Mold Inspections
Professional Mold Assessment & Testing Services
Mold in your Home or Business
The first thing to understand about mold is that there is a little mold everywhere – indoors and outdoors. It’s in the air and can be found in plants, foods, dry leaves, and other organic materials. It’s very common to find molds in homes and buildings. After all, molds grow naturally indoors. And mold spores enter the home through doorways, windows, and heating and air conditioning systems. Spores also enter the home on animals, clothing, shoes, bags, and people.
When mold spores drop where there is excessive moisture in your home, they will grow. Common problem sites include leaky roofs, water infiltration through walls, plumbing, heating and air conditioners, overflowing sinks, bathtubs and plant pots, steam from cooking, wet clothes drying indoors, dryers exhausting indoors, or where there has been flooding.
Many of the building materials for homes provide suitable nutrients for mold, helping it to grow. Such materials include paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood and wood products, dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.
The importance of mold in the real estate market today
Much has been made of indoor mold in advertising and the media lately, so it’s a common concern for property owners and buyers. It’s common to find mold even in new homes or businesses. Whether you’re selling your current home or looking into buying one, it’s vital to get a mold inspection. The presence of active mold can drastically affect the resale value of any property.
For property owners, a mold inspection will either put your mind at rest or make you aware of any problems that could otherwise cause delays; or deal breakers once you’ve entered into negotiations with a buyer. A professional mold inspection by AAA Advanced Home Inspections will give you a detailed report with digital pictures and a signed report from an accredited laboratory expert before you put the home up for sale. Imagine being able to show a “clean bill of health” to potential buyers that express concerns – they’ll be impressed by your thoroughness and commitment to your home.
For buyers, getting a mold inspection will ensure that you’re not surprised by costly cleanup and the potential health hazards of mold. A mold inspection/clearance test will put your mind at rest to know the property is not a sick building. This is highly recommended if the buyer is sensitive to molds. If any mold is found to be present and active in the home, the mold inspection will allow you to ask the seller to do the clean-up prior to buying the home. Remediation can cost thousands of dollars.
Exposure to mold
Everyone is exposed to some amount of mold on a daily basis, most without any apparent reaction. Generally, mold spores can cause problems when they are present in large numbers and a person inhales large quantities of them. This occurs primarily when there is active mold growth. For some people that have immunosuppressed conditions, a small exposure to mold spores or toxic mycotoxins can trigger an asthma attack or lead to other health problems. For others, symptoms may only occur when exposure levels are much higher.
The health effects of mold can vary. The production of allergens or irritants can cause mild allergic reactions and asthma attacks. The production of potentially toxic mycotoxins can cause more severe reactions and in rare cases death.
Should I be concerned about mold in my home or business?
Yes. If indoor mold is extensive, those in your home can be exposed to very high and persistent airborne mold spores. It is possible to become sensitized to these mold spores and develop allergies or other health concerns, even if one is not normally sensitive to mold. If it is a business, your employees will not be working to the best of their ability and can be absent from work as well. Illness that will result of loss of income and production.
Left unchecked, mold growth can cause structural damage to your home or business as well as permanent damage to furnishings and carpets. Heating and air conditioner system and ducting can be expensive to clean and or replace as they are a hot zone for microbial growth.
Can my home or business be tested for mold?
Yes. AAA Advanced Home Inspections, Inc. offers thorough mold inspections for residential, commercial, schools, hospitals, and government properties that involve visual examinations of the most likely areas to harbor mold. Licensed, Bonded, and Certified in Environmental Diagnostics, Indoor Environmental Testing with a Bachelor of Science Degree, we also take air samples indoors and out to determine whether the number of spores inside your home or business is significantly higher. If the indoor level is higher, it could mean that mold is growing inside. We offer other tests such as dust mite which is the number one cause of allergies. We test the temp and humidity in your home along with color pictures with the report to mention a few. We use the number one rated accredited licensed laboratory in the USA and customize each inspection/ testing. We only test what needs to be tested with a detailed explanation for you. We don’t offer package prices like most other companies do for the simple reason that every case is different, and this will save you money.
How do I remove mold from my home or business?
First address the source of moisture that is allowing the mold to grow. Then take steps to clean up the contamination. Here are helpful links to learn more about cleaning up mold in your home. Clearance post-testing is recommended to verify correction has been established.
* A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, Environmental Protection Agency
* Repairing Your Flooded Home, FEMA
* Controlling Mold Growth in the Home, Kansas State University
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