If you spot mold, testing is often unnecessary and a waste of money. If you can see or smell mold, you generally don't need a mold inspection or test, you simply have to remove it following industry standard guidelines. Generally speaking, you don't need to test for mold unless you have a specific reason, as mold infestations can usually be seen or smelled. However, this procedure is time consuming and not cheap.
Fortunately, testing for mold in your home is a relatively easy task that can give you faster results and save you money. If you've done all that you can to prevent mold, but you still have reason to think that the air you breathe is contaminated by mold spores, check strategic locations for visible signs of mold. With the wide range of potential health problems associated with mold, it's important to take steps to detect mold in your home quickly and get rid of it right away. If you are collecting direct mold samples using the swab technique, wear gloves and a mask to reduce your exposure to mold.
While a variable mold test can tell you if there are mold spores in a specific room, you'll need to use additional kits if you want to test other rooms in your house. If the results are positive, you can decide if you want to remove the mold yourself or hire a professional. Another reason to consider getting tested is if you can't see or smell mold in your home, but you have unexplained symptoms associated with it. In fact, this species of mold is quite rare, but it is one of many molds that produce a high level of mycotoxins (dangerous mold-based chemicals) that can create a hazardous household environment.
If there is visible mold in your home, your priority should be to eliminate it, as it is likely to be harmful to your health and to the overall value and comfort of your home. The mold inspector checked the house from top to bottom with a humidity sensor and showed me exactly where the water infiltrated the structure of the house and caused mold and rot. Most mold inspections are usually a waste of time and money, although mold inspection companies will never tell you this. One of the tasks of a mold inspection professional is to perform a visual inspection of the mold to determine what might be causing it.
If your home has mold problems or you're thinking about buying a home with mold, here are some things to consider before paying for a mold evaluation. One of the reasons the EPA doesn't recommend taking mold samples, in general, is that there are currently no officially recognized guidelines for acceptable levels of mold in the home. As soon as the mold is visible, it's time to call removal specialists, instead of worrying about whether it's a toxic variety or not. You can use this individual kit in three different ways to test the air for mold spores, check the air quality in your HVAC duct, or detect mold on the surface.If your test determines that there are mold spores in your home, you can send the testing materials to a laboratory that will perform another test to determine what type of mold is present.
