or toxic chemicals in it. It was a 1998, so much of the toxins had outgassed. I'm remodeling it. I tore out the major offenders (carpet, linoleum, bed), sealed all the remaining surfaces with AFM safecoat products, and replaced or encased everything else with organic/nontoxic. The floor is now strand bamboo, naturally mold resistant, and the cab has organic wool carpet. Its working. I purchased an electric space heater, hot plate and replaced the water heater with an electric model. It won't work for someone with EMF issues, but its working for me. I started using it to evacuate during the ag season in 2012. Well it works, for the most part. I still stumble over "surprise!" Issues. This summer I cleaned the windows really well and discovered that sometime in the past (before I bought it) someone lubed the window races with WD-40. Ugh. I still have projects to complete, like tearing out all of the LP, etc, and installing solar, but one thing at a time. Oh, yeah, I redid the roof, with my husband's help, this year with AFMs Roofguard. I did have a leak prior and developed some mold. I got rid of it by spraying with Tea tree, then enzymes and chiseling out the contaminated wood. I filled it with onetime to restore structural integrity, and sealed it (AFM safeseal, and hardseal). I just wanted to share that stuff is doable, even for us!

 

[leela]

can you point me to the space heater you tolerate, @Toxed? I've returned so many due to flame retardant toxicity.

 

[Toxed]

@leela its called Comfort Glow Model # QDE1320 Portable Comfort Furnace Electric Heater. Its InfraRed and has a UV setting so it kills mold spores. I can't remember if I got it off amazon (auto, RV) or campingworld. I usually check both and get the cheaper price. I didn't have any problem with it, but I set it up and ran it in an enclosed porch to burn it off, then cleaned it. Finally I ran it in a remote safe space with a carbon air purifier before I used it in the RV, with me.

 

[leela]

Thank you @Toxed