Why Air Quality Testing For Mold is Not Enough
Posted in Air Quality, on May 06, 2022
The phrase “you have to see it to believe it” can easily be applied to many homeowners’ assumptions about their indoor air quality — why have indoor air quality testing unless you can see or smell something? But, unlike a burnt-out lightbulb, problems with indoor air quality are often subtle and difficult to sense. SafeAir’s air quality testing services can help you clean up your indoor environment and uncover hidden problems - like mold growth - in your home. A clean and fresh indoor environment is the first step to having a healthy lifestyle.
What Is Indoor Air Quality Testing?
Everyone knows about outdoor air pollution —but that same cannot be said about our indoor environments. When we spend up to 90% of our day indoors, the quality and safety of our indoor environments have a significant effect on our short and long-term health and wellness. Indoor air quality testing is a science-based method for investigating indoor air environments that looks at spores, residue, temperature, humidity, and other factors to determine pollution levels.
At SafeAir, we’ve been testing indoor air quality in residential and commercial properties for over a decade. We’ve helped people solve problems such as high moisture, lead contamination, radon gas, asbestos, and more during that time. While some indoor air quality problems, like mold growth, can have noticeable splashy effects (there’s no missing a massive patch of green mold!), other issues can have subtle, long-term effects on your health, such as radon gas, which is the second-most leading cause of lung cancer.
Pros and Cons of Air Quality Tests
It’s easy to list the benefits of air quality testing because the air around us affects everything we do. Good air quality helps our skin be supple, clear, and well-lubricated; it helps us sleep better at night and concentrate more clearly during the day. Overall health, including our respiratory system and even digestion, can be positively impacted by a cleaner, safer air. If you’ve got allergies, chronic health conditions, or young children, better outcomes have been definitely linked to improvements in indoor air quality.
That’s just the benefits to your health — good indoor air quality affects the structure and objects in your home as well, reducing damage in the short and long term.
And the cons of air quality testing? Well, there aren’t many, in our opinion! Some of the challenges of air quality assessments can be external factors like weather, floods, or temperature changes — they can often throw results and lead to false readings. But at SafeAir, we’re well versed in these sorts of issues and will suggest long-term or repeated testing to help develop average readings.
Different Mold Testing Methods
One of the most requested services SafeAir offers is mold testing. Mold is one of the most common issues affecting homeowners in the GTA, but it can be hard to detect because the effects can be subtle.
Mold growth happens in environments where there is an excess of moisture. This water can come from many sources:
- A roof leak or insufficient insulation may trigger attic mold.
- Bathroom mold can happen when steam becomes trapped.
- Floods and poor air circulation primarily cause basement mold.
Regardless of the cause, mold can grow in any room and prefers to hide in places like cupboards, under furniture, or behind the walls.
Indoor air quality testing is your best weapon against indoor mold growth. At SafeAir, we use various mold testing methods and air quality checks to determine the where, why, and how of mold infestations. Physical sampling, air tests, and air monitors can all help lead us to hidden mold colonies and alert us to the presence of mold spores in the air.
Indoor air quality testing can test for specific issues like mold growth, but it is also beneficial for taking an overall snapshot of your indoor air environment. One of the best reasons to book air quality testing is its preventative benefits. A test today may prevent a mold infestation in the future — saving you those additional remediation costs (not to mention the stress!). Curious to know more? Reach out to the SafeAir team to learn more about our indoor air testing services today!