Michael and Gwyneth chat about what led Michael into the remediation realm. He started out working for his father as a project manager, learning the ins and outs of mold, air quality, and toxins. At first, his knowledge base on mold, exposure-related illness, and the importance of clean indoor air quality were fairly low. Luckily this worked in his favor as he continued to question why so many individuals continued to feel unwell after a remediation project.
After chatting with doctors, digging into the research, and understanding the science, he realized that the current remediation industry wasn’t getting rid of mold and contamination correctly and that misinformation regarding mold was running rampant. He details various issues he’s seen with remediation techniques, including misconceptions, and why they often fail.
Seeing this nationwide issue, he decided to start his own company, HomeCleanse, which uses science as its foundation to remediate mold in homes. Since its establishment, he and his remediation teams have helped customers all over the country, including Gwyneth herself. As she said, she was shocked at how large the physical impact was on her body from exposure and how skeptical people were that this fungus was causing such a big health issue. They both agree that indoor mold growth doesn’t get nearly as much attention acceptance as it should
That’s the difference, Michael said, in his company. By focusing on improving health and basing protocols on science, his company’s remediation projects are successful in creating safer indoor environments. He discusses both the steps HomeCleanse takes before beginning a project, such as analyzing testing results, and during a remediation protocol.
As Michael says, mold is part of the natural world. With over 100,000 species identified so far, it will inevitably make its way into a home. If the conditions are right, it will begin to grow inside and circulate throughout the house thanks to the HVAC system. Once mold growth establishes inside, it can begin to trigger adverse health effects on those living inside.
When it comes to mold toxicity symptoms, Michael discusses the various reactions he’s seen while remediating over the past decade. Every individual experiences mold exposure differently, which can make diagnosing the illness and discovering the culprit difficult. Michael chats about various steps individuals can take and signs they can look for to determine if there is a mold problem within the home and then what to do should they discover an issue.
They also discuss steps individuals can take to avoid moldy problems in the first place. Remediation can be a costly endeavor, so preventing the situation from happening in the first place can help avoid unnecessary price tags down the line. As Gwyneth said, it will probably come down to the consumers shaping the market to create a change where everyone is aware of mold, the impact it can have on health, and the importance of keeping it out of our homes. Until that day, Michael details steps individuals can take to prevent mold and handle mold growth if remediation doesn’t fit into the budget at the moment.
About Gwyneth Paltrow:
Gwyneth Paltrow is a worldwide renowned actress, singer, and businesswoman. In 2008, she established her company, goop, a multi-dimensional wellness and lifestyle brand that’s focused on starting conversations and working to "crack open the taboos." The goop Podcast began in 2018 and is hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow and Erica Chidi Cohen. They chat with leading thinkers, culture changers, and industry disruptors—from doctors to creatives, CEOs to spiritual healers—about shifting old paradigms and starting new conversations.
Check out goop's website at:https://goop.com/the-goop-podcast/
About Michael Rubino
Michael Rubino, Author of The Mold Medic: An Expert's Guide on Mold Removal, is the authority on mold remediation. As President of HomeCleanse, Rubino specializes in working with people who are immunocompromised or have acute and sustained reactions to mold exposure. Rubino provides solutions that not only get rid of mold sources, but also get rid of the contamination created by those mold sources using his proprietary “Home Detox” method. He is a council certified Mold Remediator by IICRC and ACAC and a contributing member, sponsor, and speaker for the Indoor Air Quality Association.
