Testing For Mold - Do It Like A Professional

Routine inspection of homes by mold testing services will alert you to any signs of mold. You can easily find mold inspection professionals that will come to you home to do the testing for mold for you. However, testing for mold using services like this is quite expensive and you can save money by buying a mold test kit and doing the testing yourself.

Testing for mold? Mold test kits.

The mold test kits that you can buy are the same ones that professionals use when testing for mold. They can help you identify whether or not you have mold or mildew in your home within 48 hours. Just as the Southern California mold inspection testing services do, with this mold test kit, you place the petrie dish from the kit in an area and leave it open for two hours. Then you close the lid and let the spores incubate for two days. After that time, this testing for mold will tell you whether or not you have mold and if it is of the toxic kind.

If after you complete the testing for mold, there is nothing in the petrie dish, this tells you that you don't have any mold in your home or that the count is so low that it is insignificant. In either case, you have nothing to worry about. However, if there is fungus growing on the disc in the petrie dish, you do have a problem and it is time to call in the professionals, such as the Southern California mold inspection testing services. You can also bring the results of your mold test to a lab to have the mold analyzed and this only costs about $30.

When the testing for mold reveals that you do have mold spores, then you have to use mold removal products to get rid of the buildup. This could mean nothing more than using strong products to wash and dry the area. However, you also have to get to the root of the mold by finding out what is causing it. It could be the result of excess moisture or dampness in a basement and you will need to do repairs. Once you find out what is causing the mold and solve the problem, then you have to repeat the testing for mold to make sure you got it all.

Should I Test For Black Mold?

There are some who suggest that you should take mold samples and have them professionally tested for black mold. That if you have black mold in your home it is sufficiently dangerous that it should be identified and removed by professionals.

We don't consider that it is necessary to test for black mold. Other molds are also suspected of causing health problems, it's not just restricted to black mold.

Rather you should take steps to eliminate molds from growing in your home. The steps which will remove other molds from your home should also remove black mold. It's not necessary to identify it as black mold as long as you remove it.

The steps that you should take to remove the mold may include a mold removal kit if you have serious mold problems, but you shouldn't just rely on a kit to remove the mold and assume that is sufficient. It is also necessary to take steps to reduce dampness and humidity in your home, and we have suggested some steps to do that here.