If I make an appt with a mold inspector, what questions are recommended that I ask? So far, I can think of:
~what to do with clothing, bedding, stuffed animals? Borax? ~what about those that share the house with me? ~how to keep more mold from forming? ~cause of present mold? ~traveling to houses I know have mold? ~it's impossible to avoid it totally in other locales. Or to know if they're infected. What to do? Live in a bubble?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Have you been on any of the Facebook groups for mold? They can be a huge help.
Also do a Google search in general.
That's all I know!
Posted by Bocalyme (Member # 26459) on :
You want to ask what tests will be used: ERMI dust sampling remains one of the best first choices when evaluating mold ( it counts 36 species of mold). Less expensive is the HERTSMI dust test which tests for the five most dangerous mold species.
Ideally the person doing the inspection is NOT the one who will be doing the remediation (conflict of interests).
Ask if the mold inspector/remediation is certified by such organizations as the Indoor Air Quality Association or PMII - the Professional Mold Instruction Institute or the Indoor Air Qualification Association.
Ask the remediator how the moldy area will be contained. Ask what fogging agent they will use to fog the room: you want to use a non-toxic, plant-based product such as Biobalance or MoldToxinKlear from US Enzyme. Hydrogen peroxide is okay but can be irritating. ask how they will encapsulate any moldy structural beams that cannot be removed. Bleach does NOT kill mold.
Any items that have visible mold or smell funky do need to be discarded. You can wash clothes with Borax or the plant based fogging agent. Best to replace pillows and comforters.
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
Bocalyme--you had some great input!
If you are unsure if you have mold, ask if they have a dog that detects mold. More expensive but those dogs are good.
Posted by Bocalyme (Member # 26459) on :
Yes, Hiker53! We used a mod dog years ago when we were dealing with mold issues in our house in NJ: truly phenomenal how the dogs find it. We're dealing with crazyy mold issues in Florida now. We've found that it takes several approaches to find hidden mold: a FLIR thermal camera, moisture meter, hygrometer, mold plates, and ERMI. Alas, we couldn't get a hold of a mold detecting dog.
Posted by 6Hypnone (Member # 47629) on :
Ok I'll add that to my list. The company I'm Considering is safe start. Were recommended in the mold group in their files. Surprisingly they were not helpful when I asked in a post at all.