Mold is formed as a direct result of the increased moisture in your residential or commercial building. It can be caused due to floods, pipe leakage or a sewage backup. Contrary to what it may seem, mold is not a surface level growth and keeps burrowing itself into walls, cabinets, dark areas, or anywhere where it gets favorable conditions.
Since mold isn’t always obvious, there are situations when something that looks like mold is actually not mold. Then, how to identify that fungus type correctly and detect if your home is actually affected by it? The first sign you experience is that of a sore throat, itchy eyes and headache. Make an appointment with your doctor and get the symptoms treated but if it keeps happening quite often then the situation calls for further mold inspection by a professional mold removal company. Generally, the process of mold testing involves taking air or surface samples to confirm the presence of mold and to identify the type of infestation hence formed. Let us discuss these mold testing techniques in more detail-
Air Sampling
This is one of the most conventional practices used by mold experts. In this method, samples are taken from the air and are examined under a microscope. Now, the air samples can be taken and analyzed in a variety of ways. A spore trap is used to draw in a specific volume of air from a particular place or room in your home for a specified time duration. Actually, mold spores comprise of a subset of air particles that get captured inside the spore trap along with few other particulates and can then be sent for identification. Air sampling tells you whether there is a mold problem or not, even if no mold growth is found in the building. However, the amount of mold spores keeps changing drastically with time, giving varied results during different times.
Surface Sampling
This method involves taking samples from household surfaces to find any type of mold growth and spores deposited around the home. Its main focus is usually on the qualitative outcome rather than a quantitative one. This method is sub-divided into techniques like Bulk Sampling, Dust Sampling, and Swab Sampling. During Bulk Sampling, the materials are removed from the contaminated area and sent for further testing to identify and determine the concentration of mold in the sample. Whereas, during the Dust Sampling, testing the dust of a potentially mold-infected area leads you to the identification of the types of spores affecting the area. For carrying out Swab Sampling, a cotton swab is rubbed across a measured area for sample and then sent to the mold testing laboratory.
You may also find some mold testing kits readily available in the market, but you should know that they differ a lot from the testing kits used by the professionals. No matter whatever way you choose, just calling something “mold” is never enough when it comes to sorting out the best plan of attack. Moreover, there is a variety of different mold testing methods and each type has its own benefits and limitations. Each type of mold has unique strategies for remediation that often require lab testing to find the solution. To choose the right type of method, firstly identify the exact type of mold and treat it accordingly.