DIY Mold Test Kit vs. Professional Mold Inspection: Which Is Better?

Is mold causing disruption in your life? Whether it is making your family sick or just becoming unpleasant to look at, you need answers. You might wonder if you have toxic mold or a harmless species. To find out, you must decide between a retail mold test kit and a certified professional inspection.

Why a DIY Mold Test Kit Can Be Misleading

Many homeowners choose a retail mold test kit because it is an inexpensive, do-it-yourself choice. These kits are often advertised to provide rapid results and peace of mind. However, there are copious complications with these products.

For example, a mold test kit will not calculate the exact amount of mold in your home. Because mold spores are everywhere, even a clean home may have spores land on a settling plate. As a result, a harmless species of mold might grow on the culture plate. This often sends homeowners into a needless panic!

Most importantly, unlike the professional care from Titanium Laboratories, a retail mold test kit provides no information about toxicity or identity. Therefore, these kits are often considered ultimately useless for true home testing purposes.

The Advantages of a Certified Mold Inspection

The second option for testing is to hire a mold expert. When Titanium Laboratories conducts a certified mold inspection, we use top-of-the-line equipment for visual, surface, and air sampling. We then send your samples to an AIHA-accredited laboratory for incubation and analysis.

Unlike a homeowner using a mold test kit, our clients receive five very important factors:

• Elevated Levels: We determine if the mold found is at elevated or normal levels.
• Species Identity: We identify exactly what kind of mold is present.
• Root Cause: We explain why the mold exists based on a visual inspection.
• Safe Removal: We provide the most economical methods to remove the mold.
• Future Prevention: We offer recommendations to prevent future infestations.

Comparing the Cost and Value

A certified mold inspection generally costs more than a DIY method but you certainly get what you pay for.

When you hire Titanium Laboratories, your assessment includes a site investigation, an air analysis with an outdoor control, and a full professional report. Furthermore, we will inform you which tasks you can do yourself to keep remediation costs low. Providing these solutions is the most significant benefit of hiring a professional company over using a simple DIY kit.

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