Thinking of getting a mold test? How does it work and what option should you choose?

As a certified mold inspector, the two most commons questions I get are: "How does mold testing work?" and "Should I DIY or hire a professional?"

I wish there was a straight forward answer to those questions, but there are so many different mold testing options out there and picking the right one is truly confusing.

So that you don't end up wasting your money on something you don't need, I'm going to explain how all the options work below.

How does mold testing actually work?

Mold testing works by collecting samples and sending them to a lab. It also involves using specialty tools to figure out the root cause of the mold. This means you can accurately determine where the mold is coming from and what to do to remove it.

Choosing the right testing method can be the difference between getting the answers you need or finding yourself with even more questions that you started with. There's lots of DIY options so let's start there.

Locating where the mold is with a thermal camera

DIY Mold Testing Options

Deciding which option to choose can be confusing – especially if this is your first time testing mold. If you choose the DIY route, there are three common options you will come across if you try to go the DIY route. But be cautious: each option can tell you something about the mold content in your home, but each option also comes with it's own set of limitations. They all cost somewhere between $50 and $150 and can vary in their results. I'll describe each one below along with how each of them work:

• Petri Dishes – You lay it out in your house and mold spores in the air will settle on the dish and begin to grow. Very simple, but very limited. Even if you do grow on the dish it cannot tell you how much is actually in your air or what kind of mold is growing. This leaves a lot of people with more questions than they started with (where's the mold coming from? Is the mold dangerous? Etc.)

  • If you're trying to diagnose a serious problem, petri dishes are a difficult option to recommend.

• Swabs – Swabs are a tool that I use as a professional, but only as one piece of a larger inspection, not as a standalone test. If you find visible mold this can be a good option to identify the species. Typically you swab mold you found and then mail it to a lab where they'll identify the mold species for you. Identifying a mold species is good info, but tells you nothing about how much you're breathing or if the mold is releasing spores. Once again, you'll probably have even more questions after getting results back so it's hard for me to recommend this to anyone who's serious about diagnosing a mold problem.

• Air Sampling – You can think of air samples like "swabbing your air," except you don't need to find any visible mold growth first – you can just set up the machine in your room. Once it collects particles and spores from the air, you'll send it to a lab and wait a couple of weeks to get your results. The results will tell you if there's mold present, but it won't tell you where. And that's the biggest problem, because knowing there's mold but not knowing where it's coming from means you'll be hiring a professional to pinpoint it for you so you don't have to breathe it any longer.

The common problem with all of the DIY options is that they always just lead you to more questions, which often times means paying for more testing. Wouldn't you rather get all your questions answered the first time around?

Hiring a Professional

A specialty moisture meter used to located where there's excessive moisture.

Unless you're certain the answers you want can be achieved with a DIY kit, I'd save yourself the money and avoid the DIY options entirely – they'll usually just cost you more money in the long run.

I've been called out to dozens of jobs where homeowners used a DIY kit and had no idea what the results meant or what to do next. This is exactly why mold professionals exist.

Professionals want to see the entire picture and answer every question. They want to find the root cause, not just the symptoms. That's why they use multiple sampling methods, special tools, and go through constant training. When you hire a professional, you should expect to have complete confidence that by the end of it all, you'll know exactly what's going on and what to do next.

For example, here's what we do on every single inspection :

1. Locate Problem – Using thermal cameras, moisture meters, cavity testing, and other speciality tools, we'll find where the issues are coming from.

2. Surface & Air Samples – Once we confirm the areas of concern, then we will do an air sample and surface sample to collect data.

3. Generate Report – Within 48 hours, we'll have a full report about what's going on and what you should do to fix it.
   

You won't feel like you putting pieces of the puzzle together one DIY kit at a time, you'll just get the full picture the first go-around.

I cannot count the number of people who have called me confused after using a DIY kit and are now asking if I could come test their home even more. Calling a professional first could've saved them the ~$75 they spent on the DIY kit and got them a comprehensive test.

The biggest misconception

Most people never bother to call mold testing professionals because they expect them to be far more expensive than a DIY option. However, a professional mold inspection isn't doesn't need to break the bank and an honest company won't test more than is needed (which means you save money). In most cases, the professional will save you lot's of money and lot's of headaches.

So, before you pull the trigger on a DIY kit, consider giving us a call and getting a free quote. We'll help you decide the best approach and make sure you pick the option that best suites your situation. No strings attached.

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