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Are Do-it-yourself Mold Tests Better than Professionals?
Development of Mold Symptoms
Holly Kestinis was worried about her 8 yr old son because of his recently developed head aches. After a series of consecutive complaints about his head hurting, Holly found that she too was beginning to have severe pain head aches which she had never had before.
Ask a Mold Specialist
Realizing she had to do something about the newly devoloped , Holly called the local mold inspector to have her house examined.
Within the next couple of days Tim Glisson arrived to do a routine check. After a couple of red flags were sent up, he decided to run a few tests to see if the mold found was extremely harmful.
Testing for Mold
Tim collected a few samples and then was asked to compare the Do-it-yourself tests to a professional mold inspection. Tim agreed and followed the directions. Setting out the plate in the mold affected area to wait, Tim finished his tests within a few hours and took them back to the lab. Meanwhile, the do-it-yourself test would take a full 48 hours to finish.
Compare Test Results
Two weeks later Tim was back with his results and the do-it-yourself results to compare. The do-it-yourself detected two mold breeds while the professional lab detected three.
Do-It-Yourself Mold Tests or Professional Tests?
So while the kit detected only two breeds of mold and Tim’s tests found three, both agreed that Holly’s mold was not toxic… yet. To deal with the issue at hand, Tim gave Holly the instructions to have her ducts cleaned, and replace the drywall ceiling in the bathroom. He also advised her to add a ventilation vent in the bathroom.
In this case, Professionally done mold inspections work the best by being faster, and more efficient, detecting all breeds of mold, not just two, though they both agreed none of the mold was toxic.
Further Recommended Reading :
Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team
Source : Tampa Bay’s 10 News
Like this post? Pass it along!
I did a do it yourself mold test with a lab called ImmunoLytics (www.immunolytics.com). Their results along with my health symptoms allowed my doctor to figure out that the mold in my house was making me sick. Now that I have fixed my mold problems, my health is returning! I recommend using ImmunoLytics.
John Lavas on April 28th, 2010So what was causing the severe headaches? And are they still having them?
Lori Tondini on June 23rd, 2010Mold testing shouldn’t be done by non-professionals. Open windows or ceiling fans can really mess up results. Even walking across a carpet with shoes on can have an effect.
Manhattan Mold Removal on October 4th, 2010I own a mobile home my daughter lives in, there was a water leak in the kit and soaked the carpet and floor vents. we cleaned up all the water but now a mold company agent went through the entier 2 bedroom traier and gave us an estimate of over $5000. seems overly high, mostly they walked around with a meter, the said we needed to remove all the carpet, walls in back of tubs, remove sink cabinets and flooring in the laundry room and kitchen, price doesn’t include replacing anything. I think this is a scam, found out a do it yourself website and seems these guys always over estimate the problem. the carpet was only went near the kitchen, not the entire place, I won’t use them, but what do people think of these kind ot businesses
Irene on December 18th, 2011