Someone recently asked, “how do I Inspect for mold in a property?”
Are you about to buy or rent a property that you want to inspect for mold? Do you currently own a property that you suspect mold in? If you suspect mold in a property, then it is highly recommended you hire a professional mold inspector to inspect for mold. We recommend a professional to inspect because mold can be very hard to find. The unfortunate truth is mold is typically hidden in places where you would never see it, and never think to look. Even though we recommend a licensed professional, it is still beneficial to have a basic idea of how to do a preliminary mold inspection. This can be done before you hire an inspector.
Are you a mold inspector who like all good professionals is always willing to learn more? Then keep reading.
Inspect Around Windows
Defective window caulking causes window leaks, window leaks can cause hidden mold in walls under your windows. You will not see the mold, but you can see the evidence of leaks that causes mold. Check for peeling paint, water damaged drywall, and moisture stains under windows. Also, check for baseboards separating from walls under windows. This baseboard separation under windows is a very common sign of window leaks. It is hard to see, because it is often a tiny crack between the baseboard and wall. The separation or crack may be just big enough to slip a piece of paper or human hair into!
Sink Cabinets
Open cabinet doors under all kitchen and bathroom sinks and check for odors. Check for water damage at the wooden floor of the cabinets. Do you seen any mold growth, it usually resembles brown, black, or green stains, but can be exhibit many colors and textures. If water damage is present but you see no mold some mold may still be present behind the cabinet or under the floor of the cabinet.
When checking around plumbing fixture and sink cabinets look for water induced warping at kickplates. What are kickplates? They are the boards at the very base of kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Stand six inches in front of a cabinet, slide your foot forward across the floor six inches and your foot will kick something wooden, that is the kickplate.
Check for Shower Stall Leaks
In the master bathroom shower look for missing grout and loose shower tile. Missing grout lets water into the walls. Loose tile lets us know that shower walls behind the tile are rotten.
Check for lime or calcium like mineral deposits in the shower grout. These mineral deposits results when water leaks into the walls then leaks back out and evaporates leaving behind mineral deposits in the shower grout.
Without damaging the shower walls gently press on the tile with the tip of your shoe, do this about a 6 to 18 inches above the floor of the shower. Press too high and the wall may not be wet and rotten up that high, too low and the wall may feel firm because the tile are supported by the shower pan inside the wall. Tap these walls at several spots on all four walls of the shower. If the shower wall bows inward then the wall material behind the tile if soft, rotten, and likely very full of mold.
Inspect Walls Abutting Shower Stalls
Very often you will find a master bedroom closet behind the shower stall. The wall that separates the shower stall from the master bedroom closet will become moldy inside if the shower stall leaks. Check for visible mold and water damage on the master closet wall and baseboard that separates the closet from the shower. Unfortunately, these areas are often inaccessible due to many stored items if the property is occupied.
Check for Mold in Kitchens
Kitchen sinks, dishwashers, and ice maker water supply line eventually leak. Major and expensive mold problems often occur after kitchen leaks. Such kitchen mold problems are often behind the cabinets and appliances where they cannot be seen. As a result, many properties have unaddressed hidden kitchen mold problems.
Areas Behind Appliances
Because of the above referenced hidden kitchen mold issues, be sure to inspect the cabinet and wall areas beside and behind the refrigerator and the oven. Most modern ovens are bolted to the wall so they cannot be moved, but if it can be moved without damage to the wall, floor, or oven, move it and look behind it. People will hide mold and water damage that they see, but often people forget to paint and hide it behind ovens. Also look behind the refrigerator for the same reasons.
Disclaimer, moving large appliances may be dangerous to you and to the property, you could get hurt or damage something. Do not move anything if you are not sure how to do it safely and properly without damage and harm.
Look for Mold in AC and Water Heater Closets
Next, with the aid of a flashlight, inspect inside AC closets and water heater closets. These two types of closets often have mold and water damage at the base of the walls. People only notice AC and water heater leaks days, weeks, or even months after they start. The reason such leaks go unnoticed is because these appliances closets are often neglected and ignored.
Inspect AC Units and Ducts
Remove the AC filter and check for mold on the bottom of the AC coils that are hidden behind or above the AC filter. The mold is typically Cladosporium mold that grows in and on AC units. Also use a flashlight to check for mold inside AC ducts. Inside ducts you will only see a few square inches of the duct area, several black spots a few millimeters across will likely indicate Cladosporium type mold.
Check for musty odors coming out of the AC ducts, this indicates mold inside the AC or inside the ducts, and often the mold is deep inside the system. Of course, make sure the AC is on when testing for odors.
Inspector for Humidity Induced Surface Mold
It is very important that you have an actual flashlight for the next step. The light on an I phone may not be adequate. Use your flashlight to shine a bean at a 180-degree angle along the flat surfaces of dark colored hard wooden furniture. Look for small powdery white colonies of mold. Confused about the 180-degree angle statement? Let me clarify:
The Flashlight Method
Take your flashlight and shine it directly at a piece of dark wooden furniture. Because the flashlight is aimed straight at the furniture, and the light is shining directly at the furniture, the light beam will be at 90 degrees relative to the flat section of furniture you are shining the light at. Imagine that the dash at the end of this sentence is your flashlight and the vertical line is the furniture, that is 90 -degrees. – I
Next, take your flashlight and shine it parallel to the above referenced furnature’s flat surface. You are holding the flashlight parallel to the furniture’s flat surface., this is 180 degrees. At such an angle difficult to see mold will be much easier to see.
Do this on dark furniture because you are looking for powdery white pen asp mold that shows up best on dark surfaces. This mold is easier to see on hard wood as appose to a textile sofa because textile allows mold fibers to be interwoven into the textile fibers and thus hidden.
Inspect for Mold Behind Furniture
Readily accessible exposed surfaces are routinely cleaned of all dust and tiny mold colonies. Surfaces behind furniture, under furniture, and beside night stands are often not cleaned often, and as a result are the best places to do the above test.
Don’t Forget to Check for Mold Odors
Earlier today I inspected an ocean front condo in South Palm Beach. I remember discussing mold odors with the client and we both reported smelling no odors at the start of the inspection. The client is a mold remediator and contractor, and I am a mold inspector. We are both familiar with mold odor detection. It was not until ½ hour later I started to notice mold odors for the first time. By the end of the inspection 2 ½ hours later a musty odor from mold was very noticeable. The odor did not change at all, but over time I became more sensitive to the odors in every room. This type of increasing sensitivity to mold odor happens with me very often. Perhaps it is just me, or perhaps it is common with other people, I don’t know, but be prepared to not notice odors at first.
In Conclusion
Don’t rush, do your inspection and be mindful of mold, minor water damage, and mold odors. Most important of all, if you are not an inspector hire a mold inspector.