How To Test For Black Mold In The Air
Are you breathing black mold? For your healths sake, its important to find out. Most airborne molds are capable of harming certain people, but toxic black mold presents a particular risk. Even short-term exposure to black mold can be dangerous to health.
When people talk about toxic black mold, theyre referring to a specific variety known as Stachybotrys chartarum. Like all molds, black mold is insidious its hard to find and even harder to remove. Just because you can find a visible mold colony, doesnt mean youre not inhaling its spores and byproducts.
If you suspect black mold is growing in your home, its a good idea to run a test before beginning the expensive remediation process. While youre investigating, make sure to run a high-quality air purifier for mold to protect yourself and your family. Keep reading to learn when and how to test for black mold.
If your home has a mold problem, its time to act. Protect your family by running a high-quality air purifier from Air Oasis. Questions about our purifiers? Give us a call at .
Purchase An Air Purifier
Indoor air filters are vital. A complete filtering system removes airborne pollutants in these air purifiers. Air purifiers can eliminate allergies, pathogens, particulate matter, and gaseous contaminants, depending on the filters. Moreover, being able to have the best placement for an air purifier in the bedroom will make your purchase worth it with several guides below:
- Keep house humidity below 50% all day. Check humidity levels several times a day.
- Ensure your homes airflow. Use outdoor kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans.
- Repair roof, wall, and plumbing leaks to prevent mold growth.
- Flood cleanup and drying should be done within 2448 hours.
- Paint with mold inhibitors first.
- Mold-killing products clean bathrooms.
- Replace saturated carpets and upholstery.
Mold Armor Fg500 Do It Yourself Mold Test Kit
The Mold Armor kit includes a test swab, petri dish, and a bottle of mold growth medium. You can use this single kit in one of three waysto test the air for mold spores, to test air quality in your HVAC duct, or to test for surface mold.
To use the kit, pour the growth medium in the petri dish, replace the lid, and allow it to gel for one hour. Then, either allow it to remain open to the atmosphere for an air quality test, tape it to your air duct for a HVAC test, or use the swab to remove a sample from a surface and apply it to the growth medium for a surface test.
If after 48-96 hours mold begins to grow in your dish, you may choose to send it to a lab for analysis. With a price tag of under $10, this mold test kit is affordable. But the lab fee is an additional $40.
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We Are Renting A House In Iowa Where It Gets Very Hot And Humid A Few Weeks Ago Our Air Conditioner Went Out And It Took The Landlord 2 Weeks To Get It Fixed And A New Furnace Installed Since The Summer We Have Noticed A White Somewhat Powdery Substance Coming Through The Paint On The Walls In Our Bedroom And Hallway I Have Been Ill For The Last 5 Months With Unexplained Symptoms That Can Be Explained By Mold Exposure But We Have Not Yet Told The Doctors Because We Are Not Sure It Is Mold We Are Dealing With We Had An Inspector Come Out 3 Days Ago And Do An Air Quality Sample He Did The Outside In The Front Of Our House And The Outside In The Back Of Our House Then Took A Sample From The Hallway When He Saw The Substance On The Walls He Felt Sure The Inspection Results Would Show That There Were High Levels Of Mold In The Air However When The Sample Came Back It Came Back With A Non
I recommend collecting a tape lift sample of the suspicious substance. This will definitively tell you whether the substance is mold. The lack of mold in the air test is unusual, but not unheard of. Occasionally, mold growth occurs without releasing substantial quantities of mold spores into the air. In these cases, a tape lift sample is needed to determine the nature of the substance.
If the results indicate it is not mold, it is likely related to the paint itself. A dramatic change in humidity could cause surface deposits as the vapor pulls minerals to the surface. This problem should resolve itself after the humidity drops. Has the powder returned after the A/C was fixed?
Air Quality Testing For Mold: What Is A Safe Level
There are no health-based biological agent criteria for indoor air. Building air quality evaluations should not include mold air sampling. A concentration of mold spores above 500 sp/m3 is considered high, based on some test result. Any mold in a building is dangerous. Commercial buildings have no EPA-acceptable mold levels or fungal growth requirements.
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How To Take Air Samples For Mold
Now:
There are debates about the conditions of the home while sampling. I will break down the norms of what most professionals do, and then I will break down what the contrarian says on what the conditions should be when air sampling.
Common Theory #1– Sampling should be completed with the pump on a tripod.
Most professional organizations including the American Industrial Hygiene Association recommends have your sampling pump 4-5 feet off the ground.
Contrarian Theory #1– The pump should be taken at ground level so it can collect mold from the dust particles on the ground and have a true idea of what is floating around the home.
My Commentary
I understand the theory to try and collect mold spores and fragments that may be deep in the pores of the carpet and won’t show up in an air sample.
But why not just take a dust sample if that’s the case?
An air sample taken on a tripod represents the airborne spore count floating around the air at that particular time which is what the purpose of the air sample is.
Contrarian Theory #2– Air sampling should be done with building activity including people sitting on couches, walking on carpet, etc.
My Commentary
Common Mold Hiding Places
All mold needs to grow is moisture, darkness, and warmth, but where exactly should you look when you suspect a mold problem? Here are a few familiar places around the house where mold is likely to grow :
- Behind appliances such as a refrigerator or dishwasher.
- Behind drywalls where plumbing pipes are located.
- Underneath cardboard or old newspapers.
- Under carpets, particularly in the padding.
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What Is A Mold Growth Problem
Simply put, a mold growth problem occurs when mold has been allowed to grow unchecked in a damp part of the home. No home is fully moisture-proof we need some humidity after all! But when moisture actively begins to collect on a surface, mold spores will follow suit.
Common reasons why mold grows in your home include leaky plumbing, a failing roof, clogged gutters, and hot water usage in unventilated areas. When left unchecked for too long, you could be looking at property damage ranging from ceiling tiles to wallpaper to even furniture.
Mold also causes health problems for some. Many people have an allergic reaction to breathing in mold, often exhibiting symptoms similar to hay fever. If you suspect someone in your household is having an allergic reaction to mold, contact their doctor right away.
Do I Need A Professional Mold Test
When researching your mold problem, youre probably going to come across three terms: testing, inspection, and remediation. Lets break each of those down.
- Testing: A mold test attempts to identify the specific types of mold spores in the air in your home. This is done by a professional who gathers samples and tests them in a lab. If you already know you have a mold problem, testing is likely unnecessary.
- Inspection: During a mold inspection, a professional will search your house from top to bottom in search of mold and its source. They will also ask you a lot of questions about the construction of your home, your familys health, and other factors that might contribute to mold growth. When theyre done, theyll give you a report and recommendations.
- Remediation: Mold remediation is the process of removing mold and ensuring that it wont return. This could be as simple as cleaning surfaces and fixing leaks, or as complicated as ripping out drywall and tearing up floorboards.
Pro Tip: Mold remediation can be a very expensive process, but a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is that itll cost between $13 and $30 per square foot of contaminated area.10 Read more about that in our mold remediation cost breakdown.
So now that you know what the pros do, you might be wondering if you can handle the problem yourself. While youll probably save some cash doing so, you want to make sure you have the skills and abilities to contend with the problem youre experiencing.
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Does An Air Quality Test Detect Mold
Air quality testing is one of the most popular methods for detecting mold. This is especially effective to identify mold which is hidden, or non-visible.
Mold produces spores, which are microscopic airborne particles. The only way to identify mold spores is through microscopy.
Air quality testing draws in these microscopic particles onto sampling mediums, typically called cassettes. These cassettes are then sent to a laboratory that specialized in the microscopic, microbial analysis. Through this process, they can microscopically identify the types of mold present in the air of the tested space.
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How Much Does It Cost To Test Your House For Mold
Getting your home professionally inspected for mold isnt cheap. The average cost for an inspection is around $650. But, it can range between $250 and $1000 depending on the size and location of your house .
Many homeowners are enticed by the affordability of DIY test kits, usually available at around $40 or less. However, its crucial to get the house inspected by professionals if mold is detected or suspected.
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Best For Air Testing: My Mold Detective Mmd103 Mold Test Kit
Courtesy of Amazon
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Air sampling pump is reusable
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Fast, three-day turnaround for lab results
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Extensive report
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Lab testing fee is $35 per sample
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No consultation included
An air pump is considered to be an effective and efficient way to test for the presence of airborne mold spores. However, it usually requires special equipment and professional services. My Mold Detective offers an at-home mold testing kit specifically designed for air testing and includes a small, user-friendly air pump and collection cassettes.
After following the kits instructions for use, youll need to send in the samples for professional laboratory evaluation. Keep in mind that the testing fee for each sample is $35, and youll also pay the cost of shipping the samples to the AIHA-accredited lab. However, many people will find the cost of the kit plus the lab fees to be more economical than a home visit from a professional for a mold evaluation. Youll receive color-coded lab results indicating which types of mold are present in the samples, along with their relative concentration levels . Its nice to know that you can reuse the air pump for future at-home mold testing and separate sample cassettes are available for purchase.
Price at time of purchase: $90
Test Type: Air pump | Result Type: Lab report | Analysis Fees: Yes | Expert Consultation: No | Number of Samples: 3
I Had A Mold Test Done In 2 Areas Of My House They Came Back Positive For Mold In These Areas After Remediation They Only Tested The Living Room Which Was Not Affected At All Not The Original 2 Rooms Why Would They Test An That Wasn’t Affected Instead Where They Remediated
Good question. In most scenarios, a clearance sample is collected within the containment/ remediation zone. This is to prove the mold spore counts have returned to normal levels. Occasionally an additional sample is collected from outside the remediation zone to check for cross contamination. I cant think of a scenario where one would only collect a sample from the adjacent rooms and not within original remediation zone.
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Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Most Indoor Air Quality issues will have long-term and gradual effects on health. The presence of carbon monoxide is not one of those. Known as the silent killer, CO is tasteless, odorless, colorless, and it will kill you dead if youre exposed to large amounts of it for too long.
Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of fuel combustion, so appliances like gas dryers, gas burning stoves, and gas furnaces are risk creators. If you own any of these appliances, grabbing some carbon monoxide alarms from the store is a must.
Even if you dont own a gas dryer or stove, it cant hurt to install these still. Carbon monoxide may not be a prominent danger in your home, but anything that burns gas creates CO. A lot of homes have gas water heaters that produce CO. And you can’t forget about fireplaces. Any fire produces CO as well. In other words, just get a carbon monoxide detector. A few alarms is a small price to pay for complete assurance of safety from the silent killer.
Many indoor air quality monitors measure CO concentration and can alert you if something is afoot. Thats great, but you cant place one in every area of your home without spending around $1000, and they dont typically come with a screaming alarm that you can always count on to wake you up in the night. This is why you need CO alarms.
Is Sampling For Mold Needed
In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary. Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building’s compliance with federal mold standards. Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated. Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods and interpreting results. Sample analysis should follow analytical methods recommended by the American Industrial Hygiene Association , the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists , or other professional organizations.
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Last July I Was Told That I Should Move Out Of My Home Right Away Because Of Dangerous Mold Since Then The Insurance Company Has Refused To Pay For Remediation And I Have Been Paying Rent And Wondering How I Will Be Able To Save Money To Get Back Into My Home I Have Been Wondering Lately If I Reacted Too Rashly And Wonder If They Were Just Hoping I Would Pay For Remediation I Live Inland In Sw Florida What Do You Think About All Of This
The mold testing report indicates the outside air had a higher mold spore count than the air inside your home. This is a good sign and certainly is no cause for vacating the property, unless there was substantial visible mold growth. We see this situation quite often. The industry is full of unscrupulous inspectors who stoke fears by misinterpreting results.
Wear The Right Clothing
Make sure you are properly geared before you start with your DIY mold cleanup. Wear gloves, goggles, and loose clothing especially if youre using a chemical. After cleaning the mold, dispose of your clothing and gears or thoroughly wash them. Mold spores can easily spread within your house as they travel through the air.
When it comes to black mold removal, it is better to ask professionals to do it. Black mold is a dangerous type of mold and can have a hazardous effect on your health.
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Getting To The Root Of The Problem
Mold can affect your health in different ways some people have severe reactions while others dont experience any.
Common health effects of mold include hay fever-like symptoms such as a runny nose and red eyes. If you have allergies or asthma, youll likely experience more severe reactions such as asthma attacks or skin rashes.
Mold spreads and reproduces through spores in the air. You can buy DIY home test kits to help determine whether or not theres mold present in your home. Yet, as popular as these tests are, you shouldnt rely on them entirely. Always follow up with a professional inspection and treatment.
How To Test For Black Mold
Do you keep getting a whiff of something musty in your bathroom or basement? Afraid it might be mold? Learn about three of the most popular kits to test for mold at home.
Its no secret that damp areas of the home provide the perfect conditions for mold and mildew to grow. Whether your nose knows, or your eyes spy dark spots in strategic locations, you want to make sure.
Mold doesnt just eat away at your wood, wallpaper, or grout. Its spores get airborne and cause all kinds of health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says enough evidence exists to link mold to upper respiratory tract symptoms like itchy eyes and runny nose to cough and wheeze in otherwise healthy people.
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