Mold Testing

What Do Our Mold Inspections Include?

What you get with most other mold inspections:

Someone comes out to collect a couple of mold tests inside and one outside as a comparison. There is no actual ‘inspection’, no moisture evaluation, and no historical data collected. Their total time at your property is around 30 minutes. They will then email you the laboratory results with no interpretation.  They will give you no recommendations for corrective measures, or worse, hand you an over-inflated proposal from their own company to do the work. There is no attempt to help you understand why the mold is there and how to prevent it from coming back again.

What you get from a SafeNest Environmental Testing mold inspection:

Our mold inspections go beyond basic mold testing. It truly is an inspection. Our goal is to find any indoor mold growth. Air samples can be useful, but they do not tell you where the mold is growing. They also don’t tell you why the mold is growing. We take time to do a visual inspection of the property, which may not be as exciting as mold air tests, but it is one of the most important functions of a thorough mold inspection.

We use advanced instrumentation to detect moisture issues.  We want to find the underlying moisture source, so we use an infrared camera and scan your walls looking for potential hidden moisture sources. Questionable areas are further tested using industrial grade moisture meters.

Image Source: https://www.irmi.com/articles/expert-commentary/infrared-detection-of-water-damage

Infrared image of a damp wall that appears to be dry

Often, we discover a hidden moisture and mold problem that needs further investigation. We may use a borescope to look inside a wall, underneath carpeting or inside ductwork.

Borescope to investigate problems hidden behind walls

Once we evaluate the problem, we can determine the best places to collect samples. For example, if we find staining that appears to be mold growth and collect a surface sample to confirm and identify that possibility.

Air samples may be collected under normal conditions, or with the air disturbed. We may also recommend wall cavity sampling, also known as “wall check” sampling, which collects air from inside walls.

Besides air samples, we may take surface samples (tape lift and swabs), bulk samples, mVOC air tests, mycotoxin samples, or HC45 tests on settled dust. We develop a sampling strategy based on what we identify during our inspection, taking into consideration your budget.

Whereas other mold testing companies only hand you a laboratory report, we actually help you interpret the results of the mold tests. The terms Stachybotrys, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Cladosporium probably don’t mean much to you. However, each of those tells us volumes about what is happening in the property. We will explain what is happening in layman’s terms so you understand the findings

Our mold inspections are performed or supervised by a Board-Certified, Microbial Consultant.  Although many other companies call themselves “Certified”, they probably do not have the credentials they claim to have, or their credentials are outdated and meaningless. Avoid uneducated, untrained, and sometimes downright unscrupulous inspectors.

Most companies will provide you with an expensive proposal from their company to do the remediation work. Why is that a conflict of interest? We have seen way too many companies recommend $10,000+ of remediation work, when the actual laboratory report indicated that the residence was in the ‘normal’ range. Because you can’t see mold spores, many unscrupulous mold testers fabricate a problem to profit from the remediation work. These companies should be avoided.

What Sets Us Apart?

If you search online for black mold testing, mold experts or home mold check, you’ll come up with a long list of companies that offer an assortment of mold services. Many of these companies send out technicians without a formal science education and no ability to solve problems– they just know how to collect samples. While other companies may have been around for only a few years, we have been in the industry for over 35 years!

When Do I Need a Mold Inspection?

Not every home, office, or business needs to have a mold inspection. Here are some situations that may benefit from having a mold inspection:

• Visible mold growth is discovered
• A musty odor is smelled
• Building materials have been wet for several days
• Water stains are found
• An occupant has been diagnosed with mold allergies and they experience allergies within the space
• Someone with a past history of mold or moisture problems will occupy the space
• Condensation is regularly found on cold surfaces
• There is a real estate transaction involving someone sensitive to mold
• A home inspector has flagged moisture and mold problems
• The air inside an office building feels and smells damp
• A basement or below-grade floor has flooded or experienced seepage

Your Mold Inspection from SafeNest Environmental Testing will include the following 8 Critical Steps

(Most inspection companies offer only 3 or 4 of these steps)

1. A Visual Inspection in areas of concern to determine:
• Moisture Intrusion
• Water Damage
• Musty Odors
• Apparent Mold Growth
• Conditions Conducive to Mold Growth
2. Infra-Red Thermal Imaging Camera will quickly scan areas that may currently be affected by moisture. These areas may not be visible to the naked eye.
3. Moisture Meters to investigate and reveal hidden pockets of moisture that may go unnoticed by other moisture sensing methods.
4. Humidity Readings to verify if there is an elevated humidity level within the dwelling by measuring Vapor Pressure (GPP). This is yet another indicator of a hidden moisture problem. This vital information goes well beyond basic Relative Humidity (RH) readings.
5. ATP Testing measures the level of microbial contamination on any surface. Since mold falls into this category, it gives us an indication as to whether visual staining may, or may not, contain mold growth.
6. Mold Testing and Sampling includes one of – or a combination of – the following:
• Spore Trap Sampling- Ambient air passes through a special device which collects mold spores allowing for laboratory examination.
• Bulk Sampling- A sterile Swab or a special Tape is pressed against a surface, or an actual piece of material is collected, and sent to the laboratory for analysis.
• Wall Cavity Sampling- Air is drawn from within the wall cavity to reveal hidden mold.
7. Laboratory Analytical Report that lists specific mold types and concentration levels from each area where samples were collected. This will help to determine your Indoor Air Quality and give an indication as to where mold may be growing and colonizing.
8. Comprehensive Interpretation Report provides you with a clear and no-nonsense explanation of the data collected during our inspection, and interprets the details of the laboratory analytical report in understandable language.

Beware:

Mold Inspectors are not regulated by the State of Washington.
Anyone can claim to be a Mold Inspector with literally no experience whatsoever.

Avoid:

Uneducated, Untrained, and Sometimes Downright Unscrupulous Mold Inspectors

We Are: Truthful – Dependable – Trustworthy – Honest – Legal

Call
SafeNest Environmental Testing
Board-Certified Microbial Consultants

509-720-0190