There are at least 3 important reasons you should get a professional mold inspection:
- Mold damage can be extensive and expensive to repair
- Prolonged exposure to mold can be dangerous – even deadly!
- A professional inspection ensures that ALL the mold is found and handled properly.
We are here to help with an initial inspection!
Of course, we certainly don’t fault a home or business owner for wanting to do their own inspection. So, if you decide to do-it-yourself, please keep in mind a few key points. To perform a thorough inspection, you will need to closely examine not just your bathroom and kitchen, but also your roof, attic, basement, crawl spaces and any area of your home – inside or out – that collects water, leaks or is constantly moist.
Typically, a thorough inspection can last anywhere from 1-3 hours (depending on the size of the property of course; it could even be longer).
It may require you to climb up on ladders or crawl around underneath your home. There is no telling what kind of challenges – or critters – you might run into along the way (we could tell you some stories)! Of course, there is always the chance that you will find some mold too. If so, keep in mind that it could be of the toxic variety, so we highly recommend that you wear personal protective equipment andprocced with caution at all times while performing the inspection.
Now, this is not meant to be a comprehensive guide to inspecting your own home; we simply wish to give you a realistic idea of what you might be in for. Suffice it to say, if you don’t have experience with ladders or personal protective equipment, or you simply aren’t confident that you will be able to find where ALL the mold is hiding, then it may be best to call in a professional – like us!
There are 3 distinct, yet interrelated phases of the process.
If you suspect mold on your property (maybe because you have seen it or smelled it), a visual inspection is typically all that is required to locate the source of the outbreak. Once ALL the mold is found, we can sometimes proceed right to removal without additional testing.
If there is any chance the mold is toxic, we will recommend outside lab testing. There is a fee for this and a little bit of a waiting period involved, but it is a relatively easy and straight-forward step. We simply collect samples that day and send them to a laboratory to be tested for potential toxicity.We will handle all the samples and paperwork and then get back to you ASAP with the results.
This step is not always necessary. In fact, it is sometimes even requested by our clients because it helps them determine if they want to continue staying on the property while they wait for the results of the test, and if it is safe to stick around during the removal and clean-up process. Some clients choose to temporarily relocate or even seek medical treatment for mold exposure, until the building is mold-free (although this is uncommon).
In complex cases – like when the mold is hard to find or when it is clear that it has penetrated deeper into the structure of your building – it may be necessary to employ more advanced inspection techniques, such as laser particle counter readers, air-quality testers or, it may even be necessary to perform exclusion testing for other potential irritants, when mold is not clearly the source of the problem.
If mold damage is observed along the way, we will include our assessment (along with any photographic evidence of the damage) in our report. As mold experts and licensed contractors, we are in the unique position of not only being able to identify and remove your mold problem, but we can even repair any structural damage it may have caused at the same time – saving you the time and frustration of having to search out and hire more contractors. However, should you choose to use someone else for the repair work, our assessment and inspection results are yours to keep and use, to make sure the job gets done right.
For all the above reasons, the inspection process is an important first step!
After a thorough visual inspection, we will provide you with a detailed reportof your unique mold problem& solution, which usually has a 24-hour turn-around time for us. This is because we like to present our analysis in an itemized, easy-to-understand format, along with the costs that will be involved for our services. Even if you decide to attempt to do-it-yourself, or hire someone else, our report is yours to keep.
If anything beyond our initial inspection is required in your case (such as lab testing or advanced inspection procedures), you will be fully informed before any additional services are started. If there is a more economical option available, we will let you know. We want you to have peace of mind.
