If you believe you have mold in your home or business, a black mold inspection may be necessary to ensure the safety of your health, your employees’ and customers’ health. If you avoid the problem thinking it isn’t necessary, you may be in for some big trouble, especially if you run a business.
The only way to ensure that there isn’t a hidden problem is to have your business or home inspected by a professional. Before hiring anyone however, you’ll want to so some research to make absolutely sure that the professional you hire is reputable. You don’t want to hire just anyone; otherwise you’ll end up with a disastrous mess.
The easiest way to find a professional mold inspector who knows their job is by asking around. Talk to your friends or other businesses in the area who may have used this type of service and ask them who they would recommend. You may also want to ask the professional you’re interested in hiring for references. If they refuse to show them, then it’s probably a good sign that their work isn’t as good as they’re letting on to be.
Once you’ve hired the mold inspector, he or she will inspect problem areas where mold generally grows. This is usually done with special equipment. Most problem areas will include, basements, bathrooms, attics, crawlspaces, kitchens and anywhere leaking or moisture has occurred.
Some mold inspectors will generally do an indoor and outdoor spore count since this will determine whether or not there is a high count of spores in your home or business.
They may also choose to do an indoor air sampling or visible growth test to find out if there is a mold problem and what type of molds are in the area.
Once they have pinpointed and tested the areas, the inspector will be able to tell you what the cause of the moldy problem is. Since molds thrive on moisture-ridden areas, he or she may look for a leaky roof, plumbing leak, flooding problem or an extreme humidity problem.
As soon as they’ve finished their investigation, they should be able to give you a thorough outline of what they’ve found and how the problem can be and should be taken care of. This is generally the last step in evaluating your home or business for molds.
From here the inspector may be able to recommend a company who specializes in mold remediation unless you plant to do the work yourself, but most inspectors don’t offer this type of service themselves.
There are however a few cases where inspector do actually remove the mold. It will just depend on the size of your town or city and the company you’ve hired. If they do offer extended services, ask if there are any specials since you’ve already hired them to inspect for mold.
Of course if you don’t like the way they conduct their work, it’s obviously a wise choice to move on and do your own research for a reputable mold remediation company.
After all, black mold inspection is a very serious business and your health and the health of those who put their trust into you is the most important thing of all.