VANCOUVER, CANADA. Many homeowners, landlords, renters, property managers, business owners, and employees want to know, and need to know, precise identities of various toxic mold species inhabiting their home, rental property, or place of work, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector and author of mold book Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.

To identify correctly toxic mold species, take these two steps: (1) use do-it-yourself mold test kits to collect mold samples during a thorough and complete building mold inspection and investigation; and (2) send collected mold test samples to a mold laboratory for mold analysis and mold species identification. Testing Visible Mold Growth

If a resident or occupant sees mold growing on a wall, ceiling, floor, heating or cooling duct register, or any other surface, he can scrape mold particles off mold growth area onto sticky surface of opened mold test kit.

During such scraping of mold growth, tester needs to wear rubber gloves and a full-face respirator mask with organic vapor filters (such as 3M brand from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store) to protect against toxic mold exposure.

To do scraping, use a new or thoroughly disinfected (with ethyl or rubbing alcohol) paint scraper. Disinfect scraper after each individual sampling to remove any possible mold contaminants, and thus avoid mold cross-contamination in sampling process from one sample location to another.

Print clearly and neatly on a large pressure sensitive label property owner’s name, property address, precise test location at that address, testing date, and type of sampling method (“mold test kit settling”), time duration of test (e.g., thirty to sixty minutes) along with tester’s name and contact information.

The label should also include each individual test number, as listed on mold chain of custody form, available free from mold laboratory. Attach label to bottom of mold test kit that contains that respective, numbered mold sample.

Mold Testing of Indoor Air

Use a separate mold test kit to collect a mold sample from air of each of these areas---

1. Heating/cooling duct register. Expose sticky side of an open mold test kit (one for each duct register) to outward airflow from each separate heating/cooling duct register. Tape open test kit to duct grill so that airflow directly hits sticky surface.

Run heating/cooling system on fan ventilation for 10 minutes prior to removing mold test kit from each tested duct register. Then close, seal, and label each mold test kit.

2. Room Air by Settling Method. Mold test air of each room, attic, basement, crawl space, and garage by first running a cleaned fan to stir up each room or area’s air all around for about 15 minutes.

Thoroughly clean fan blades and fan guard with rubbing alcohol or ethyl alcohol after fan’s use in each separate testing location.

Then shut off fan, open up a mold test kit, place it open side upwards in middle of room [on floor, or upon a table or chair] for thirty minutes to one hour to allow airborne mold spores to settle down onto sticky surface of mold test kit.

Be sure to use same time for all air test locations for standardization of mold test results. Then close, seal, and label mold test kits.

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