Why Testing Your Home for Mold Every Spring is So Important
(ARA) - If you had to guess, what would you say is the most costly problem a homeowner can face? It's not the cleanup after fire or water damage, but after a mold infestation. Mold causes millions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses every year.
"Discovering a problem early when it's just a small one can make all the difference in the world," says Seth Norman, CEO of Mold Free, a nationwide mold inspection and remediation service. Spring is one of the industry's busiest times of year because May flowers aren't all that April showers bring. "Any time you have standing water, which comes about as a result of melting snow in the northern states and heavy rains in the south, you have the potential for a mold problem."
Visible mold can be cleaned off surfaces with a weak bleach solution. Mold under carpets typically requires that the carpets be removed and replaced, but what do you do about mold you can't see -- in the insulation or wallboard? Depending on the size of the building, Norman's company charges between $500 and $2500 to conduct an environmental assessment, thousands more to clean it up. "The high cost prohibits a lot of people from going through with the testing, and they don't know there's a problem until it's too late to save their home," says Norman. "We saw there was a need for an inexpensive testing tool, so we developed one."
IMS Laboratory's Mold Test Kit, which retails for $9.95 plus the cost of shipping, comes complete with easy to follow instructions for testing your home or office environment. It is the only home testing kit approved by the National Association of Mold Professionals, a nonprofit organization established with the goal of developing and promoting the Mold Inspection and Remediation industry.
The kit can be used three different ways: it can take a direct topical sample; it can be taped to an air vent to test your air duct system; or simply exposed to the air in a suspect room. Once the test is complete, you seal it in the enclosed bag and place it in a dark, warm place for two to three days. If your environment tests positive for mold, you have the option of sending the kit to Mold Free's laboratory to have the type of mold identified. There is a $29.95 fee for laboratory analysis.
"Once you discover the presence of mold, the key to preventing it from spreading is controlling excess moisture," says Norman. He recommends you use exhaust fans to vent moisture from bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry areas outdoors, be sure the clothes dryer vents outside the house, repair water leaks promptly, and either dry out and clean or replace any water-damaged materials. Materials that stay wet for longer than 48 hours are likely to produce mold growth. Lowering the humidity in the home with the use of an air conditioner or dehumidifier also helps prevent condensation problems.
If your home starts to smell musty this spring, you see color changes on walls or the floors that you can't wipe up, bathroom walls are still damp hours after you take a shower, or the air in your home feels clammy or humid, mold is most likely the culprit. People exposed to dangerous levels of mold may experience nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, fever and even shortness of breath.
Courtesy of ARA Content
