Anywhere there is moisture, there are the perfect conditions for mold. Mold requires water, a food source, and a temperature of around 70 degrees to thrive – in other words, your home is mold’s home. Failing to remediate mold can lead to property damage and worse as mold exposures may lead to a variety of physical symptoms. Even if mold is unseen, it may be lurking and just waiting for the right moment to flourish and spread.

Having a home inspected for mold is taking care of the problem before it becomes a disaster. Mold inspections are often done when mold is suspected, but has not yet been found growing on walls, invading belongings, or otherwise taking over. A homeowner may order a mold inspection after a leak or flood, or if they smell the telltale musty odor that often comes along when mold moves in.

Mold inspections on the home are often done primarily using visuals. Trained professionals, like those at Emergency Restoration Specialists, Inc., in Cudahy, will enter areas of your home where you suspect mold and use an experienced eye to look for signs. Some inspectors may use cameras to get into difficult to reach locations, others will use flashlights to peek into dark crawlspaces, and some still may remove HVAC grates or ducts to determine if mold is present within a heating or cooling system.

In some instances, if a suspected mold area is inaccessible, a mold inspector may need to remove some drywall in order to access the location. This is most often found when pipes leak behind walls or when flood waters make their way into difficult to reach locations. Inspectors may also need to remove drywall to seek out the source of the moisture and therefore find the source of the mold.

If mold is found, a homeowner’s next steps will involve setting up a mold remediation plan. Alongside a professional in mold remediation, the mold and the source it came from will be taken care of to ensure the mold is stopped from returning.

What If I Can See The Mold Myself?

For some, they may think that a mold inspection is unnecessary if they can see the mold themselves. They may also be tempted to try to remediate the mold as a DIY project, but this is never recommended. A mold inspection for visible mold will still hunt down the source of the mold, determine the extent of the mold growth, and provide a strong foundation for a mold remediation plan that will eradicate it once and for all. There are hundreds of thousands of different types of molds, some may be hazardous to health, others may be notoriously difficult to remove. A trained professional eye is able to inspect mold, test mold, and remove mold while preserving health and the health of your property.

Mold inspection is recommended whenever a homeowner suspects an area of their home has come into contact with moisture. If there has been a leak, a flood, or repeated everyday water damage, mold could be lurking.