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Mold Testing, Inspection, and Removal Professionals
Indoor air quality testing is an important part of determining how healthy your surroundings are. Since we spend over 90% of our life indoors, the health and quality of the air we breathe is of utmost importance. Most indoor pollutants are invisible to the naked eye and do not necessarily produce a noticeable odor. Good indoor air quality should also not be confused with cleanliness or hygiene. A visibly clean home or office can have many air quality issues that are difficult to rectify if they are not identified properly.
- Recurring headaches
- Breathing difficulties, asthma, or respiratory infections
- Excessive coughing or the feeling of not getting enough air
- Repeated congestion or sinus infections
- Dizziness, confusion or malaise
- Skin irritation or rash
- Ear and eye infections
These symptoms could be caused by the air you are breathing.
It’s best to have mold testing performed for you by a qualified mold professional. Hiring a professional mold tester who is experienced at collecting and analyzing mold samples will always lead to the most accurate results.
A mold test gives you a snapshot of the number of mold particles in a certain area at a certain time. Unfortunately, the amount of mold spores fluctuates over time and from place to place.
Because of the fluctuation of mold spore counts over time, it is recommended by Indoor Air Quality Testing Pros to test at several different times and in different locations in your home. This testing method will garner a more accurate picture of the mold problem in your home and a clear mold removal strategy to restore indoor air quality.
The three main types of mold tests are:
- Air mold testing
- Surface mold testing
- Bulk mold testing
Midwest Enviro Solutions
Chief Operating Officer
Why You Should Test For Mold
- Noticeable signs of mold, mold smell or mold symptoms
- Identify species of mold
- Find mold growth
- Test indoor air quality by measuring the amount of mold spores in the air
- Test if mold in your home has been fully removed after mold remediation or mold removal
Indoor Air Quality Testing
Hundreds of compounds can be tested for including gases, chemicals, dust, and biological samples. We take special care in instruments calibration and sample handling to produce accurate and reliable results. Our results are compared with controlled samples to ensure accurate data.
We offer services for both residential and business customers.
Mold Air Testing
Mold air sampling tests the concentration of mold spores in the air of a building. Samples are taken from the air and are later examined under a microscope to determine the concentration of mold.
Mold air testing can indicate if you have a mold problem even if you cannot find the mold growth through a mold inspection or with the naked and untrained eye. However, the number of mold spores can change significantly in a small amount of time and give varying results at different times.
Mold Surface Testing
Mold surface testing takes samples from household surfaces to find the amount of mold growth and spores around the home. Mold samples for surface testing are collected by swabbing, tape lifting or other methods. Samples are then examined in a laboratory to determine the amount of mold spores.
Like mold air testing, the results can vary for surface testing because mold growth and spores are not spread evenly across surfaces in the home and can change over a period of time.
Unlike air testing, however, surface testing can’t identify the exact concentration of mold spores in the air.
Bulk Testing
Bulk testing involves collecting pieces of material from the home to test for mold. The materials are then taken to a laboratory where mold particles on the materials can then be examined under a microscope.
Bulk mold tests can indicate if you have a mold problem and give you a clear idea of the concentration of mold particles in your home.
Culture Tests
Mold culture testing takes mold particles in a sample from the home and grows those mold particles into larger mold colonies in a lab. Culture tests identify the species of molds in houses through this process.
Only mold particles that are still alive can be grown. Dead mold particles in the home still cause allergies and health problems. Other tests can detect both living and non-living mold in a home but can’t always identify the species of molds, which makes culture testing an important part of the mold testing process.
Signs of Mold in Your Home
A clear and obvious sign you could have mold in your home is mold smell.
If you notice a moldy smell in your home or property there is a very good chance you could have mold hidden somewhere.
A second sign of the presence of mold in your home is allergic symptoms. If there’s mold hidden in your home there will be mold spores present in the air, which will cause allergic symptoms.
When you breathe mold spores in, the body will react with allergic reactions like sneezing, a runny nose or sore eyes. Mold allergies are a good indicator that mold testing for black mold and other mold species is required to determine the problem.
Identifying Mold Species
Another reason for mold testing is to determine exactly what kind of species of mold is in your home.
Identifying the specific mold species is highly important for toxic molds as extra caution needs to be taken to safely remove toxic mold from the home.
A well known and prevalent toxic mold is the toxic black mold Stachybotrys.
If you see mold which looks like toxic mold or if you are suffering from toxic mold symptoms, you should have it tested before you try to remove it.
The only way to identify the species of a mold colony for certain is to have a certified mold professional look at a sample of it under the microscope.
Mold Testing to Find Mold
Mold testing can tell you if you have a mold problem somewhere in your home, but it can also help you to find it.
Mold often grows hidden away behind walls and other places where moisture exists and cannot be seen.
Mold tests help to narrow down the location of hidden mold growth by indicating the places in a home with the highest amount of mold spores.
Mold Testing for Indoor Air Quality
Mold testing will tell you the amount of mold spores in the air.
You can suffer mold allergy symptoms even if there is no mold presently growing in your home. Mold spores blowing into the home from outdoor mold or previous mold growth in your home can leave behind a build-up of mold spores that will cause mold allergies.
Testing for mold indicates if there is an unhealthy level of mold spores in your house and can determine if any allergies you are experiencing are from mold or another allergy.
Mold Testing After Removing Mold
Mold testing is needed after you’ve had mold removed from your home to determine if the mold remediation was a success or if there are still Indoor Air Quality issues in your home.
Surface sampling will indicate whether an area has been properly cleaned of mold. Air testing sometime after the mold removal confirms mold spores were reduced to a safe level. This should be done after any mold removal project to ensure a successful return to air safety in the building.
Mold Inpection Before Testing
Before you turn to mold testing you should first complete a thorough mold inspection of your home done by a certified mold testing professional. If the inspection indicates the presence of mold, usually you don’t need to do any mold testing and can book a professional mold removal.
If a mold inspection can’t find the mold issue or if you found mold and want to determine if there are any hidden mold issues or that it could be toxic mold, a mold testing should be done prior to the mold remediation stage.
If you are facing a mold concern call Midwest Enviro Solutions, 734-915-0066.