Air Quality/Mold Inspections
Protecting you from mold and other pollutants
Award Home Inspections is excited to add Air Quality Inspections to our services to assist in keeping Richmonders safe. Even healthy buildings can have some mold spores, but it’s important to make sure the Air Quality Index (AQI) in your home is at an acceptable level.
The Air Quality Index is a standardized measure used to communicate how polluted the air is and what potential health effects may result from breathing it. AQI values generally range from 0 to 500. In general, lower AQI values indicate cleaner air and lower health risks, while higher values indicate increasing levels of pollution and greater health concerns.
Air Quality Inspections
While there are no national standards that specify an acceptable number of fungal spores indoors, a commonly accepted guideline is that indoor spore levels and types generally should not exceed those found outdoors at the same time.
Award Home Inspections performs 2 types of testing:
Air Testing: Air pumps and spore traps collect mold spores from indoor air, which are then compared to outdoor baseline levels to determine if an indoor source is present.
Surface Sampling: Swabs or tape lifts collect mold directly from a surface to identify the specific type of mold growing in a given spot.
F.A.Q.
Answers to often-asked questions about air quality testing.
When should I test for mold?
Testing is best reserved for specific situations:
- Hidden Growth: You smell a strong, musty odor but cannot find the source.
- Health Concerns: Residents are experiencing health symptoms, and you need to confirm the presence of mold.
- Real Estate Transactions: As part of a home inspection to verify that a property is free of hidden issues.
- Post-Remediation Verification: To ensure an area has been properly cleaned after a water damage repair.
Is it normal to have some mold spores?
Yes. Some mold spores are normally present indoors, even in healthy buildings.
Why do you do air sampling?
Air sampling is used to help identify whether there may be an unusual mold condition and, if so, where contamination might be located.
Can the air quality easily change?
Indoor and outdoor spore levels can vary significantly because both environments are constantly changing, which can sometimes make sample comparisons misleading.