How To Confirm Your Mold Suspicions

3/26/2021 (Permalink)

Contact a professional to confirm your mold suspicions.

If you notice a musty odor in your home in North St. Paul, MN, you probably know that you have mold growth somewhere. If it's hidden, however, you may not know where or how big the problem really is. An indoor environmental specialist can get you the answers you need so that the issue can be mitigated thoroughly.

Ways to Confirm If You Have Mold in Your Home

Exploratory Test

A home test is only going to tell you that there are mold spores in your home, but that's true even if you don't have a significant growth. A professional mold test is necessary for finding hidden patches. There are many places mold can hide:

• In air ducts
  
• Behind walls
  
• Under carpet
  
• Inside cabinets
  

Certified environmental hygienists have the equipment, experience and knowledge needed to find where molds spores are most prevalent, indicating the location of the growth itself.

Air Quality Test

The most common way that an indoor environmental specialist uses to get an accurate reading is by testing the air quality. Technicians may use a spore trap to sample the air of your home. The spores stick to the sticky surface in the trap, and these spores are tested in a lab. The test results reveal not only how concentrated the mold growth is in different areas throughout your home but also the type of mold present.

Surface Test

Before the mitigation work can begin on your home, mold remediation experts need to know exactly what kind of fungus they're dealing with. If it is visible, it's easy to get a surface test of the mold. By carefully removing some of the spores in the growth for further inspection, they can make better decisions about the specific methods needed to remedy the problem.

You don't need to waste money on a home mold test from your local hardware store. If you have a significant mold problem in your home, only an indoor environmental specialist will be able to get an accurate test that reveals all the information needed to resolve the issue.