Is It A Good Idea To Conduct Mold Testing Yourself?
You suspect there is mold growing somewhere in the place you work at. There is also a musty smell that just won’t go away. Now, should you go ahead with conducting mold testing on your own, or are you better off hiring an expert to deal with the matter? Though you are fairly certain it is mold invading your workplace, you still want to test for it.
Understand the Types of Mold Testing
Air Sampling: Mold experts collect indoor air samples from your home using air sampling. A control sample is taken from the outside of your home. Then, a comparison is made between the indoor and outdoor samples to come to a conclusion whether there are elevated mold levels spores present in the home that are not naturally found in the outdoors.
Tape Swab Test: The tape swab test is used to determine which type of mold is present. Unlike the other tests, this test does not identify spore counts, which is essential to finding out if there are elevated levels of mold in your home. The tape swab test uses a cotton material swab to wipe the surface to be tested. Then, the swab is sent for lab examination.
Lift Tape Sample: As the name suggests, the lift tape sample includes using a piece of tape and placing it onto any areas to be tested. Then, it is lifted and placed on a glass micro slide. Lastly, the tape slide is then sealed and examined by a microbiology laboratory for the presence of mold spore.
Can I Do Mold Testing On My Own?
The answer is yes. You can do your own assessment with the help of home mold test kits. These mold test kits claim that they are able to detect the presence of harmful mods that can trigger serious health probbles. However, do not that home testing tools are not considered statistically accurate and sometimes they produce a large number of false positives. What is meant by a false positive is that the home test will claim you have a mold problem in your home when in actual reality you don’t have elevated levels of mold.
To have a absolute piece of mind, it is best that you contact a professional for help. Professionals have the proper tools to conduct the different types of mold tests as required by the situation.
When to Conduct Mold Testing
Ideally, you should conduct mold testing under these conditions:
- Visible signs of mold growth
- Chronic respiratory illnesses
- Musty odors – suspected microbial growth
- Occurrence of water-related problems
Awareness of the mold problem is the key to preventing mold growth. If you are vigilant with your surroundings and you are diligent in checking for any signs of mold growth, you can overcome or prevent mold growth.
How We Can Help
At Iris Environmental Laboratories, we provide mold inspection service for our clients. If you do not trust the accuracy of the mold testing kits, we are here to do the work for you. Contact us at 1800-908-6679 to find out more on our mold inspection services or fill up our online form to be contacted by our consultants.