No one prepares you for the guilt that comes with realizing your own home harmed the people you love most. I didn’t just get sick — my kids lived in it too. This is the hardest part of my mold journey to write about: the shame, the grief, and the slow process of forgiving myself for what I couldn’t see at the time.
The Guilt I Carry Knowing My Home Made My Family Sick Read More »
For a long time, I couldn’t explain why I felt clearer, calmer, and more like myself whenever I left my house — only to feel sick again when I returned. It wasn’t stress or coincidence. It was my environment. In this post, I explain why mold exposure often causes symptoms that improve away from home, what that pattern really means, and why your body is often the first warning sign.
Why Mold Makes You Feel Worse at Home (And Better the Moment You Leave) Read More »
I used to think mold coming back meant I hadn’t cleaned well enough. I scrubbed harder, tried different products, and blamed myself when it returned. What I didn’t understand yet was that recurring mold isn’t a cleaning failure — it’s a moisture problem. In this post, I explain why mold keeps coming back, the mistakes I made, and what actually stopped the cycle in my own home.
Why Mold Keeps Coming Back After You Clean It (And What I Had to Learn the Hard Way) Read More »
By Ava Hartwell, IndoorAirInsights.com Every winter, like clockwork, people start complaining about congestion, sinus pressure, and headaches. I used to be one of them. Every December, I would chalk my symptoms up to “seasonal allergies” or dry air or just the stress of the holidays. But the truth — the uncomfortable, unpopular truth — is
Winter Sinus Mystery: And How It’s Not “Just Allergies” Read More »
When I was recovering from mold exposure, I became painfully aware of how many “healthy” cleaning products are actually loaded with fragrances and chemicals that made my symptoms worse. I needed something that wouldn’t trigger headaches, chest tightness, or that awful heavy feeling in my sinuses. That’s when I found Force of Nature, and honestly,
Force of Nature Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Disinfectant & Deodorizer — My Honest Review Read More »
When I finally learned that the “mystery symptoms” wrecking my life were coming from mold in my own home, the first thing I craved was control — something I could plug in, turn on, and trust to keep the air around me clean when everything else felt unsafe. That’s how the AirDoctor AD3500 ended up
AirDoctor AD3500 — Best HEPA Air Filter? My Honest Review Read More »
Hidden Mold Symptoms Most Doctors Don’t Connect to Your Home Hidden Mold Symptoms Most Doctors Don’t Connect to Your Home By Ava Hartwell If you had told me years ago that my home was the reason my health was unraveling, I would have pushed back. Not because I didn’t trust science — but because no
Hidden Mold Symptoms Most Doctors Don’t Connect to Your Home Read More »
Before I understood how mold worked, I thought it all came down to one villain: “black mold.” I didn’t realize there were many different types of molds found in homes — each with its own causes, patterns, symptoms, and risks. In this post, I break down the common molds people discover indoors, how they form, and what I learned when several of them were quietly growing inside my own walls.
Types of Mold I Found in My Home — Their Effects, Causes, and the Risks Read More »
When I first started seeing mysterious spots and smudges around my home, I kept telling myself it was “just dust” or “probably nothing.” It took getting sick – and watching my kids change in ways I couldn’t explain – before I finally learned how to tell the difference between harmless dust, surface dirt, and early mold growth. In this post I walk you through the simple checks I wish someone had taught me sooner, so you don’t talk yourself out of a real problem the way I did.
Is It Mold or Just Dust? How I Learned to Tell the Difference Before It Got Worse Read More »
When I first started feeling sick in my own home, I had no idea mold could be the reason—or how long it had been affecting me. In this post I break down why some people react to mold in days while others take months, the subtle early symptoms I ignored, and the one question that finally made everything click: do you feel better when you leave your house?
How long does it take to get sick from mold? Read More »
