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Mold grows colonies in just 24 hours spreading to other areas in your building. Act now!

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Mold restoration involves disposing of mold-affected materials. We will cleanup and repair all the damage.

Your Local Mold Testing & Inspection Company

If you suspect there is mold in your home, but you cannot visibly see mold, you may consider hiring a professional mold testing company, like Erie Environmental. If mold spores have been exposed to organic materials and moisture, mold could be growing in hard to see spaces and polluting the indoor air quality. If you or your family has experienced recent, unexplained allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, runny nose, or headaches, there could be mold living somewhere in your home.

At Erie Environmental, we are a professional mold testing and removal company, and we can remediate all of your mold issues. To test for mold, our team will source a third party professional mold inspector to perform an initial test to identify the presence of mold. After our team has completed the mold removal process, the third-party inspector will be brought back in to perform a final test to ensure all mold has been removed

3 Types of Mold Tests

Mold testing is a great way to identify mold that is not clearly visible. The tests will provide an analysis of the number of mold spores in the air at the time of testing, these numbers may fluctuate in different areas of the home. There are three different methods used to test for mold, air testing, surface testing, and bulk testing. The lab may also choose to conduct a culture test of the samples provided to identify what kind of mold is growing in the home.

Air Test

When using an air test, the test will pick up the mold spores in the air, then the sample will be examined in a lab with microscopes. Air testing for mold will identify the presence of hidden mold in the home, however, this test cannot specify exactly where the hidden mold is located.

Surface Test

When using a surface test, the mold tester will take samples from surfaces around the home using swabs and tape lifting. The samples are then taken to the lab and inspected for mold. These results may vary based on the location of the surface and its proximity to the actual mold. It’s important to note, a surface test is not needed if the mold is clearly visible.

Bulk Test

To conduct a bulk test for mold, the tester will collect different objects from the home then test them in the lab. The objects will be inspected under a microscope and any traces of mold will be identified. Bulk tests are great for identifying the concentration of mold in the home.

Is Mold Testing Necessary?

A lot of homeowners will find themselves asking, “Do I really need to test for mold?” If you can visibly see the mold a test is not needed. In this case, the mold would simply just need to be removed, following all industry protocols. However, if the mold is not clearly visible, a mold test can identify the presence of mold.

Why Testing Visible Mold Is Unneeded

A lot of home and business owners believe mold testing should be performed to determine what type of mold is growing inside the property. However, this information is not relevant to the mold removal process. If the mold is visible, our team’s top priority is to remove the mold while following industry removal standards and keep you and your loved ones free of harm. Knowing the mold type does not change the methods used for mold removal because all mold is considered toxic to your health regardless of the type or color.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states, “In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary. Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building’s compliance with federal mold standards. Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated.” To read more from the EPA click, HERE.

When To Test For Mold

If the mold is not easily visible, but there is a lingering musty and mold odor, we suggest testing for mold. We also suggest testing for mold if your property has recently experienced water damages, such as leaking pipes, sewage backups, flooding, or other water losses. Mold can grow as quickly as 24-48 hours when provided the proper environment, so if you have recently discovered lingering water damage, there is likely mold lingering around the affected area.

If you or your loved ones are experiencing unexplained systems such as itchy eyes and skin, congestion, asthma attacks, or breathing problems, we suggest testing for mold. Mold exposure can be especially harmful to people with developing or depleted immune systems, like children or elderly people.

If you are planning on purchasing a new home, it is always a good idea to test for mold prior to completing the transaction. Also, if you are planning on selling your home, you may consider testing for mold to ensure the home is ready for a new owner.

Most Common Areas Where Mold Grows In The Home

In order for mold to grow, the mold spores need moisture, organic material such as wood, drywall, insulation, etc., and a warm environment. Mold most commonly will grow in warm, moist areas, like the bathroom, but there are also a handful of other areas when mold may grow in the home.

The following are common areas that mold may grow in the home and remain unnoticed, requiring mold testing:

Under Sinks
Around & Behind Leaky Windows
Under Carpet That Has Experienced Water Damage
Behind The Refridgerator
Behind Dishwashers
Behind Drywall Around Pipes And Plumbing Lines
In Crawl Spaces That Contain Excess Water

Professional Testing vs DIY At-Home Tests

There are a handful of different do-it-yourself mold test on the market, however, we strongly advise against using the products. The results of DIY mold tests are often inaccurate and misleading because of sampling errors and the average homeowner does not have prior mold knowledge and may misinterpret the results. Additionally, these tests lack the skills that a professional mold tester obtains, such as the skills of visible testing. When using a professional mold testing company, the tester will conduct an initial inspection of the property and is they find visible mold, and additional mold tests will be unnecessary.

Mold is everywhere in the world around us in the form of mold spores, these spores are not harmful until they are exposed to organic material and moisture. If using an at-home test, the sample will pick up normal mold spores in the air rather than an actual mold problem. By using a professional mold testing company, this misinterpretation of the sample will be removed. At Erie Environmental we will conduct a mold test and inspection of the property to identify the mold problem, then our team can quickly begin the removal and full remediation process. If you choose to use an at-home test, this option will not be provided.

At Erie Environmental, we understand that choosing an at-home mold testing kit may seem like the easiest and most time effective solution, but there is a high risk of sampling error associated with these kits, which will skew or alter the results. Give us a call, and we will set up an inspection with one of our trusted third party mold inspectors. In the inspector suspects, there is mold in the building, we will proceed with a sample and mold test. Based on the results, we will plan to remove the mold and remediate the affected area.