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What is Involved in a Mold Inspection?

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What is Involved in a Mold Inspection?

 

Do you think mold might be growing somewhere in your Los Angeles area home or rental property? If so, it’s important to have a mold inspection performed. Assessing mold growth involves more than finding and testing mold that’s visibly growing on the walls, corners or ceiling, under floors or carpeting or within cabinets. Mold can also be an invisible intruder, growing behind, under and/or around the area where it’s visible. Even the smallest spot of surface mold can mean there’s a much larger mold colony growing out of sight.

Why Call a Mold Inspector?

The most obvious reason for having a mold inspection is knowing you have a mold problem in your home or apartment. If you’ve already located obvious mold growth, it’s very important to have a certified mold inspection and testing performed in order to get to the source of the problem.

A few reasons to call a mold inspector even if mold isn’t visible:

  • The sudden onset of allergy or asthma symptoms and/or skin irritations
  • Being aware of a musty, damp smell in certain areas of your home
  • Knowing you have a water problem: seasonal flooding or leaking pipes, the foundation or roof

Hire a Legitimate Mold Inspector

The importance of choosing an experienced, certified mold inspector cannot be over-stressed. In addition to holding membership with at least one nationally recognized trade association for mold professionals, a reputable inspection company will carry both worker’s compensation and professional liability insurance. To minimize any future conflicts of interest, the inspection company should only perform inspections, testing and consulting – not remediation.

Professional Mold Inspections

Every mold inspection/testing procedure should include visual observations and moisture readings. If there are visible signs, malodors or positive moisture readings, sampling recommendations will usually be in order. Air, surface and bulk tests each provide the inspector with its own unique results.

  • Air samples are used to test the concentration of airborne mold spores in a structure. They are taken using a vacuum pump to draw air through a collection device called a spore trap.
  • Surface samples are taken from a variety of surfaces around the residence using the tape-lift and/or swab method.
  • Visible mold growth may indicate that bulk testing be performed, which involves collecting and testing pieces of wallboard and other materials from the home.

The test samples should be analyzed by a reputable, independent laboratory that provides documentation of the test results. An easily understood inspection report should be delivered to you by the inspection company that explain the lab results and offers meaningful recommendations for repair.

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