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Mold testing: when it is worth paying for
The first question about mold testing is not what it costs. It is whether you need it, and the EPA's answer is usually no.
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The short version
- If you can see mold
- The EPA says sampling is in most cases unnecessary.
- When a test helps
- A smell with no visible source, a sale or a dispute.
- Ask first
- What the result would change about what you do next.
Testing can help when
- There is a musty smell and no visible mold.
- A buyer, seller or landlord needs a record.
- You need to confirm cleanup worked.
- A doctor has asked about the home.
Testing adds little when
- Mold is plainly visible.
- The moisture source is already known.
- The result would not change the cleanup.
- It is offered at no charge by the company selling cleanup.
What the EPA says
- Visible mold"In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary."
- No federal standard"No EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores." A number alone does not tell you if a home passes.
- Who should sampleSampling "should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience" in designing protocols and interpreting results.
- After cleanupSurface sampling may help confirm that an area has been adequately cleaned.
If you do pay for a test
- Ask what will be sampled and why.
- Use a tester who does not also sell the cleanup.
- Ask for a written report with an interpretation, not only numbers.
- Decide beforehand what result would lead to what action.
A test that finds mold spores proves little. Spores are in every house. What matters is growth, and the moisture that feeds it.
Related guides
Mold remediation: what drives the cost
Mold on drywallSources
- US Environmental Protection Agency: mold testing or sampling