While living in Alabama, thick, hot, and humid summers mustn’t be news to you, right? But did you know that because of such summer treats, it is important for you to maintain indoor air quality? And the reason is more than just maintaining indoor air quality and comfort, but avoiding health issues.
How so?
The high humidity provides a suitable environment for mold growth, especially black mold. Mold spores are suspended in the air you breathe daily, making it unhealthy for your family’s well-being.
However, don’t worry just yet. With thorough mold tests, it gets easier to detect such mold spores. Now, are you wondering, “How do you test for black mold in the air?” The easiest way is to hire a company like Ally Property Inspections. They have professionals onboard who perform mold tests accurately to gauge how much mold affects your air.
In this blog, we will discuss how you can check air quality for mold so that you can breathe in clean air.
How Do You Know the Air is Moldy?
Mold acts like a silent killer – leading to different health issues, such as:
- Continuous headaches
- Dizziness
- Rashes in the eyes and throat
- Respiratory issues
- Skin allergy problems
Sometimes, you can see the signs of mold physically. So, if you have been noticing something dark green or black in color then probably its mold. However, at times, it also hides in the cracks behind the drywalls, attics, and crawl spaces.
Tell us something, is your family lately facing the above-mentioned health issues? There’s a chance that its probably because of mold lurking within your home.
Remember, mold spores are airborne and can enter our bodies when inhaled.
The other common sign of mold is a musty smell. If you feel a musty or earthy smell from any portion of your home, there is a high chance that mold is growing in these spaces – disturbing the air quality and significantly affecting health.
How to Test for Black Mold in the Air?
Testing for black mold in the air is compulsory if you want to improve your indoor air quality. Since indoor air quality directly affects your health, it is necessary to improve it so that you can provide a healthy environment for your family.
You can perform different types of tests to identify the presence of mold, including:
Mold Test Kit
Different types of kits are available to detect mold in the air. These kits usually involve a petri dish that collects mold spores. After the collection, the dish is sealed and sent to the incubator. This test indicates whether there are mold spores in your home’s air.
Tape Testing
To perform this test, you must place a tape on a surface. After lifting the tape, send this sample to the lab for a thorough analysis. This test shows which type of mold is in your home and how damaging it can be for your home and your family’s health.
Air Sampling
A professional home inspector collects air samples from the most frequented (visited) areas, such as the living room and bedrooms. These samples are then sent to a laboratory for analysis, providing scientific data on the presence of black mold spores and their concentration in the air.
Role of a Home Inspector in Identifying Black Mold
If there are any visible mold signs, then the home inspector identifies it and add to the inspection report, but don’t expect them to conduct a specific mold test as that’s out of their scope of work. For this purpose, hire a mold technician who can perform mold tests.
Following are the common visible signs that the home inspector highlights.
Discoloration of wall paint
Discoloration or bubbling of wall paint is a sign of mold. Due to the presence of mold behind the walls paint, the paint will peel off the walls.
Earthy smell
The earthy smell is due to the breakdown of material by mold. Because the poor ventilation and hugh humidity provides the ideal environment for mold.
What to do if Black Mold is Detected?
Once the test detects mold in your home, you shall follow these steps to get rid of the mold spores:
Proper Ventilation
A proper ventilation system is necessary that plays an effective role in decreasing the humidity. It exhaust the humidity and allows the fresh air to come in. With this strategy, you can protect your home from mold.
Use the Exhaust Fan in the Washroom and Kitchen
Exhaust fans help maintain the humidity level. When the humidity is in the balance, there is less moisture buildup and therefore low chance for mold growth.
Dispose of Surfaces
Surfaces with a high level of mold need to be disposed of. Removing these surfaces will help you make your home mold-free.
Proper Cleaning of Glass and Metal Objects
After you find mold spores in your indoor air, you must properly clean your glass doors, windows, and metal objects.
Final words
Black mold has a lasting effect on your health. It may cause different health issues like asthma, shortness of breath, and skin allergies. That’s why you need to know: Is your home air healthy? For this, you can perform various tests to detect mold spores in the air as they damage your health and devalue your property.
If you want professional help and want to hire an expert mold inspector, contact Ally Property Inspections. They have an experienced team that uses updated tools.