Whether you have had mold in your home or not, residential mold testing can be useful in a variety of situations. But you may wonder what you need to do as you prepare for the mold testing expert to arrive. Should you organize your entire house? Clean up any visible mold? Leave your house for the day like when you're getting a home inspection?
Here are some tips on how to prepare for a residential mold inspection or testing.
1. Don't DIY clean the mold beforehand
Mold testing can be done for a variety of reasons. If you're living in the house and need the mold test to see what type of mold you have and how bad the problem is, you should not disturb or attempt to clean up the mold before the test. If you're having any air testing done, anything you do to the mold will release many more spores into the air and potentially skew results.
If you're having a mold test because you're trying to sell the home, you need to have a professional remediation first. DIY cleanup will not keep a professional mold tester from discovering your mold.
2. Do allow a waiting period after cleanup
If you're having your home tested for mold after a mold remediation took place, you have to go through a designated waiting period first or the inspection won't officially count. The wait time is for a number of reasons; for example, during a cleanup, the air cleaning machines actively remove contaminants from the air, which can result in an artificially lowered mold reading.
Generally, you'll want to wait an entire day after the air cleaning machines have been turned off before testing for a more accurate reading.
3. Do make the mold easy to access
Although your mold testing professional won't need you to tidy and organize your entire home, you may want to remove any furniture or other belongings that block access to any known moldy walls. Be sure not to disturb the mold while doing this. A mold testing professional may be able to use visual cues for easy mold identification in some cases.
4. Do be available during the inspection
Unlike a large mold remediation procedure, your mold testing likely won't require you to be absent from the house. Typically, the professional will just need to take samples of air and any moldy materials. A mold inspection involves checking out-of-the-way places such as your attic for moldy materials, and also won't require you to leave your home.
Although any pets and small children should be kept out of the way, you should make yourself available in case the mold testing or inspection professional needs help moving any furniture or has any questions about your home and your mold problems.
Share15 May 2020
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