The signs of mold are noticeable, but mold testing by a professional service is still necessary. You should be able to see mold developing on the wall surface, and smell musty odors emanating from an area of the house prone to moisture buildup. Get a thorough mold inspection as soon as possible for the sake of your health.

Locating Source of Moisture

Mold cannot grow without the presence of moisture. Therefore, professionals will attempt to see where it is coming from, whether it is a leaky pipe or coming from outside the house. This source needs to be addressed or else the mold is simply going to grow back.

Conducting a Comprehensive Visual Inspection

In addition to looking at the area of the visible mold, a professional will check other areas of the house where mold can grow. This includes crawlspaces and basements, which are often problem areas.

Inspecting Surfaces and Air

There are typically three ways professionals take surface samples. They take samples with tape and swabs. In some cases, they may actually remove a bulk sample from a wall to test it for mold. Using airborne-particle collectors and impaction samplers, experts will collect mold spores from the air, which will not be visible to the naked eye.

Mold Report / Written Evaluation:

A mold report will accompany the inspection, particularly when lab samples are extracted and submitted for analysis. The report will detail the findings of the physical inspection, as well as explain the results of the mold tests that were submitted for lab analysis. If corrective actions are required, an estimated cost for mold remediation will be included in the written report or submitted separately to give the homeowner a good idea of what repairs will cost.

Buyer Beware!

Since lab reports are generated from testing performed at your home and analyzed by a microbiology lab, they can contain confusing data that is not easily understood by the client. Therefore, a written environmental report should always accompany any lab reports or samples, in order to properly interpret the lab findings in a manner that is easily understood in laymen terms.  If you just receive lab report from your inspector, you have only received 40% of what is needed in terms of information that will be helpful in solving your problem. Luckily, you can count on Mold Masters to provide you with all the reports, estimates and lab data interpretation you need to make a full and informed decision.

Starting the Remediation Process

Once the mold removers know where the mold is and where it came from, they can address the issue. After the remediation process, the experts will take another sample to make sure the mold is gone completely. It can seem like a long and arduous process, but if you act quickly, then it becomes much more manageable.

An initial inspection of the premises generally lasts for two hours, so set up an appointment with Mold Masters. We offer emergency responses for mold removal when you need to get rid of harmful mold right away. Get started by calling us at 800-371-4199.