Mini Class Series: Testing Options for Your Home

These days, there are a lot of options available when it comes to testing your home for mold, water damage, and other indoor pollutants. It can be hard to know where to put your time, trust, and money.

We want to help make this process a little less overwhelming. Over the next few weeks, we will break down common testing methods in a quick and an easy-to-understand way!

This mini class series is designed to help you better understand the testing options for your home so that you can feel empowered when talking with professionals and making decisions for your home.

Note: The inclusion of any testing method on this website is not an endorsement for any specific test. Rather, we are including testing methods that are commonly available to the public. Every testing method has specific strengths and limitations. Ultimately, testing is just one piece of the puzzle. Any testing should be done in combination with a thorough visual investigation of the entire home that also takes into account the history of the home and the health of the people in it.

In today’s mini class, we discuss which tests to run and when so you can put together a personalized sampling plan!

Testing Options for Your Home: Developing a Testing Plan to Find Hidden Mold in Any Building

There are thousands of identified
species of bacteria. Some of that bacteria can thrive indoors.

Testing Options for Your Home: Bacteria and more!

Certain species of mold under certain conditions can create secondary byproducts called mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are a poisonous chemical designed to kill other living things. When mold grows in our buildings or on our food, we have the potential to be exposed to mycotoxins.

Testing Options for Your Home: Mycotoxins

It turns out that dust can tell a story of what might be going on in your home.  The EPA 36 is another example of MSQPCR technology that analyzes mold spores and fragments in your dust. While this test has some similarities to the ERMI test, there are some differences.

Testing Options for Your Home: EPA 36

Every home has dust. But have you ever asked yourself, “What is in my dust?” It turns out your dust holds clues to what might be going on in your home.

Testing Options for Your Home: ERMI

Surface sampling (tape, swab, or bulk) allows you to test surface areas for microbial growth and contamination.

Testing Options for Your Home: Surface Samples

Air testing, or spore trap testing, is one of the most common testing methods available.

Testing Options for Your Home: Air Testing