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Testing for Mold Tips

Testing for Mold Tips

Testing for mold is not always simple, but we’re here to help.
Your first step should be to define your objectives and purpose for testing:

  • Litigation Purposes
  • Health Reasons
  • Post Remediation Clearance Testing
  • Peace of Mind That You Don’t Have Mold In Your Environment

Whatever the reason you are testing for mold, you need a testing strategy. At the Mold Test Company, we are happy to discuss your objectives and assist you in developing your plan.

Testing for Mold: Litigation
For the strongest case possible, you’ll need to know the species of mold you are dealing with. It is in your best interest to have a disinterested, 3rd party to perform the test for you. It is also recommended to undergo multiple tests in order to support your case. If water damage was a problem, you will also want to test for environmental bacteria, as this has the potential to make you very ill.

Testing for Mold: Health Reasons
Is your environment making you sick? You will need medical testing in conjunction with your environmental testing for a complete analysis.

Testing for Mold: Post Remediation
Once you have determined that your environment has mold contamination (testing for mold has confirmed the presence of mold infestation), you must have the structure “professionally remediated” for mold. Once remediated, you’ll need to be sure the job was done correctly and the mold levels are deemed safe. This type of testing for mold is known as “Post Remediation Clearance Testing”, this assures you the job was done correctly and the structure is now safe to inhabit.

Testing for Mold: Peace of Mind
Testing for mold and getting clear and clean results is the peace of mind every person wants to get. Whether it’s in your home, apartment, school or place of work, testing for mold can give you that peace of mind.

Common Places for Mold Growth

When you're inspecting the kitchen, you need to focus on the water sources in places like under the sink, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Mold and bacteria swabs are the most common samples taken for testing inside a dishwasher or refrigerator with suspect mold.

Kitchen

Kitchen Icon

Water intrusion from your roof and gutters is common after a storm. When inspecting your attic, pay close attention to visible mold on the insulation and the HVAC system. If your insulation is black, it may be a sign of a problem. If you see signs of an issue, it’s strongly recommended that you test the HVAC unit with a mold swab.

Attic

Attic Icon

A musty or damp smell is a strong indicator of mold or harmful bacteria. It is common that you will not see mold colonies with the naked eye; this does not mean that mold spores aren’t elevated to a hazardous level. We recommend that you do air sampling in each room exhibiting this odor in order to determine the severity of the contamination.

Musty Odor

Musty Oder Icon

Doors and windows are a high risk area for water intrusion. Be sure to check around door and window seals for moisture. Any leaks can lead to mold and bacteria contamination in your environment.

Doors & Windows

Doors and Windows Icon

The bathroom is a common problem spot because of the elevated levels of moisture. We suggest testing the intake fan as the best bathroom sampling method. The intake fan will come into contact with the majority of the air in the bathroom, making it the preferred testing location.

Bathroom

Bathroom Icon

Water damage is the best way to find mold that you can’t see with the naked eye. Mold needs two things in order to grow: a food source like drywall or dust, and moisture. Any water stains on your wall or ceiling are potential hot spots for mold growth.

Water Stain

Water Stain Icon

Visible mold can manifest itself in several ways, the most common of which would be either white/black or green circular patterns on cellulose materials such as drywall. Visible mold sightings are generally the best place to start testing. The key to properly testing an environment with visible mold is to examine the area around the visible mold for other colonies that may be less easy to spot.

Visible Mold

Visible Mold Icon

Basements and crawl spaces are one of the most common places where mold and harmful bacteria are found. Pay close attention to the decking and floor joints for signs of mold growth such as dark circular patterns on porous surfaces. (An air test is a great way to test areas you can’t reach). If you have an HVAC system in your basement or crawlspace, we recommend testing with a mold swab.

Basement

Basement Icon
Kitchen

When you're inspecting the kitchen, you need to focus on the water sources in places like under the sink, refrigerator and dishwasher. Mold and bacteria swabs are the most common samples taken for testing inside a dishwasher or refrigerator with suspect mold.

Attic

Water intrusion from your roof and gutters is common after a storm. When inspecting your attic, pay close attention to visible mold on the insulation and the HVAC system. If your insulation is black, it may be a sign of a problem. If you see signs of an issue, it’s strongly recommended that you test the HVAC unit with a mold swab.

Musty Odor

A musty or damp smell is a strong indicator of mold or harmful bacteria. It is common that you will not see mold colonies with the naked eye; this does not mean that mold spores aren’t elevated to a hazardous level. We recommend that you do air sampling in each room exhibiting this odor in odor to determine the severity of the contamination

Doors & Windows

Doors and windows are a high risk area for water intrusion. Be sure to check around door and window seals for moisture. Any leaks can lead to mold and bacteria contamination in your environment.

Bathroom

The bathroom is a common problem spot because of the elevated levels of moisture. We suggest testing the intake fan as the best bathroom sampling method. The intake fan will come into contact with the majority of the air in the bathroom, making it the preferred testing location.

Water Stain

Water damage is the best way to find mold that you can’t see with the naked eye. Mold needs two things in order to grow: a food source like drywall or dust, and moisture. Any water stains on your wall or ceiling are potential hot spots for mold growth.

Visible Mold

Visible mold can manifest itself in several ways, the most common of which would be either white/black or green circular patterns on cellulose materials such as drywall. Visible mold sightings are generally the best place to start testing. The key to properly testing an environment with visible mold is to examine the area around the visible mold for other colonies that may be less easy to spot.

Basement

Basements and crawl spaces are one of the most common places where mold and harmful bacteria are found. Pay close attention to the decking and floor joints for signs of mold growthsuch as dark circular patterns on porous surfaces. (An air test is a great way to test areas you can’t reach). If you have an HVAC system in your basement or crawlspace, we recommend testing with a mold swab.

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Water Damage

Moisture is generally the cause of mold growth in a structure. When inspecting a building the first step in figuring out how the mold contamination began is finding the water intrusion. We recommend testing anywhere there is visible water damage in order to identify the source of your mold problem.

NOTE: Resolving the cause of a water intrusion is the first step when doing a remediation.

How Mold Travels

Keep in mind that mold travels around very similar to dust. Your furniture and personal effects are susceptible to mold contamination.

What are Mold Fine Particulates?

Fine particulates are microscopic shards of the mold spore which can carry mycotoxins. When inhaled, these mold particulates can imbed themselves into the soft tissues of the brain causing a multitude of short and long term health problems.

How Mold Travels

Keep in mind that mold travels around very similar to dust. Your furniture and personal effects are susceptible to mold contamination.

What are Mold Fine Particulates?

Note: Fine particulates are microscopic shards of the mold spore which can carry mycotoxins. When inhaled, these mold particulates can imbed themselves into the soft tissues of the brain causing a multitude of short and long term health problems.