What is a Mold Clearance Inspection?

After having mold remediation performed, it’s important to schedule a mold clearance inspection of the work areas in order to ensure that the mold cleanup was done correctly and effectively, without accidentally distributing high levels of moldy dust or debris into other areas of the structure or the building’s HVAC system.

Why a Clearance Inspection?

If the remediation required removing interior or exterior walls or more, a clearance inspection is needed in order to verify that the mold has been adequately removed before reconstruction starts. It will also satisfy disclosure requirements for buyers in the event of a future sale by demonstrating that you handled the problem properly.

In order to avoid any conflict of interest, the mold clearance inspection should never be performed by the mold remediation contracting company or its business associates. The best course is to contact an independent mold inspection company, preferably the one that did the original mold testing.

Variables That Affect Testing

In addition to an expert visual inspection, the inspection requires testing for cross-contamination of moldy dust by screening building areas that were not part of the mold cleanup job.

Conducting air tests alone may produce unreliable results, as the airborne level of particles can vary greatly depending on a number of environmental variables.

• Whether the HVAC systems are on or off
• If fans are moving the air
• Whether the home or building is empty or occupied (human activity can affect the difference in active airborne particle activity)
• Whether one or more windows or interior/exterior doors is open or closed

The Clearance Inspection Procedure

The goal of the visual and analytical testing procedures is to ensure that the mold remediation process and cleanup reduced airborne mold spores to acceptable, pre-mold levels.

• A visual inspection will be performed within the containment area in order to ensure the absence of any lingering moisture, dust or debris and the lack of visible fungal growth in the area.
• The moisture content of any construction materials in the area will be inspected and tested for moisture content levels.
• Airborne spore samples will be taken inside and outside of the remediated area for the levels to be analyzed in a laboratory for balance and/or discrepancies.

If all of these tests return acceptable results, no further remediation will be required. However, if any one or more of the above test results are unacceptable, either a re-inspection or additional mold remediation will be recommended.