Services
Mold Inspections and Testing
We help homeowners determine if there is mold and how to safely and effectively get rid of mold.
We provide you with a written report that states where there is mold, where there is not mold, and what kinds of mold are present. We provide you with a customized, step-by-step remediation protocol tells you how to remove mold we find in your home in a safe and effective manner. Lots of products claim to kill or remove mold. They don’t work. You can’t just, “Spray it with bleach”. We tell you exactly what to do. You can give our report to a remediation company to ensure the mold in your house is removed, and not just treated.
Our Process
Inspect. Test. Advise.
We have a process we use for inspecting and testing for mold. The first thing we do is investigate: assess where suspect and probable places mold might be hiding are. Then we test. Then we advise you on what to do.
Inspect
Mr. Stih has, as one realtor said, has the “Nose that Knows”. We use moisture meters and collect surface samples from areas that look like mold. We bring a microscope, have a mobile mold laboratory, and are trained to analyze surface samples for mold growth.
Test
The next step forming a strategy for where to test for mold. Mold is hiding much of the time. We collect wall cavity air samples from places we identify with water damage or which you know had leaks, We can also collect ambient air samples for comparison to the air outside.
Advise
We provide you with a written report that states where there is and is not mold. It includes a customized, step-by-step remediation protocol that you may give to a remediation company so you can receive an honest bid. It explains what works and what does not work to get rid of mold.
Our Mold Inspection Process
Using a moisture meter to look for damp spots and leaks.
Using a moisture meter helps us determine where to test for mold, what caused mold to grow, and the possible extent of mold.
Testing the air for mold.
There are two types of air tests for mold. The first is the spore trap; the second, viable (cultured air samples). If you want to be sure you don't have mold, you should have both tests performed. We are one of only a few companies nationwide trained on how to do both types of tests properly and how to interpret the results.
Advice.
We will provide you with a written report that states where there is and is not mold. It includes a customized, step-by-step remediation protocol that you may give to a remediation company so you can receive an honest bid.
Using the Wall Check to test for hidden mold.
The benefit of using the WallChek to test for hidden mold is there are no large, messy holes that need to cut. Stih is and foremost expert on the method of collecting wall cavity air samples. He's performed experiments and published papers regarding its efficacy, after learning how to effectively use it through courses and interviews with its inventor.
Healthy Living Spaces' Microscope.
We bring a microscope. We have a mobile mold laboratory. Few mold inspectors in the country bring a microscope to a job or are trained to do so. Daniel is a trained analyst, having studied microscopy and mold identification at the McCrone Research Institute in Chicago. To identify the types of mold present, Healthy Living Spaces uses a set of standards provided to Healthy Living Spaces by Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL).
