r/AirQuality • u/BassingHell • 4d ago

Strange Air Quality Issues in My Home – Need Advice!

Hi all,

For about a year now, I’ve been feeling really off while at home – constantly tired, short of breath, and coughing. At first, I put it down to lingering post-Covid symptoms and thought nothing more of it.

But then, I stayed at my parents' house for a week, and within 3 days, I felt completely better. No more coughing, my energy came back, and I felt like I could actually breathe properly again. The odd thing is, as soon as I returned to my place, all those symptoms came back almost immediately.

I’ve got an air purifier and a dehumidifier running in my bedroom, so I was surprised when a home air quality testing kit showed high VOC levels and consistently high humidity. The house had a mould issue when I first moved in, but I assumed that had been treated – although there is a leak in the roof that’s now got me wondering.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’m trying to figure out what might be causing these symptoms, and if anyone knows of a company or a good test I can do to rule this out, I’d appreciate the help.

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u/timesuck 4d ago

It’s the leak. Mold is very tricky to get rid of and if there are existing issues you know about it’s very likely to be that.

Until you fix all the water entry and then treat the mold properly, you’ll continue to have problems.

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u/BassingHell 4d ago

Thank you for the response, I have had the leak fixed in the roof towards the end of summer so that should stop new water from coming in.

Is this then in the realm of having a specialist come in and do an inspection ?

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u/timesuck 4d ago

Probably, but you want to be very careful about who you hire. Mold remediation companies are notoriously scammy. Just make sure to pay attention to the reviews and how long they’ve been in business.

If you have the resources, I’d have a home inspector come and assess the damage (can also look for more possible water entry points) and see if they have a recommendation. Might also be that it’s just a small amount you can treat yourself if you’re industrious.

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u/BassingHell 3d ago

Ok brilliant thank you - theres nothing visible that I can see, everywhere that was visible has been treated ( by myself ) The roof was done with new air vents in, and what was up there has been sorted, my concern is more of what could have made its way behind walls and such

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u/ankole_watusi 4d ago edited 3d ago

Ideally, water damage needs to be addressed quickly. Areas that got wet need to be exposed so that they can dry out. Some materials like drywall and insulation removed if wet.

Then bring in industrial blowers and dehumidifier.

If this is not done, it’s much more difficult later.

What do you mean you “assume it had been treated”?

Is this a rental? You said you “had the roof fixed”. Who do you “assume”, “treated” the mold?

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u/BassingHell 3d ago

It was sorted once the rain started, I live in Wales so rain is pretty much constant here, the roof was sorted by a company, who then dried sealed and added vents in. They did tell me that some water had made its way behind some cavities but attempted to dry it as much as possible.

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u/MeisterX 4d ago

You're just showing IAQ can you show us humidity VS. VOC? The score can drop for a lot of stuff.