For decades inspectors across the world have depended on using cassettes and laboratory analysis to perform indoor air quality sampling for mold. Our company collects over 2,000 of these spore trap samples every year! However, there are some drawbacks to sampling like this, such as deciding on how many samples to take and where to
Tag: Mold
Lingering Musty Odors After Mold Remediation
A musty odor can be a telltale sign of a mold or moisture problem in a home. Perhaps in your own home, the odor was what prompted you to schedule a mold inspection! Once the mold is discovered and remediated, the odors will likely go away. But what happens when that musty smell lingers in
Black mold: testing, facts, and background
The words “toxic black mold” could strike fear in the heart of any renter, homeowner, or contractor. At one point or another, almost everyone has heard a horror story, read a headline, or watched a talk show about the negative health impacts of the infamous “toxic black mold”. At Indoor Science, we frequently get requests
Failed Mold Remediation – What’s Next
What happens after you have a failed mold remediation? In addition to having the hassle of performing mold remediation in your property (not to mention the expense), some clients wisely decide to spend the extra time and expense to have a mold inspector verify if the remediation was successful. This is to ensure that the
Does Mold Remediation Prevent Future Mold?
The short answer to this question is no. Mold can come back after remediation. Unfortunately, even if you’ve had a lot of repairs, remediation work, clean up, and testing, you may still need more mold remediation in the future. This blog post will discuss why mold may come back after remediation was completed.
Relative Humidity and Mold
One of the more interesting projects that I’ve worked on in recent years involved a church and mold growing on the pew cushions of the sanctuary. The client was concerned not only about the mold, but how the mold managed to get there. Mold needs moisture in order to grow, but there wasn’t a flood
Past Water Damage? Need a Mold Inspection?
We often get calls from clients with concerns about moisture problems that happened in the past. They are concerned that a past leak or other water-related problem in their property caused mold growth that is not readily visible. If you’ve had past water damage, should you get your property inspected for mold?
How does mold affect health?
In previous blog posts, we highlighted the positive ways mold has benefited society. It is not a secret, however, that mold can also have a negative impact on human health, which this blog will discuss. Please keep in mind that we are not healthcare professionals, and any information posted in this blog is based on literature research. Please follow your doctor’s recommendations and advice.
Three Reasons You Should Start with a Consultant
As consumers, one major factor to consider when deciding which product or service to use is convenience. Often times, bundled services seem appealing because they eliminate the hassle of finding multiple companies. In the environmental field, that means the hassle of hiring a consultant to identify a problem and a contractor to fix the problem. Can’t I just hire one company that does both? It may seem as if you are saving money by having one company perform multiple functions because they may offer a free estimate and free inspection. While bundling services may seem like a no-brainer, one major problem is a conflict of interest. This blog post will highlight several reasons why it is important to hire an independent consultant to perform testing and a separate contractor to do remediation.
Where Can I Find Mold Growth?
Mold is an essential part of the natural world. It plays a crucial role in the decomposition process of organic materials. Mold spores can be found floating around in the air both outdoors and indoors. For most property owners, mold growth becomes a concern when it is visibly growing on a surface inside of their home. However, there seems to be a lot of confusion about where mold can grow. This blog post will talk about the different areas and materials where mold is commonly found indoors.
How Do I Know What Items I Can Keep After a Mold Issue?
“I see mold in my house and I am worried all my belongings are contaminated. Do I need to throw everything out?” We receive questions like this a lot; this blog intends to help determine what situations call for what kind of actions. When people have mold and moisture issues they typically turn to the
Why is my basement musty?
The team at Indoor Science performs hundreds of indoor air quality assessments per year, from commercial and residential to industrial. After doing a number of assessments, we begin to notice patterns and common questions. One common question being “why is my basement musty?”. This may seem like a simple question but there are many factors
Can mold growth in one location affect other areas?
Researchers at Yale University and the University of Tulsa recently conducted a study to see if mold growth in one section of a house can affect other areas of the home. This is an interesting question, especially for people who have health issues which can be aggravated by mold growth. Can mold in one level
Fungi: Benefits & A Crucial Role
Previously, I posted a blog about the benefits of mold and fungi in the environment, in food production, and its potential as a future energy source. In this post, I would like to focus on mold in a more specific context: how mold impacts the brewing industry – my personal favorite.
How Many Mold Samples Do I Need?
If you have done some basic research into mold testing, you have probably come across information on air sampling. For this blog, I will focus on the most common type of mold air samples, spore traps. Each specific mold problem is unique, so there is no one-size solution for the number of air samples. The
Is Mold Testing a Scam?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could spot an obvious scam by seeing a company name like “Scams R Us”! Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to spot these companies that can take advantage of you. To answer the question “Is mold testing a scam?”, I would answer “yes” and “no”. It depends. Let’s look at
“Air samples only & skip the inspection?”
We often receive calls for general inquiries about mold inspections. We understand that a mold problem is not a common occurrence so we are ready and willing to answer multiple questions from potential clients. One question that comes up often is “can you take air samples for mold only and not perform a full mold inspection?”. This blog post will answer this question and also provide some information on our typical mold inspections.
“What Makes Your Mold Inspections Unique?”
Our company frequently gets calls from potential clients who are shopping around for services, and we often hear the questions “What makes your inspections different?” For mold inspections, one size does not fit all. You want to make sure the person coming out to your home does the best job possible. Moisture: The Key to
Why Fogging For Mold is a Bad Idea
Fogging refers to the method of using an antimicrobial pesticide in an aerosolized form in order to kill mold present in a property. While mold remediation isn’t as regulated as other forms of environmental cleanup such as asbestos or lead abatement, there are organizations who set industry standards and guidelines.
Why Does Mold Form?
Inevitably, you have seen mold grow at some point in your life. Whether on a loaf of bread that you let sit around too long, on the fruit you let spoil in the fridge, or in the basement of your Grandma’s house that always flooded, mold grows routinely around us in our daily lives. In
Can You Test for Mycotoxins?
If you do an internet search for mold, you are bound to find numerous links about “toxic black mold” and anecdotes about the health effects of these toxins. You may be curious to know if there are any of these toxins inside your home and seek professional testing. So, can you test for mycotoxins in
Mold – What is it good for?
Typically our blog posts focus on the dark side of mold. How mold is hazardous, problematic, and a general headache when it is found inside a home or building. While all of those posts are very informative, it is also worth mentioning the beneficial qualities of mold. This post will shed some light on mold’s critical role in the environment and its impact on the food industry.
A Renter’s Guide to Mold
Renters have unique challenges because they are limited in the types of repairs and changes they can make to their home. If you are renting and are concerned about mold, what should you do? This post can serve as a general guide for renters on what to do, but keep in mind that every situation is different and the severity of the mold problem plays a huge factor.
How Illinois Mold Saved the World
Gather ‘round the computer screen, as I recite a tale of yore. Way off in a dark and mysterious land known as “Peoria, Illinois” (my hometown) comes the legend of Moldy Mary, and how her magic spoiled fruit helped save millions of lives. This may sound like the talk of storybooks and tall tales… you aren’t likely to see her name in history books.
What can mold look like inside a house?
When people think of mold inside their house, they typically think of a big black splotch on the wall or ceiling. More times than not, this would be correct. But mold has tens of thousands of species and can have a wide variety of colors and show up in different areas for different reasons. Although
