How does a virtual mold inspection work?
This is one of the questions we are asked most frequently! A zoom video call (or FaceTime if you have an Apple device) is a very useful tool for a virtual mold inspection. We have looked at A LOT of houses and can pretty quickly pinpoint your possible problem areas based on the known history of the building, the type of construction, the location of the plumbing fixtures, and the surrounding geography.
Our intake questionnaire has all the questions we need answers to that will help us decide what areas we need to focus on for your live video walk through inspection. While we are going through the building, we will have you zoom in to certain areas with a flashlight to see what we can discover. Sometimes, further testing (like mold plates, an ERMI or EMMA) is suggested, but not always. Knowing the type of mold does not make any difference with how it is removed. If we are not able to see any mold with the virtual visual inspection, we will go over a plan with you for testing that you can complete yourself, providing you with comprehensive instructions that will help you get the most accurate results possible. If we do see mold, we help you come up with a remediation plan and teach you steps to find a good remediation team.
This leads us to our next most common question…
Why not just do my own mold testing and then have you interpret it?
This is an option, but not always the most cost effective one. Random mold testing can get very expensive and you will often still not know where the source is. An ERMI or EMMA can very reliably tell you that you have mold contamination, but unless you run several (which can get very expensive!) you likely have no idea where it could be coming from and you don’t know where to start remediating. Mold plates are less expensive, but if you don’t place them properly you can wind up with inaccurate results. Maybe it is high because you picked up statchybochrys on the shoes you forgot to take off, or it is low because you placed it in a less than ideal spot.
We do have packages for interpreting mold tests that you have already done, but if you haven’t tested yet and suspect mold toxicity could be affecting your environment and health, contact us today to see if a virtual inspection is right for you!