Utah Mold Inspection

A mold inspection should be the first step to diagnosing or evaluating any mold problem. If you can see questionable growth or stains, you probably need a mold inspection. If you have reason to worry about mold for medical reasons, you probably need a mold inspection. If you have a noticeable odor that smells “musty” or “earthy”, you probably need a Utah mold inspection.

Mold Inspection vs Mold Testing

Many people think that doing mold testing is a mold inspection, including some experts in the industry, but that is not the case. A mold inspection is very different than doing mold testing. Both have their place and both are valuable to different questions.

Mold Inspection

A Utah mold inspection includes a visual inspection to evaluate any stains for possible mold growth. This also includes investigating any staining, cracking, peeling, bubbling, or swelling to try to determine the history of any dampness and the possibility of mold growth on surfaces that are not readily accessible. It should include determining the likely moisture source for any water damage history, and if any preventative steps are still needed. A mold inspection should try to determine the extent of the materials affected by mold. It should also include recommendations for the scope of work needed to remove and clean up the mold, doing it properly by recommended guidelines. It is also helpful if the mold inspection report is able to give some idea as to the cost of the cleanup. A mold inspection should identify any dampness and the source of the recent leak or ongoing dampness.

But I’ve Had An Inspection

Some people think that if they have looked around or had an “inspection” by a home inspector or contractor that they can not benefit from a mold inspection. They think “We have looked around, what will you see that we can not see?” Knowing where to look and recognizing what you are looking at is very important. It’s called “training” and “experience”. We have been in dozens of homes where part of the mold that we found was there and visible since the home was originally constructed, and these homes have been sold more than once and were “inspected” each time. Without the proper training and experience, it is very easy to miss mold.

Mold Testing

Mold testing is just that, testing for mold. A sample will be lifted from a surface and evaluated to determine what type of mold is on that spot on the surface. The more common type of sampling that is done is air sampling. When air sampling is done, a measured amount of air is pumped through a collection cassette. The particles that are collected are evaluated in a laboratory under a microscope. The types of mold spores present are identified and counted. When divided by the volume of air used to collect the sample it will produce how many spores were present per cubic meter of air. The more indoor samples that are collected, the more revealing the sampling will be.

Indoor spore count levels are compared room to room and with the outside air. If any of the indoor samples have spore count levels that are significantly higher than the levels outside or quantities of toxic varieties of mold it triggers an indoor air quality concern and suggests there is a source or several sources from the mold indoors.

What can you learn from testing:

• Verify that something is mold and what kind.
• The varieties and levels of spores that were airborne at that time.

If these answers will satisfy questions that you need answers to, then mold testing should be part of your evaluation. And yes, Bio Clean of Utah is your source for any mold testing needs.

Utah Mold Inspection is Affordable

A Utah mold inspection is the first step and the most affordable way to determine if you have a mold problem. You will learn more from a mold inspection at a reasonable cost than you will from mold testing. Start off with a mold inspection and then have sampling done if needed or wanted.