We’ve said before that mold sampling isn’t necessary in all cases. If you can see or smell mold, then you need to remove it. Knowing what species it is or how much of it is in the air at a certain time likely won’t provide any information that should change how it should be dealt with. So, if a mold inspector insists on sampling mold, not once, but multiple times, he’s probably trying to take advantage of you.
“Sample Loading” is the latest trick used by dishonest people in the mold industry to take advantage of the customer’s fear and paranoia about mold. A sample loader will insist on taking more samples than necessary in order to charge you more for this service. For example, they may take a mold sample from a window sill and one from the wall below. Even one sample is pushing it – there is no reason for two samples in this case.
A sample loader may try to frighten you by saying that your personal belongings will be destroyed unless each one is tested to make sure it isn’t contaminated with mold. They may even show you how the sample showed a little residual mold to build up their case. A little mold is normal, and outdoor spore levels may be high anyway. Homes cannot be sanitized, sterilized, and 100 percent mold free all the time.
Another tactic sample loaders may use is to charge you very little for each sample. They will probably say that sampling is worth the effort because their prices are well below the national average. But they will eventually make this money back after all the unnecessary samples they take. This is money that you could be using to remove the mold rather than analyzing it.
Mold testing or sampling cannot answer the question to whether or not your home is safe, healthy, or clean. Currently, there are no standards to answer this question. Before you pay for a mold sample, ask yourself what information do you hope to gain from sampling? How will this information change how you proceed to deal with the mold? You might find that the answer will not make any difference.
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