Mold Inspection & Testing Services in Baltimore

East Coast Mold Remediation Offers Mold Inspection Services in Baltimore, Maryland

If you have detected mold growth within your Baltimore, MD residential or commercial property, it’s time to call on the team at East Coast Mold Remediation for mold remediation services. Since mold is an airborne fungus, we frequently find that a home or business that has mold in one area will have mold in several other areas as well.

As a best practice, it is recommended to bring an Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP) to perform an inspection of the entire space. This inspection will uncover any additional or hidden areas of mold throughout a structure. This is recommended to ensure that all areas of mold are addressed and remediated. East Coast Mold Remediation can recommend an IEP to inspect your home. This is one additional way to help ensure that your structure and its occupants are safe from mold.

The Mold Inspection Process Explained

Mold inspection services are put in place to help identify the presence of mold and generally work to define the size of the problem at hand. The steps of the mold inspection process are as follows:

1. Our team of mold removal specialists will talk with you to discuss any areas where you have seen mold or where there has been moisture or water damage.
2. We will thoroughly search your home or business, looking in places where mold is known to hide and thrive. Some of these common places include:
   • Under sinks
   • Under grout and tiles
   • On showerheads
   • Under bathroom rugs
   • On mattresses
   • HVAC vents/ducts
   • Fireplace and chimney
   • Washing machines
   • Behind refrigerators
   • Attics
   • Basements
   • Garages
   • Crawl spaces

3. If we suspect that the mold is growing in a hard-to-reach spot, like behind your bathroom wall, removing a section of drywall or paneling may be necessary for us to get a better look at the damage.
4. Once the mold is detected, we will work to find the source of the moisture that is causing the mold growth and begin devising a plan of action for the remediation process.

What Is an Indoor Environmental Professional?

Due to there currently being no regulation of mold, we find it necessary to bring in a sound professional to judge the condition of your Baltimore, MD home or business. An IEP’s job is to effectively assess the fungal ecology of properties, systems, and contents. They then work to create a sample strategy, sample the indoor environment, interpret laboratory data, and determine the condition of the issue. These conditions are characterized as three levels and defined as:

• Condition 1, Normal Fungal Ecology – This condition describes an indoor environment that shows evidence of settled spores, fungal fragments, or traces of actual growth whose identity, location, and quantity show normal fungal ecology for an indoor environment.
• Condition 2, Settled Spores – This condition describes an indoor environment that is primarily contaminated with settled spores that were likely dispersed directly or indirectly from a Condition 3 zone and may have traces of actual growth.
• Condition 3, Actual Growth – This condition describes an indoor environment that is contaminated with the presence of actual mold growth, whether it be active, dormant, visible, or hidden, and accompanied by the associated spores.

Once the IEP concludes this status, the scope of work can be established. This pre-remediation assessment is needed so our team at East Coast Mold Remediation can fully comprehend how to tackle your home or business’s unique remediation needs. IEP’s are very helpful in this line of work due to their extensive knowledge and willingness to bring clarity to every project.

What Are the Most Common Types of Mold?

Below we have compiled a list of the most common types of mold we look for during our inspections. Though these types of mold are common, they still hold the capacity to present serious health risks if left untreated.

• Alternaria – This is one of the most common molds found, and usually appears in damp areas such as the sink, shower, or dark and dimly lit spaces on the exterior of the home. Health problems associated with this mold often include asthma attacks and allergic reactions.
• Aspergillus – This mold is prevalent indoors and only does minor damage to those who inhale it. However, some are known to experience severe reactions like respiratory infections, allergies, and inflamed lungs.
• Aureobasidium – Most commonly found on wooden furniture, surfaces, painted walls, and wallpaper, this mold is pink and black and can cause allergic reactions.
• Chaetomium – This mold is found in drywall with water damage and is typically identified by its musty or old odor.
• Cladosporium – This mold can be found inside both cool and warm areas like carpet, wood floorboards, wooden cabinets, and older fabrics, and can leave people with breathing problems and respiratory issues.
• Fusarium – This is a mold that tends to grow in cold, wet areas, and can cause the standard allergic reaction as well as inflammation and respiratory infections.
• Penicillium – This mold is found indoors and lives inside insulation, furnishings, water damaged furniture, carpeting, and more. It spreads quickly and can cause allergic reactions, lung inflammation, and sinus infections.
• Stachybotrys Chartarum – Stachybotrys Chartarum is also known as toxic mold due to its ability to create toxic compounds called mycotoxins. When this musty-smelling mold is breathed in, the compounds can cause breathing issues, fatigue, depression, sinus infection, asthma attacks, and more, and is most commonly found in consistently damp areas.
• Serpula Lacrymans – Though this type of mold is most commonly found outside, it is also known to live on interior wooden surfaces. It will eat away at the wood, causing dry rot, and is easily identifiable by its yellow color.
• Trichoderma – This is yet another mold that loves damp areas and is often found within wet carpeting and wallpaper. This type of mold produces mycotoxins that can cause allergic reactions, sinus infections, and more severe health issues.
• Ulocladium – Found both inside and outside, this type of mold thrives in areas that have experienced severe water damage and are known for causing severe allergic reactions and infections.

If any of these descriptions sound like something you’ve seen or noticed within your home or business, you must reach out to mold removal professionals right away. We will help you assess the damage that has been done and provide you with mold remediation services to preserve your home and health.

Call East Coast Mold Remediation Today!

Mold can not only degrade your commercial or residential property, it can also have a significant impact on your health. Having a mold inspection done by a professional mold testing company is your best bet to ensuring mold isn’t wreaking havoc behind the scenes. When you need comprehensive mold removal and testing solutions in Baltimore, MD, we’re the team for the job! Contact East Coast Mold Remediation today for an estimate.