Mold Testing
It may be difficult to determine what are the appropriate steps to take when you have mold, or suspect mold in your home. With the internet, there may seem to be 100 different suggestions for your problem! You obviously want to protect the well being of your family and safeguard your home against harmful mold, but how do you determine what you should do?! In this article we review 2 ways mold grows in your home and how to prevent it, the importance of mold testing and when to contact a professional!
Mold In Your Home
Mold is a fungi whose purpose in the ecosystem is to eat dead matter like fallen leaves, deceased animals and the like. This being the case, it is kinda odd that we build our houses with dead matter (trees) meaning we are surrounded by mold food throughout our entire house! That being said, mold does not generally become an issue in homes unless you have one of two problems.
1.) Water leak/intrusion
2.) HVAC/Mechanical issue
Mold grows on organic materials that have elevated moisture. So if you have had a water leak, roof leak or plumbing break in your home that was not mitigated properly you may develop a mold problem. If that is the case it may be wise to contact a Certified Mold Inspector. Another source for mold is your HVAC units. Mold can grow inside of the plenum box of your HVAC unit, which will in turn pump mold into your ducts. Your ducts can then pump mold throughout your entire home! For these reasons it is important to maintain proper upkeep of your home. If you have a water leak, have it addressed immediately! Find a plumber to fix the source of the water, and have a water mitigation company come and assess/dry the damage. Generally if you call a water mitigation company as soon as the problem arises they will be able to dry your home before mold starts to grow!
Ensure that your HVAC system is cleaned by a professional contractor and that you run your HVAC year round. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone into a home, found mold growing throughout the property, and learned that mold is growing because the homeowner does not run the HVAC in the basement or during the summer. HVAC units act as natural dehumidifiers, which mean they pull moisture from the air! (Remember, moisture is what causes mold)
The Importance of Testing & When To Contact A Professional
If it is too late for the above mentioned mitigating steps and mold has already started to grow in your home then it may be wise to hire a Certified Mold Inspector to test your home for mold. If you were to hire a mold remediation company at this point there are a few areas of concern to be aware of.
1.) Mold is microscopic and travels through the air. This means that if you have a certain area with mold, say a bathroom, the mold spores could have already traveled through the air and infected other portions of your home. The best way to determine if your mold problem has gone throughout your entire home is to hire a Certified Mold Inspection company. If you hire a mold remediation company they may only remediate the area where there is visible mold growth and miss the rest of your home, Or worst yet,
2.) They may do their own testing! This is highly dubious because in order to verify that the mold removal was done properly you would have to test before and after the remediation. And if the company that does the mold removal also verifies that the remediation is complete, and there are no more elevated levels of mold in your home, then that would be like a student grading his own paper!
Remember, the best way to protect your home and family from mold is to make sure it never grows in the first place! But if it’s too late for that, be sure that the issue is clearly identified by a mold inspector who can create a scope of work and plan for proper remediation. By doing this you will save money because the mold removal will be done properly the first time and you’ll have peace of mind!