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This article gives advice to home buyers concerned about inspecting and testing for mold in a building to be purchased but where there is not already a known mold problem.This website describes when and how to find mold and test for mold in buildings and how to correct mold problems.

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Mold Inspection and Testing Advice for Home Buyers

Mold is everywhere. You can't eliminate it. If you could we'd all be in trouble as nothing would ever decay and we'd all be so buried in junk and debris that nothing could grow on the earth. But we don't much like to see mold indoors and certainly not on our walls, ceilings, or furniture.

There we remove it or clean it off. Because there are potential health risks involved, especially for some people, and because there are significant costs involved in large mold remediation projects, home buyers often contact us to ask about testing a home for mold during the home buying process.

A thorough building investigation for problematic mold needs to address hidden mold reservoirs, for which our approach is to complete a detailed inspection and building (leak) history as well as to record occupant observations and complaints.

A low-cost superficial test for mold (such as an "air test for mold", a "home test kit for mold" or a "culture") is likely be a waste of money since those approaches to screening a building for mold contamination are unreliable. Certainly if problem mold is visible that's unambiguous. But superficial visual inspections and grab-tests for mold in air or on surfaces, performed without being accompanied by a very thorough building inspection, history taking, and occupant interview, have a high risk of missing important reservoirs of problem mold in a building.

Some "mold inspectors" may charge as much as a true expert to examine your building ($750 to $2000) but in fact may be doing little more than a quick inspection for visible mold and a few superficial tests. This is also an unreliable approach.

Since water and moisture are gating factors for indoor mold contamination I recommend that you start with a thorough inspection of the building for conditions likely to produce a mold problem - leaks, moisture traps, bad ventilation, history of flooding, etc.

Why to Hire a Good Home Inspector to Check for Mold-Producing Conditions in a Building

If your "mold inspector" is simply going to enter the building, collect a few air, surface, or culture samples, and perhaps report on obvious visible mold in the living space, you're not receiving a very professional nor very reliable service.

An experienced, thorough, detailed, qualified home inspector will be much better at recognizing those (mold-conducive) conditions than a typical "mold inspector" or a typical industrial hygienist who does not know building science and who lacks experience in identifying where and why mold problems occur in buildings.

Home inspection standards, training, and experience teach inspectors where water, leaks, and moisture problems occur in buildings. Here are some examples of water or leak history problems that can create a hidden mold problem in a building:

• A one-time basement flood due to a burst pipe, sewer backup, or area flooding - the basement may now look clean and dry but significant mold contamination may be present in basement walls, under carpeted floors, or in building insulation
• An older home with poor under-roof ventilation may have experienced condensation and moisture-related mold contamination of the attic insulation, roof sheathing, or hidden side of ceiling drywall; in northern climates such a home may have had ice dam leaks into wall cavities, producing hidden mold in building walls.
• A home where plumbing leaks from an overflowing bath tub, leaky fixture traps, or supply piping leaks may have had leaks into wall and ceiling or floor cavities, leading to hidden mold contamination
• A home with a history of recurrent a damp or wet crawl space is at extra risk of moldy crawl space insulation, producing mold species whose spores move upwards into the occupied space by riding normal air leaks and air convection currents.

A home inspector is expected to recognize these leak and moisture problems even though s/he is not performing an environmental inspection.

A Home Inspection is not an Environmental Survey of a Building

Unless the inspector happens also to be trained in mycology, forensic microscopy, and aerobiology, s/he will be focused on the condition of the building, not just on the presence of mold, but such a person is the best expert to identify leaks and moisture problems among other building risks.

Don't try to force the inspector to give an environmental report - it's outside the scope of a home inspection.

But do ask the inspector to be extra thorough and detailed about leaks, moisture, ventilation defects. And of course any conscientious and respectable inspector will also tell you if s/he happens to also actually see mold (or other out-of-scope hazards) during the inspection.

Key Mold Inspection & Testing References for Home Buyers

• ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT INDOOR MOLD describes what to do if problem mold is found in a building
• HIDDEN MOLD describes methods used to find hidden mold in buildings
• MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE describes how to look for mold in buildings
• MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE contains advice on when to hire a mold consultant to inspect and test a building. We identify factors such as the presence of people at extra medical risk (asthmatics, immune-impaired, infants) and leak history that increase the risk of a significant mold problem or that otherwise justify the expense of a thorough building survey for mold contamination.
• MOLD CLEARANCE INSPECTIONS describes post remediation mold clearance inspection and test procedures, which could form a reasonable mold-screening inspection and test for a building
• MOLD TEST KITS describes simple low-cost methods to screen building surfaces or building dust samples for problem mold
• MOLD REPORTS describe what should be found in a usable and competent mold test and inspection report
• WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE provides a photo library that helps anyone recognize mold on building surfaces and includes links to articles describing materials that are not mold but may indicate moisture problems that increase mold risk, as well as links to articles describing other non-moldy stuff often mistaken for mold

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION
BUYERS GUIDE - home inspections for mold
HOW TO LOOK FOR MOLD
WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE
ATTIC MOLD
BASEMENT MOLD
CARPET TEST GUIDE
CAT DANDER
CRAWLSPACE MOLD
DRYWALL MOLD
HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND
INSULATION MOLD
ITCHY FABRICS
MOLD BY MICROSCOPE
MOLD ON DIRT FLOORS
MOLD ON or IN CARPETS
STAINS on Indoor Surfaces: PHOTO GUIDE
STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD
USING LIGHT TO FIND MOLD

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• How to Find and Test For Mold in Buildings - Looking for Mold - A 'how to' photo and text primer on finding and testing for mold in buildings
• Recognizing Mold: What mold looks like mold identification photos to help identify mold - choosing what to sample in buildings
• Recognizing Allergens: What various indoor allergens look like - identification photos to help identify pollen, dust mites, animal dander, toxic or allergenic mold - Common Mold and other Allergens, Irritants, Remedies & Advice
• Stuff that is not mold but is often mistaken for it - things you may not want to test. Also, not all "black mold" is toxic - here are examples of harmless black mold.
• Mold Action Guide: an easy step by step outline of what to do about mold
• How to find mold without hiring anyone, for do-it-yourself'ers
• Associations: Sick House, Sick Building, SBS - Air Quality, Government, Private Associations and Information Resources
• Mold Test Kits - How to Collect and Send Your Own Mold Sample to our mold testing lab
• How to find a mold inspector or test consultant: Directory of IAQ,Sick Building, Mold Allergen Testing, Building Investigation Service Providers
• Meruliporia: the house eating fungus or "poria"
• Mold Investigation Tips for Home Inspectors how to find mold, where to look, what is likely to be important. Advice to building inspectors intending to inspect or test for toxic or problematic mold indoors, mold inspection methods, and mold test methods which are valid or invalid
• Mold Risk Levels in Buildings Based on Visual Inspection - simple visual clues help decide on action
• Mold in Fiberglass Insulation© 2005 comments about a field study in process, & more about health hazards from fiberglass insulation - DJF
• Frequently Asked Questions About Mold -- check this FAQ list & IAQ Site Map to see if you can find a quick answer to your mold concern
• When to hire a professional to inspect for toxic mold or other allergens
• Contact Us to arrange mold/IAQ building on site inspection and testing.

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

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