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THE MOLD HOME TEST KIT

You're at home, you think you have Mold. So you buy a Mold Home Test Kit. Now you're ready! Amazingly enough it will grow Mold. Amazingly enough, if you put it outside... it grows Mold out there too.

The fact is you have no real knowledge about Mold. But now you know Mold will grow in a dish from the store.

ASK YOURSELF:

Q:  Can you use this Mold dish in Court?
A:  "NO"

Q:  Are you a a Certified Mold Professional?
A:  "Probably Not" or you would not be using a Home 
     Test Kit.

Q:  Will your insurance company accept it as proof
     that you have Mold for a Mold Claim?
A:  Chances are "NO", but, you can try. The fact is 
     when you Cry Mold your own insurance company
     almost always will order their own testing done
     by a Mold Certified Professionals

Q:  So what good is it?
A:  You don't know, but now you're really scared!

This is one of the ten goofiest and desperate things
people do when they think they have Mold. It's about as good as stepping on your own fingers while tying your own shoe laces. It makes no sense. And after you do it, you stop and think, well, why did I do that? The Home Test Kits do grow some very cool looking Mold, but the whole thing is useless, unless you put it into a fifth grade Science Fair. If a Mold Home Test Kit did help you we'd love to hear about it. Let us know and we'll publish your thoughts and comments.


The most important thing to do is to first find out why you have mold in your home or work environment,  and what caused it to grow. There is a reason for its growth  there is a source where the Mold came from.

Before any Mold Clean up can begin first you have to understand where the Mold came from and why it continues to grow. Probably you'll find it's water leaks or humidity problems in that area or one close by. You'll need to fix the leaks or humidity issues first before any Mold Remediation can be done.

If anyone tells you they can do the Mold Remediation without fixing the water or moisture issues... ask them kindly to leave.


The "CHEAP BID"

If you discover you have Mold. Shop about 4-5 Mold Remediation companies. Ask for a Complete Scope of Work as to what they are going to do.

Look at the amount of recommended work and the price. If you go with the Cheap Bid, "Good Luck".

Everyone wants to hear, "It won't cost that much" , "Those other guys are trying to cheat you".

The cheap way out when it come to Mold is the "DEAD WRONG ANSWER".

Some Companies will tell you they're going to kill the Mold Spores, with Ozone or gas, or Fog.

NEWS FLASH: Dead Mold spores can emit toxic gasses too. This is a risky way or should we say "RECKLESS" method of, well... we can't even call it Mold Remediation really, no real professional would do it that way. Good Luck, it is cheap though.

If someone offers you this as a Remediation method ask to see a business license, get a copy of their business liability insurance policy, get a guarantee in writing and check to see if their liability insurance policy is paid current and in-force, you may be needing it.

RULE OF THUMB

Ask for referrals and talk to five past customers. If a company can't give you five ... move on. Most people run of relatives, lying friends and good refferals after about 3-4. So five should keep them honest.

The Scope of Work

This is where you can get HURT

The Scope of Work is very important, it is as important as sourcing the cause of the Mold growth.

With Asbestos if a remediator misses two square feet the chances of it causing harm is almost Zero.

If a Mold Remediator misses two square feet of Mold, the entire structure can be recontaminated with Mold growth in 90 days, and it happens a lot more than you would ever think! 

The Scope of Work is also where an Apartment Complex will hurt you as a renter. They want to fix your Mold problem as fast and cheap as possible. The same with the Condominium Associations. Get a separate professional in there to give you a written estimate of what really needs to be done.

You may need it for a law suite if your thinking about going in that direction.

Insurance Companies

So you think your insurance company will help you?
Ho Ho Ho...(see our "Mold and Insurance" page)

                    Remember:
No Insurance Company Adjuster ever went back to the office and got a "Pat on the Back" and "an Award" for giving away the Most of the Insurance Company's Money that Day!

               And that's a Fact!

More than likely your insurance company adjuster will smile at you while they're looking at your problem. They'll say, "I'll do what I can for you!", And go right back to their office and deny your claim.

When it comes to your insurance claim for Mold before making a claim you want to kow what's covered before they tell you it's not. If you scream 'MOLD" and have no Mold coverage chances are they will deny everything. But, if you have no Mold Coverage and scream "WATER DAMAGE" and leave the word Mold out you might be better off.

The Insurance Company is Looking for a reason
 "NOT TO PAY". Actually, that's their Job.

Look at Hurricane KATRINA. the insurance companies paid 90% of the claims at .48 cents on the dollar of what they should have paid.
            (Journal of Insurance Underwriters 2006)


IMPORTANT:

MAKE SURE... before you let anyone start Mold Remediation, anykind of Mold Testing or even a Report on your home or structure, get a copy of their "Liability Insurance Policy".

Then before they do anything call and varify that their coverage / policy is inforce.  There's a 50-50 chance you might need it.