“Do I Need a Mold Test?” – this is one of the most common questions that we are asked.

It’s a fair question, and one that warrants discussion. I’m going to go against many others in the industry and say that in many cases where customers ask us that question, the answer is no. You probably do not need a mold test, although mold testing can be helpful, even when it’s not necessary.

When would I not need a mold test?

If you have obvious visible issues, and you know what the moisture problem is, a mold test likely isn’t necessary. You already know that there is a problem that needs to be addressed, so in many cases it can be more cost effective to resolve the moisture issue and remediate the mold than to incur additional testing expense.

There are 3 situations where mold testing can be very beneficial:

Testing to determine the scope of the mold problem

You know that you have a mold issue, and it is effecting your indoor air quality. What you don’t know is how wide spread the mold problem is, or what types of mold are present. Is the mold issue in the basement impacting the air quality of the main floor? What about the 2nd floor? The bedrooms? Testing can help to answer these questions.

Testing to determine if a problem exists

As I outlined above, some mold issues are fairly cut and dry. You have an issue that is visibly apparent, and you have a known source of water intrusion – you don’t need testing to identify a problem that needs remediation. But what if the issues aren’t clear? What if you think there may be a water problem, but you don’t know where it is, or how bad it is? What if you have musty odors but you don’t know where they’re coming from? Proper testing, along with a thorough visible inspection, can be vital in this situation.

Post remediation verification testing

Post Remediation Verification Testing or PRV After remediation has been completed, having a third-party come in and test to verify that the remediation was successful is very important. Many companies will do some sort of post testing in house, and that is fine for their records, but for you to be sure, be safe, and have a third-party mold inspector do the testing.

There are times when mold testing is appropriate, and times when it’s excessive.

While I would love to give a easy “yes” or “no” answer to the question “do I need a mold test?” The truth is, it depends.

I hope this helps address some of the confusion you’re encountering, and keep an eye on our blog for future posts to help you learn more about mold and indoor air quality.

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