The High Cost of a "Free" Mold Inspection

Many people are lured by the advertisements for "free" mold inspection that many mold remediation contractors offer. But the truth is that these "free" inspections often become extremely--and unnecessarily--expensive!

What happens is that the company will send out an inspector for "free", then they will tell you that there is no way of telling you that you have a mold problem or not without taking samples. Now, that is true - sampling is the only way to tell if there is a problem (see my post "I Don't See Any Mold") and how big the problem may be. Then they overcharge for the samples. One company I inquired with charged $350 for the first two air samples and $175 per sample after that - And yes, I'm aware that the math works out to six of one/half a dozen of the other; but that's the great deal on samples I was told about by the lady on the phone. For comparison & full disclosure: My company and many other independent environmental testing firms charge $250 for an inspection and $100 per sample if needed.

Now you may be thinking that there's not a big difference in those price figures, however, independent environmental testing firms are not in the business of securing expensive remediation contracts. There is no incentive to find or exaggerate problems as there is for remediation companies offering "free" mold inspections. Now, am I saying that all remediation companies operate like this? No. But it isn't uncommon. Like in anything: removing the temptation factor is always the wisest course of action.

Too often I've been called for a "second opinion" inspection and found that the problem wasn't as bad--or expensive--as the "free" inspection found. I also get to hear many stories from people about how they got scammed by contractors by "free" mold inspections.

Mold is an issue that should be taken seriously. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scam-artists out there trying to make a quick buck from people by scaring and misinforming them. To avoid being taken advantage off when you think you may have a mold problem always look for independent inspection & testing firms and remediation contractors that are not also in the inspection & testing business.

I and my associates take pride in our work. We make sure that we always treat our clients respectfully and professionally. It bothers us when we see people out there taking advantage of people. So we want to inform you and "call out" the scam-artists.

If you would like more information, please see "Mold Scams and How to Avoid Them". Don't hesitate to contact me via email or telephone if you need to talk to someone to see if you may be getting scammed. Even if you're not in our service area... we're here to help and may be able to refer you to someone in your local area that will treat you right.

Bleach May Actually Make The Mold Worse

The use of Chlorine Bleach has been a common recommendation for cleaning and killing mold. However, the fact is that bleach is not an effective chemical for killing colonized mold. It may be effective on hard, non-porous surfaces such as shower walls or countertops, but so are other milder, less noxious, solutions using other detergents. Because non-porous surfaces do not allow the mold to take root into the material itself, the mold is actually growing on dust and other debris that may be on the surface and will typically wipe off with ease.

On porous surfaces such as wood and drywall mold takes root (hyphae) in the material and colonizes. Cleaning the mold off the surface with bleach does nothing to kill the roots. In fact, because bleach is 98% water it can actually make the problem worse because the chlorine in the bleach does not soak into the porous materials, but the water in the bleach does. Since mold requires water to colonize and grow it will likely grow back in a few days - worse than it was before the bleach was introduced.

Both OSHA and the EPA have determined that bleach should not be used in mold remediation. True, the EPA used to recommend the use of a bleach solution to clean mold, but has since removed that recommendation.

The goal of mold remediation is to get rid of the mold; not kill it! Dead mold can still release spores into the air and the concentration of mold spores in the air is the main potential for health problems. If you see visible mold growth on building materials, the chances are that there is more that you cannot see (see the post title “I Don’t See Any Mold”). It is best to hire a certified mold inspector to assess the situation and help you decide the proper plan for remediation.

A Mold Inspection Might Actually Save A Real Estate Deal

Recently a client was referred by her real estate agent and called me to do a mold inspection on a property that she was considering making an offer on. She reported that while she and her investment partner were touring the property they noticed an "overwhelming moldy odor" throughout the house. They wanted an inspection & testing done prior to making an offer so they could take the findings into consideration for the offer or--if it turned out really bad--decide not even to make an offer in the first place.

There were several "red flag conditions" I found that prompted me to recommend air samples. As suspected - the lab results came back confirming an indoor spore count over 10 times higher than the control sample taken outdoors at the same time. I wrote up and sent my inspection report and the lab results to my client along with my recommendations of the proper types of contractors to consult for further investigation. After sending the report I offered my standard post-report consultation with the client.

Now, there are several reasons I always offer and hope to do a post-report consultation with my clients. Among them is the fact that there are a lot of myths out there concerning mold, and elevated spore counts represented in raw data may appear terrifying without a client being able to ask questions and get answers about the data. In this particular case: The client was "scared off" from making an offer on the property without a second thought or further investigation... initially.

However, during our post-report consultation on the phone I was able to answer several of her questions. I went over the fact that the conditions I had found during the inspection were typical in a home of that age and location and that she needed to contact the proper contractors to provide estimates for repairing the issues and that all of them were repairable. The only consideration that she and her investment partners had to take into consideration was what they were willing and able to do in the way of remodeling the home. The final decision, of course, was up to them to decide what to offer and if their budget and time would allow for the repairs estimated by the contractors.

It happened that, based on the initial mold inspection report along with the recommendations of the proper contractors, they decided to make an offer on the property after all. My client told me that this was all due to the "education" she received from AMI Northwest and the other contractors she talked to after my report. She added that, "nobody has ever taken the time to talk to me like you did in all my other property deals. It's great to understand things about mold that you don't hear in all the hype about it!"

So, why am I telling you about all this? Because I routinely run into sellers and real estate agents that believe any mold inspection will "kill the deal." That's not true. As we like to say: "Mold inspections don't kill deals; mold inspectors do!" So the trick is to find the right mold inspector. How can you tell whether you've found the right mold inspector? Well, there are no guarantees, but look for these qualifications to help:

1. -Independent: To remove the potential bias of findings, make sure your mold inspection service isn't also in the business of mold remediation or "in bed" with any mold remediation companies.

2. Certified: Make sure your mold inspector is certified by associations recognized by the IAQ industry and are trained to follow industry standards for inspection and sampling.

Obviously, this is not an exhausted list of qualifications since it would overreach the purpose of a blog. Here is a more complete list of "Mold Scams" and how to avoid them.

"I Don't See Any Mold"

Most people who call me don't see any visible mold in their home or office. However, they have a reason to suspect a mold problem.

The fact is that not all mold problems are obvious. Moreover, often the most costly mold related repairs are caused by mold that nobody could see.

Hidden Mold

Unseen mold can rapidly spread inside walls, under floors, above ceilings and deep into heating and air conditioning vents. By the time hidden mold is detected, it can cause thousands of dollars in property damage as well as pose potential health risks.

If you have reason to believe that you may have a mold problem: Don't wait until you can visually see it. If you smell musty odors or become aware that your property has experienced a flood, damaged plumbing, roof leak or any other threat of water intrusion, it is a good idea to have a professional mold inspection performed. Prompt action can mean the difference between a repair project costing a few dollars or several thousands.

Be Proactive About Hidden Mold

Most of us already have two effective mold detectors: Our eyes and our nose. Like the old saying goes: "If it smells like mold, it's probably mold!" And any time an unexplained discoloration appears on a surface, especially if the location is or was damp, it is almost certainly mold. You may not know what type it is or how extensive the problem may be, but you know you have a mold problem and it won't just go away by itself.

The main thing is to be proactive. The most dangerous mold is the mold you can't see. Hidden mold can create significant damage to your property and risks to your health long before you know it's there.