mold-testing

What is Mold Testing and Why You May Need One

March 27, 2024
 / 
Schedule Now!
Water-Damage-Mold
Mold From Water Damage

Mold is an often unseen and unknown presence that can cause health problems and structural damage to your home. It’s important to be aware of it and take the steps necessary to prevent its growth. A reliable way to achieve this is by conducting mold testing in your home, especially if there is water damage present. A thorough local mold inspection performed by qualified inspectors can give you peace of mind, ensuring that any existing mold is detected and addressed before it becomes a bigger problem.

Understanding the Health Risks

Mold is a type of fungus that can be found in damp places such as basements, bathrooms, and attics. During active growth, mold spores are released into the air, and if inhaled or ingested, they can cause a variety of health issues. People who are sensitive to mold may experience allergy-like symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, wheezing, congestion, or itchy eyes or skin. For those with asthma, exposure to mold can exacerbate their symptoms, making them worse than usual. Some molds also produce mycotoxins, which may even cause neurological issues such as memory loss and difficulty concentrating. In severe cases, mycotoxins have been linked to inflammation of the brain.

Preventing water damage and mold growth

Mold development in the home can be a serious problem. To prevent mold growth, it is important to keep the home dry and well-ventilated. This means fixing any leaks or water damage quickly, using dehumidifiers, and running fans to circulate air. Additionally, it is important to clean regularly and keep surfaces dry. If mold is already present, it is important to take action quickly to prevent it from spreading. This may include using a dehumidifier to reduce moisture levels, removing and replacing affected materials, or hiring a professional remediator to clean up any mold growth.

Limitations of At-Home Mold Testing Kits

You may have seen DIY mold test kits at your local hardware store. While these may seem like an affordable alternative to professional testing services, they are not reliable and may leave you with more questions than answers.

Home mold testing kits use “settle plate applications,” where you set the provided petri dish out for a specific amount of time (usually 24 to 48 hours). The spores are supposed to fall into the petri dish during this time. The problem with petri dish mold testing is that false negatives and false positives are common with these home analyses. Because spores are supposed to fall directly into the small dish, home mold test kits generally cannot be used to detect the full presence of mold in the air or on surfaces throughout the home. Additionally, even if the test accurately finds that you have mold, it does not identify the type of mold. To find out this important information, you may have to send the dish of collected samples back to the test kit’s distribution company for further analysis, likely at an additional cost.

Using at-home mold testing kits may be difficult to use accurately due to the lack of a controlled collection environment, and cross-contamination may skew results. Homeowners usually do not have the appropriate experience to collect samples properly, which may inadvertently cause errors in the results. Furthermore, testing in a petri dish can be timely, as there is no guarantee of an immediate result. Without proper training and experience, it can be difficult to identify the presence of mold in one’s environment with certainty.

Effective testing methods for accurate results 

For more accurate and in-depth results, a professional mold inspection should be conducted. Professional inspectors have the expertise and experience needed to thoroughly inspect your home for mold indicators, so they can provide you with the most accurate assessment of any possible health risks. These specialist technicians use state-of-the-art equipment to detect even small amounts of spores that could be causing major problems in your home. Professional mold inspectors will more accurately analyze the condition of the home as a whole to help locate any indicators of future mold problems, such as high moisture readings in the drywall.

There are two main types of tests used by professional inspectors to detect the presence of mold: air samples and surface samples (typically gathered by a tape lift or swab). Air samples measure fungal spores in the air, while surface sample tests determine if mold is growing on surfaces like carpets or walls. Depending on the scope of your test, you may need samples of each type for an accurate reading.

After professional mold testing, you will receive a full analytical report detailing the types and concentrations of spores discovered. The inspector will be able to help you fully understand the results and create a remediation plan to ensure all areas of concern are addressed. With a professional inspection, you will also receive additional information about remediation protocols and suggestions from the specialist about cleaning and mitigating mold growth. This will help you better plan necessary repairs, or it will help guide professional mold mitigators.

In conclusion, mold testing is an important tool to identify the presence of mold in your home and assess any potential health risks. With water damage, professional mold inspection and testing are essential to determine the issue and how to mitigate it. It is important that results are interpreted correctly, which can only be done by a qualified, trained expert. The health and safety of you and your family should always come first, and a thorough test by a professional mold testing specialist can help to ensure that.