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Mold Testing and the Various Types

What’s the importance of a mold testing, anyway? Well, a mold test can give you information and insight whether your house is infested with mold problem or not. The test is pretty handy to help you to measure the air quality (indoor and outdoor), find any hidden mold, and find out the type of mold infesting your house.

Different Types of Mold Testing

Various Types of Mold
Various Types of Mold

Basically, a mold testing is divided into two major systems: the professional test and the test kit. Naturally, they are quite different in the implementation and practice.

  • The professional test.  You hire a professional mold service and tester. You don’t have to do anything; let them do the work. They will collect the samples and then analyze it. The result is mostly accurate and more exact.
  • The test kit. This is usually a home-based test kit that you can buy and do at home. Of course, this is an inexpensive way to test your housing condition. Once you collect the sample, you will have to send it to a qualified lab that will notify you the result.

Keep in mind that it is always a good idea to perform the mold test in different areas and within different time frames. It is because the mold spores can travel to various places within different times.

Mold Testing Implementations

When you decide to do the mold testing, you basically test different types of things, such as the surface testing, the air testing, and the bulk testing. Within a test, you should have these three elements covered because they will reveal different outcome and results.

  • The air testing. Samples for this type of test will usually be taken from the air to check the level of mold spores. This can be an initial checking of potential mold existence even without the mold growth. However, since you can’t really depend on the mold spores amount, the number can change pretty drastically, resulting in different results.

    Mold Testing and the Various Types
    Mold Testing and the Various Types
  • The surface testing. Samples can be taken from tape lifting, swabbing, or other methods before they are sent to labs. Such test is usually performed when there is a sign of mold growth on any surface. However, just the same as the air testing, the growth can vary from one area to another because of the uneven and unpredicted spread.
  • The bulk testing. The samples are taken from materials pieces from different places inside the house. You can say that this method can provide a more exact number of mold concentrations inside your house, including the particle. That’s why it is crucial to include these three elements in your mold testing