Does Your Home Have Mold?

Mold is everywhere. This is no reason to be alarmed; it has existed on the planet for several hundred million years, and probably isn’t going anywhere soon. Concerns arise when there is active colonization on structural materials within the house.

Several tests can be performed to check for active colonization of mold. Air sampling is probably the most common. Most often, Sparkkles makes use of nonviable air quality samples. An air sample will be taken both inside and outside of a residence with results being sent to a lab for counts and identification of spores and hyphae fragments. These samples are not cultured and results are usually returned within three days.
A viable air sample can be taken to determine how many spores in a given amount of air are “colony forming,” or how many would survive to grow in the right conditions. These samples give a different kind of snapshot of what is in the air at a certain time and in a certain place than nonviable samples. Because samples must be cultured, return times range from ten to fourteen days.

For identification purposes, swab samples may be taken. A wet cotton swab is brushed over an area of about one square inch for ten to thirty seconds. The swab is relinquished to an accredited laboratory and results are returned usually within three days. Results will indicate a distribution of fungal genera on the surface swabbed, but the presence of variables (including time of sample, the pressure applied to the swab, the exact amount of area swabbed and more) does not allow for a reliable count of spores/in2.

Visual inspections easily identify mold problems. Homeowners can look for signs of mold growth along walls, in bathrooms, and in the crawlspace under a house. An experienced remediator will inspect areas that are commonly problematic but not as obvious as the homeowner would consider. Sometimes, a visual inspection requires removal of baseboards and small amounts of drywall, as growth behind walls is hidden from common view.