Where to test mold with the MOLDetect® Test Kit

Molds can grow in any location there has been sufficient past or current moisture from water entry, leaks, condensation and/or high humidity. When determining a good location to take a sample, check areas with high humidity, previous water damage, or a musty odor.

The appearance of mold may be black, white, gray, yellow, green or nearly invisible unless you look very closely. Any of these colors of mold may be allergenic or toxic.

 

Where to look for mold damage in homes, schools or businesses

  • — Behind peeling wallpaper or bubbling paint.
  • — Under buckled floors
  • — Around perimeter windows or walls with condensation.
  • — Cardboard boxes or paper sacks (and contents) that have gotten wet.
  • — Musty books or furniture.
  • — The underside of wicker plant holders.
  • — The back of carpeting that has remained wet for more than 24 hours
  • — In the attic if there have been leaks or condensation problems.
  • — Unfinished wooden surfaces that have been wet or in humid environments, such as the undersides of furniture.
  • — Insulation that has gotten wet.
  • — Cold pockets prone to condensation, such as corner rooms, closets on outside walls, or rooms over unheated garages.
  • — On the backside of carpets or rugs in bathrooms.
  • — Dust in a room where symptoms are experienced [to determine what has been in the air & settled in the dust]
  • — Dust from the furnace filter (return air side) to learn what is circulating in the air serviced by the central ventilation system.

So a good sample can be from

  • VISIBLE MOLD GROWTH – MOLDetect lab identifies the mold types present to the genus level, including Stachybotrys ('toxic mold').
  • SUSPECT MOLD GROWTH – When uncertain whether or not a deposit or stain involves mold growth. "To confirm or rule out mold growth".
  • DUST SAMPLE – Dust in a room where mold damage is suspect, even if you do not see visible growth. When fungal contaminants from a source of hidden mold growth gets into the air, the spores settle in the dust. The presence of abnormal mold types ('indicator spores'—e.g., Stachybotrys or Chaetomium) or an atypical distribution of spores (e.g., a predominance of Aspergillus/ Penicillium not normally present), can be a sign of nearby indoor mold growth.
  • A FURNACE FILTER – With a central ventilation system, the filter will reveal the types and levels of mold contaminants circulating in rooms serviced by the furnace