Mold Testing
With more than 16 years of experience in mold testing, Reliable Home Inspection Service is an excellent choice for giving you the peace of mind you deserve! Our mold inspector and co-owner of Reliable, John Kerrigan, is certified by the Indoor Air Quality Association and passionate about air quality. We use tried and true technology and send our samples to one of the best labs in the country, Pro-Lab where every report is reviewed by a doctor of microbiology.
When to get a mold test?
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When moving. Especially if the home has a history of mold or water damage.
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If you see signs of mold or smell something strange. Especially if you smell something strange, but can’t see anything.
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If you’ve noticed water damage.
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If you have mold sensitivities or allergies
Why get a mold test?
Everyone is exposed to some amount of mold on a daily basis, most without any apparent reaction. Generally, mold spores can cause problems when they are present in large numbers and a person inhales large quantities of them. This occurs primarily when there is active mold growth. For some people, a small exposure to mold spores can trigger an asthma attack or lead to other health problems. For others, symptoms may only occur when exposure levels are much higher.
The health effects of mold can vary. The production of allergens or irritants can cause mild allergic reactions and asthma attacks. The production of potentially toxic mycotoxins can cause more severe reactions and in rare cases death.
What kind of sampling is right for you?
In most circumstances, we recommend taking air samples:
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Air samples collect material from the whole room including out-of-sight areas such as vents or ducts.
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Breathing in moldy air causes health problems so we recommend checking the air.
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The air has more living mold and living mold is more harmful. Surfaces may have higher amounts of mold, but much of it is likely to be inactive or dead.
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If you can see mold growing, you know it's mold, so why test?
In specific situations, surface samples are suggested:
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If you know you have sensitivities or allergies to a particular strain of mold and know where mold is definitely present.
How we do an air test
With an air sample test, we take three samples. The first sample is of air outside the home. There’s a little bit of mold around us all the time, so we want to be able to compare the general mold environment with the air in the home specifically.
We use the second two samples to check rooms in the home. If you have specific places you'd like us to test, for example, a room with an odd odor with no visible cause that’s the room we’ll test. If you’re aware of a history of mold in any part of the home we’ll check there instead.
If you don't have a specific room in mind we'll usually test the bedrooms, where people spend the most time, and/or the basement which is prone to moisture.
