Regardless of whether you are doing your own check for black mold in your home or a professional is doing it, the first and most basic thing you will be doing is testing and sampling to show if there is any mold to worry about. Prevention may be the best way to deal with black mold, but there are many times where you will have to test first, such as a home inspection to buy property or if someone with a weak immune system is moving in. If you are hunting for black mold in your home, there are two ways to go about it. Air testing and surface testing are the two main ways to check for black mold and while they use different methods of detection, they also compliment each other.

Testing the Air

Air testing for black mold is done by measuring the level of spores you have floating around in the air. The more spores you detect, the greater the risk is for black mold in your home and the greater health risk there is. The equipment used is usually a flat surface connected to a way to draw in air like a fan so that spores are captured and can be measure. It’s a easy, affordable and non-invasive way to test for black mold, but it will not tell you where the mold is or in precisely what quantities. Air testing is most useful to give you an idea of the health risk which spores are posing in your home.

Swabbing for Black Mold

Sample testing is used if you find mold, but you don’t know what it is! Surface testing is done by cutting a piece of the mold from your home and sending it off to a laboratory for verification. While this is an invasive form of testing, it will give you a good idea of how extensive the mold is and of course, what kind it; many molds are hard to identify by sight alone and even if you think you know what it, you may not necessarily know and that can mean the difference between thousands of dollars and hundreds. It can also help to tell you what kind of mold remediation to do. Surface testing won’t tell you the level of spores in the air though and it’s the spores which cause the health problems.

Both air and surface testing are best when searching for black mold because they compliment each other. Both of these methods are fairly simple to do and are inexpensive while still delivering results you can work with. Testing is a bit of a nuisance, but it’s very important to do so that your health is protected. Black mold is toxic, even fatal, so if you are worried that there may be a mold problem in your home, test. You can get kits you need to use online or in stores or you can call in the professionals; whatever makes you comfortable. Once you know what the problem is, you can fix it, so it’s definitely worth doing.

Black mold can be a serious problem in all most anyone’s home, and it’s become a normal decision to just ignore it in your bathrooms and window sills. Educate yourself by reading our blog on black mold removal.

One of the more common problem molds in households today is also one of the most toxic: black mold. Black mold is usually caused by neglected water damage which is combined with humid air, organic materials to eat and dim or dark areas. Seniors, infants and those with a compromised immune system are most likely to fall prey to black mold poisoning, but even healthy adults can be affected. In order to determine whether black mold is a problem in your home, you will need to know what the symptoms are and then figure out how to deal with your exposure in an effective way.

The problem comes from black mold spores which drift into the lungs as they float around from the parent black mold. These spores growing in the lungs and intestines which causes a fungal overgrowth and the common symptoms of black mold poisoning: wheezing, sniffling, coughing, sneezing, running nose, watery eyes, low energy, and in rare cases coma and death. But these common symptoms are too similar to the symptoms of things like the cold and flu! If you are concerned that the problem could be from black mold (your tip off will probably be that you’re not recovering like you should), then it’s important to do the right testing.

There are actually two tests you will have to do to figure out if there is any black mold poisoning happening to you. First, you should find out if there is mold in your home. You can either call professionals to do it for you or you can purchase a black mold tester which will test the air in affected areas and give you a reading. These tests are easy to get a hold of, but you will also have to test yourself in order to see if you are being affected by black mold and how extensively. You will probably have to get bloodwork done which will give a reading on the presence of black mold spores in your body. If you test positive, you will have to do some personal black mold remediation.

There is plenty of information about black mold remediation in the home, but it mostly boils down to cleaning up your house and clearing out mold happy environments, but what about your personal remediation? There are a few things you can to get the black mold spores out of your body and help your body repair itself. Your doctor will likely give you supplements or pills that can destroy the mold and then if you have more extensive damage, you may have to go on enzyme or liver therapy. Some people also say that it’s a good idea to strengthen the membrane in your cells by ingesting Good oils such as flax seed oil, but this is up to you. Some doctors and nutritionists also say that you should have a mold busting diet: cut out the processed sugars and flours so that mold doesn’t have any sugar to grow on. Mostly, getting rid of mold is a matter of patience, assistance from your doctor and taking care of your health and doing it all quickly so that the problem can be solved with minimal fuss.

Although many in the medical community may not take black mold poisoning too seriously, it is a problem that must be addressed. Black mold poisoning can cause damaging and even fatal symptoms. If the mold is not removed, your health will continue to deteriorate as will the health of those around you. Identify where the black mold is, get rid of it and take care of your health. You will be very glad you did.

Black mold can be a serious problem in all most anyone’s home, and it’s become a normal decision to just ignore it in your bathrooms and window sills. Educate yourself by reading our blog on black mold remediation.

Basement renovations are some of the most common household renovations because of the easy potential for lots of extra rooms. Basements are commonly renovated to add a rec room, an extra bedrooms, extra storage or even whole new suites for a roommate! However, renovating basements isn’t easy and it can even be dangerous because basements are prime areas for asbestos and black mold. Black mold is very common in basements because of the dark and dank atmosphere in these rooms which allows for the growth of mold. When you are doing your basement renovations, you may well have to deal with this problem as well.

Any renovator who feels passionate about this craft will take the black mold as an opportunity to get rid of the health risk and make the basement beautiful at the same time. Basement renovations almost invariably include tearing out walls, fixing pipework and generally cleaning up, which will help you discover and clean out any hitherto invisible black mold. This mold is mostly likely behind walls, near ductwork and around pipes, so by removing and changing up the walls, you will see the mold for yourself and find that it is easier to clean out.

Getting rid of black mold in your basement is usually something you can do by yourself with the right cleaning materials. There are black mold cleansers you can purchase on the market, or you can mix up your own by using a HEPA vacuum and biocide or a mixture of vinegar and water or bleach (though bleach isn’t always recommended). The basic method is to seal off the area with plastic, vacuum the area, scrape it down with a wire brush, and then damp the area and wash it.

If the affected area is something that you are going to tear out anyway, tear everything out first (make sure to dispose it properly) and then clean the area you’re keeping around it, just in case. Mold spores can move around with ridiculous ease so that even if you remove the affected area, you may still have contamination in your new basement.

While renovating your basement, black mold is just going to be part of the work. Basements are far too a habitable place for black mold to grow, so don’t be surprised when you run into it while renovating. But take the challenge for what it is: a chance to renovate both your home and the health of yourself and your family by black mold remediation.

Black mold can be a serious problem in all most anyone’s home, and it’s become a normal decision to just ignore it in your bathrooms and window sills. Educate yourself by reading our blog on black mold remediation.