Video transcriptDoes My Home Have Hidden Mold?
Hello, my name is Zakhar Keselman with Mold and Air Duct Pros. Have you been waking up with itchy eyes, a sore throat, maybe headaches? Or maybe you have newborns or elderly people living with you. Those things could mean that you are a good candidate for our mold inspection. Thankfully, because of the latest developments, we realized more and more how important air quality is for our health. Ninety percent of our time is spent at home. The air we breathe has a huge effect on how we feel, on our health.
We have a lot of people that have also had floods, or maybe they had a roof leak or a basement backup, and we know that elevated moisture levels at home are a breeding ground for mold. Some people have questions: well, how do I know which mold is bad for my health? Is it black mold? The reality is that there are over 100,000 mold types out there, and each of those mold types can potentially have a negative effect on any human being, and that all has to do with that particular person's sensitivity to mold as well as their immunity.
According to the EPA, if there is any type of mold in your house, it needs to be remediated. Another misconception that people have is they will call us and they will say, look, I have this mold issue in my basement, can you please come and give me a price, how to remediate it? This is not our process, and I will explain to you why. We always start our mold remediation with inspection, and I will talk in a little bit about why we use this particular technology, which we call Lab on Wheels, to analyze each room in your home.
Mold spores are invisible to our naked eye. If you can think of dandelion seeds that move around your house like in a cloud with airflow, that means that every time there is a door or window that opens and closes, or your furnace kicks in, you could just imagine how that airflow will move those mold spores throughout the home, and then they will congregate in different rooms.
We had one client that called us and visible mold growth was in the basement, and as we were scanning every room in their home, we found out that the most amount of mold spores in the air, airborne, were in the room where his children were playing. That is the reason why we don't just come and remediate mold where it's visible. We want to do an inspection of your entire home and only remediate rooms that are necessary.
We have also come into a place where a customer had an estimate from a company to remediate mold and they were charging a lot of money remediating mold in the rooms that it was not there. They just assumed that the mold spores were going to be in these rooms, and it was not there. We want to contain the areas that were affected and just remediate those areas in particular, and save this customer money.
If you have ever dealt with a mold inspection company, or if you will call a mold inspection company, a very common method for them to analyze air would be these little — they're called air cassette pumps — that they will take a reading outside and then they will take a reading normally in two to three rooms of your house. They will take these cassettes and they will send them to the lab to be analyzed for mold, which could take another three to four days. We have been a contractor in the Cleveland area for over 20 years.
We know really well about restoration, and so when we were introduced to this particular technology — this is InstaScope, again, Lab on Wheels — it analyzes air in your home in real time. It was developed by the British military to detect anthrax, and so an American company took on that technology and was able to modify it to use it for mold inspection purposes. This is not a particle counter that just counts all kinds of particles in your air. It could be pollen, it could be bacteria, it could be mold, any of those things.
This is used specifically for mold. It analyzes how many mold spores you have per cubic meter, and so this way we will take a base reading outside and then we will take a base reading in each room of your home. It compares it to the outside.
You will actually see one of our inspectors scanning each room in your home with this wand, and on the iPad you will see colors, where it would say green, which means that the mold levels are safe, the same as outside; or it would be yellow, which is elevated, which might prompt us to do a little bit deeper investigation of what's going on; or it could be red, which means highly elevated and needs to be remediated.
If the mold levels are elevated, our inspectors will provide you with a free, no-obligation estimate to remediate that mold, and if you choose to proceed, we call our cavalry to come and service your home to make sure that you and your occupants are safe. Thank you so much for giving me the time to explain our mold inspection process and the technology that we utilize to detect mold in your home.
Have you been waking up with itchy eyes, a sore throat, or headaches? Do you have newborns or elderly family members sharing your home? These symptoms might indicate a mold infestation. Mold and Air Duct Pros offers an innovative solution to detect mold instantly with our lab-on-wheels inspection, a service designed to prioritize your health by ensuring indoor air quality.
Understanding Mold and Its Impact
While black mold is widely recognized, it is only one of over 100,000 mold types that can negatively affect human health. Each individual’s sensitivity to mold varies based on their immunity. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any mold type in your home requires remediation.
The Importance of Comprehensive Inspection
A common misconception involves requests for direct mold remediation without initial inspection. However, Mold and Air Duct Pros emphasizes starting with an inspection using our advanced technology—a service we call the lab-on-wheels. Why testing comes first, and what an inspection costs, are both worth understanding before any work is scheduled. Mold spores, invisible to the naked eye, disperse like dandelion seeds throughout a home, spreading through airflow generated by opening windows, doors, or even mold in your HVAC system.
Real-Life Case Solutions
Consider one client who noticed visible mold growth in their basement. Our certified mold inspector found the highest concentration of airborne mold spores in their children’s playroom. This demonstrates that where mold is visible isn’t always where it affects you most. Inspections help us identify all affected areas, allowing us to focus remediation efforts precisely where needed, potentially saving you from unnecessary expenses.
Traditional vs. Advanced Mold Detection Methods
Traditional mold inspection companies typically use air cassette pumps for air sampling, which involves taking samples from outside and a few indoor areas. These samples are sent to a lab for analysis, delaying results for three to four days. In contrast, our lab-on-wheels, known as InstaScope, provides real-time air analysis. Originally developed by the British military to detect pathogens, the technology has been adapted by an American company specifically for mold detection.
How InstaScope Works
Unlike a generic particle counter, InstaScope is designed to measure airborne biology, including mold spores, per cubic meter. Our process takes an outdoor baseline reading and compares it with readings from each room. The results show where indoor levels are consistent with the baseline and where further investigation may be needed.
Our Service Commitment
If elevated mold levels are detected, our team can provide a complimentary, no-obligation remediation estimate. If you decide to proceed, our field team completes the approved scope and verifies the results afterward.
Conclusion
Our lab-on-wheels approach provides on-site results during a whole-home mold inspection, helping you understand the conditions and available next steps.
