When Should I Consider a Mold Inspection in Virginia Beach, VA?
If you can see mold growth anywhere in your Virginia Beach, VA home, you almost certainly don’t need a mold inspection. After all, the evidence is right before your eyes. Depending on exactly how much mold you’re dealing with, however, it may be something you don’t want to try tackling on your own. In that case, it’s well worth hiring a professional environmental company such as Envirotex to handle your mold issues.
There’s no reason to let things get to that point though. The two clearest indications that you have a potential mold problem manifest long before you can actually see evidence of it. These are:
- When there is a musty smell in your home.
- If you have ever had any water leaks or flooding.
In the first case, while the smell is a strong indicator, it’s not definitive proof, and testing is the way to be sure. In the second, any time you’ve suffered water damage odds are quite high that you’ve got mold somewhere you can’t see, but again, testing is the only way to know for sure, and even if you’re a committed do it yourselfer, that’s not something you can generally do for yourself. Testing requires specialized equipment.
It’s important because if you do have mold, it’s only going to get worse over time. It can spread quickly and damage the structure of your home. Not only that, but it can cause serious health problems to you and other household family members.
Anytime you have professional mold remediation at your home in Virginia Beach, VA, you should always have a final mold inspection. This testing will tell you whether the issues have been completely resolved and that the mold counts have returned to a normal level.
Testing can take a variety of forms, including:
- Air Samples – These are taken with a pump that forces air through a collection device that catches mold spores. These air samples are then sent to an independent lab.
- Surface Samples - Another method of mold testing involves surface sampling. The most common methods of surface samples are bulk samples, tape samples, and swab samples.
- Bulk samples consist of taking a piece of the actual area or material and removing it from the home in Virginia Beach, VA and sending it to a mold testing lab.
- Tape samples involve taking a piece of tape to pick up and remove any mold that is on the surface and sending off for testing at an independent lab.
- Swab samples are taken with a cotton swab that is rubbed across the surface area and then sent off for mold testing.
Depending on the lab results from the mold testing, if you do indeed have a mold problem, a mold remediation process should be done as soon as possible at your Virginia Beach, VA home.
A comprehensive mold remediation plan treats not only the mold outbreak itsel but also recommendations for the “building biology” of your whole house through furniture placement and other adjustments to your home ventilation and energy efficiency patterns. That way you eliminate the conditions that feed mold spores and eliminate the mold.
The professionally-trained, licensed, and accredited mold technicians at Envirotex can safely and efficiently collect material and air samples for scientific mold testing and identification. In the event your building or home is invaded by a more dangerous form of mold that produces mycotoxins, which cause severe allergic reactions, a professional mold inspection in Virginia Beach, VA is an absolute necessity.
If you, or any member of your family has recently been suffering from things like coughing, sneezing, headaches, dizziness or more frequent asthma attacks if they have that condition, mold could be the reason, which makes testing and remediation all the more important.
Your family’s health isn’t something you want to take a chance on. If you even suspect you have a mold problem, don’t delay and don’t try to fix the problem yourself, relying on at-home test kits. Trust the professionals at Envirotex to handle the problem for you quickly, professionally, and completely. Give our office a call today. We’ll be there when you need us.
