Mold Testing

A.R.S. offers Mold Testing to our customers as a convenience if requested.

Our inspections are extremely thorough, but there are times when Mold can not visibly be found, and testing is required.

Testing, whether Air Sampling or Swab/Lift Sampling, is a means to identify contamination levels and or types of mold that may be present in a home or business.

Air Sampling takes a specified amount of air from and specific area and shows the type of molds present and the volume of mold in parts per million (PPM).  This allows us to determine not only what molds are causing the negative effects, but also the proper remediation plan needed to correct and prevent future issues from occurring.

Swab/Tape Sampling is a direct contact test to determine the specific type/species of mold when possible microbial contamination is present.

Reasons for Testing:

The three reasons testing is used are:

1. When there is no visible mold discovered during an inspection and/or the customer has complaints/symptoms that can not be identified through visual inspection.
2. Pre-Testing, is used as an Identifier of the mold present, and also as a base line for the level of mold spores present prior to remediation work.
3. Post-Testing, is used as a final “clearance” for the remediation completion. This test should show a significant drop in PPM of spores from the initial Pre-test.

Tests have several factors to consider such as, Time of season taken after Pre-testing, temperature/humidity, wind etc.  All can effect the results of the Post-test, as a comparative outdoor sample is usually collected for base line levels.

Testing has taken some criticism in the past as these factors can change drastically some times due to external factors, but in the end they represent and base for remediators to ensure that work is completed correctly and homeowners are returned to safe, healthy living conditions.

If you feel that you have an issue that needs to be inspected, or possible testing completed, please contact us at 304-268-9870 today!