Mold inspections are important – whether you're buying a new home or living in a house you've known for years. The thing is, however, that mold inspections differ in their processes from a typical house inspection. Depending on the size of a house, the costs also vary. However, you may not be sure if hiring a mold testing service in Houston to inspect your home is a good idea, and you may not be sure if you can afford the costs.
If this sounds like you and the dilemma you are in, then far from it – we will answer these questions and give you an overview of what you can expect for both aspects.
What is mold?
Before answering the cost and process question, it is important to understand what this substance is. Mold is a type of fungus, and its makeup allows it to thrive in a variety of environments and locations. Mold spreads through microscopic particles called spores – which are often as small as a cell. These spores are in the air and usually float around until they can land on a surface. This means that every house has spores, even those that are very clean. It is impossible to completely remove the spores from a building or house if you do not install an air filter system on an industrial scale, and not everyone can afford it.
Fortunately, spores do not form under all conditions, which only develop after landing on a moist surface. This means that if you keep the interior of your home dry, you can avoid mold-related problems. You can do this by repairing leaky parts of your roof, clearing up spilled material, ensuring that your bathroom and kitchen are properly ventilated, and repairing the HVAC and plumbing systems. There are two reasons that make mold removal from your home very important: it aggravates asthma and allergies and always damages the surfaces on which it grows.
When should I request mold inspections?
A very good thing about mold – if you can see it, you have it. As long as mold grows in the corners or cracks of walls, it definitely grows and releases spores. Sometimes it can also form colonies that are too small to see. In some cases, however, you'll need to look for mold problems at home.
These are:
- If there is water damage – if you're dealing with a leaky roof, a flooded basement, or a broken pipe, you'll need to look for mold problems. Any area that is wet and does not dry quickly (in this case, a period of 24 to 48 hours) must perform mold inspections.
- When buying a new home – apart from the typical house inspection, it's important to involve mold teams to do a mold test. This cannot be done by a general home inspector as he may not have the equipment or knowledge to do this. It is also important to run the test if you suspect water damage.
- If you are dealing with an uninhabited house – if you want to buy a house and want to find out that it has been uninhabited for some time (several months or years), you need to consult mold inspection specialists. The combination of increased humidity and darkness could have promoted mold growth inside. Especially when the house is in areas with high humidity.
- After you go through a mold remediation process, the mold remediation steps are difficult and expensive, and you want to make sure that the infestation doesn't recur. In this case, you can do an additional test or use the services of mold inspection teams to do the work for you.
- If you notice the presence of mold – if white, blue, or green material grows in your house and you are not sure what it is, you can do a test to find out the extent of the infestation or where it grows. This is particularly important as it is likely not limited to just one location.
Is there a difference between form examination and form examination?
As you are researching mold, you may find some services telling you that they do mold tests or mold tests while some say both. What is the difference you might ask? Mold inspection simply detects the presence of mold in a building and also defines the extent of the problem by measuring the mold coverage in square feet. On the other hand, mold tests identify the type of mold in your home and the number of mold spores in the air.
Before using any of these services, you should consider the following:
- The conditions required for scientific mold tests to be carried out are very difficult to achieve in a household, so the results vary regardless of the renovation work.
- All interiors have a higher proportion of mold spores because these particles penetrate from the outside. The mold test usually gives you a long list of species, some of which are not available in your home.
- The EPA has no specific rules and regulations regarding the acceptable levels of mold spores and mold in a house or building. This means that mold tests are not always useful. Therefore, it is always best to work with a professional if you want to do mold tests. Some inspections also include mold samples or tests, particularly in those states where this is required by law.
Final thoughts
The mold problem is very serious and it is very important to take control of the whole problem before it gets out of control. The cost of using a professional tool inspection and testing service saves you money in the long term and can solve the problem as quickly as possible.
