For most of us with moderate MCS and even mild mold illness, having guests in our houses can negatively affect our health. This is because it is nearly impossible to avoid chemicals in “most” of the developed world, and mold is common also. We are thankful to be able to have MANY people over, outside, because our “yard” is 6 acres of mountain pine trees with a “prairie” clearing on top, and our weather is often pleasant or “do-able.”
For guests to come inside, here is our protocol:
1. Weeks before the visit, the guests confer on clothing stores/kinds that will work for us. One of the biggest things now for me is that the clothes cannot have antimicrobials or other strange chemicals added. These could even affect my washer or my clothes. The guests have new clothing mailed to us to wash for them in our methods/machine ahead of time.
2. If possible, a week or two before they come, the guests begin using castile soap on their hair (instead of scented stuff with other chemicals in it).
3. Guests do not bring anything in the house, including shoes, except necessities like hearing aids and glasses. Not cell phones, sadly. If the stay is long, we figure out an outdoor storage solution for shoes, phones, etc. and possibly have slippers or sandals for them to use inside the house. We offer them the use of our camera if they want to take photos. 😊
4. When guests arrive, they go straight to our shower. Their “street clothes” go into a small, new, washed, galvanized metal trash can. They use our soaps and “shampoo” (liquid castile soap).
5. If the stay is more than one day, we wash the clothes they had had sent beforehand, every night.
6. If their hair is very scented or something, we ask them to use milk (warmed 😊 ) on their head before shampooing. Not sure if this works on mold or not.
7. Overnight guests have VERY graciously stayed in our tiny mudroom/Steve’s office. If we did not have a separate room like that, it might be nearly impossible. 🙁 Couch pull-outs and such don’t really work (at least when I am at my more vulnerable times to chemicals) because chemicals come in under my bedroom door.
