While there are many ways and reasons to sample an indoor environment, professional Indoor Environmental Professionals (IEPs) understand that, as with any tool in their toolbox, the mold sampling tools and processes have their function during some mold assessments. They answer a specific question that the rest of the assessment processes and tools cannot. They do not answer the big questions, like: “Do I have a mold problem in my home or office? If so, where? Is it safe? What do I do about it?” This basic understanding of mold assessment guides the IEP to develop a sampling strategy upon careful examination of the property and its occupants’ concerns. While this is a fundamental part of any professional mold assessment, home mold sampling/testing kits do not operate in a way that professional sampling procedures do and are, often, used in place of a proper mold assessment. This leads to several problems. 

Think of it like this: If you put food in your driveway and don’t disturb it, the question wouldn’t be, “Will an animal show up to eat it?”; rather, it would be, “What kind of animal, or animals, will show up to eat it, and how soon will they show up?” There may be ants, squirrels, birds, dogs, etc. What animals show up is relative to (1) the animals in that area, (2) their ability to identify the foodstuff, (3) their desire for the foodstuff, (4) their ability to fight off other animals wanting to eat the foodstuff, (5) and other important factors. The same is true for the viable mold spores in your home or office. 

Mold spores are of different sizes and weight, and some species of mold are more dominant than others. 

The home sampling/testing kit method:

The truth is that air sampling for mold has very few benefits. If one doesn’t know when to utilize those tools, they may misuse them. When misuse occurs, costly liabilities may occur, like spending money on unnecessary remediation or missing a mold problem and its causal factor(s). This is why it is important to have a professional, empowering IEP that you can trust. While, yes, it does cost money to hire them, the cost is justified, as will be the decisions you make as a result of their employment. 

If you’re dealing with a known, suspect, or potential mold problem, contact Gulf Coast Center for Indoor Air Quality Services and let’s explore how we may best serve you.