How Much Is It to Get a Restroom Inspected for Mold?
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Noninvasive Inspection is a Basic Option
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Visual mold sometimes is not detected. A noninvasive mold inspection method, which starts with a visual inspection and air-quality tests, costs about $300, as of September 2010. A handheld moisture meter gets relative readings in building materials like Sheetrock. A baseline sample of the outdoor air and at least one inside sample are compared.
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Some Bathrooms Require More In-Depth Tests
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Moisture does not always make itself obvious. Invasive inspection, called sampling, is more complicated and costs about $500, as of September 2010. Infrared technology is used to see temperature differences indicating wet construction. Samples are taken and sent for analysis. Another minimally invasive method uses a bore scope to look into walls. Inspection traps with cover plates are cut for examination and maintenance, where plumbing, and leaks, most likely exist.
Bottom Line
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For clean air, get a thorough mold inspection. You cannot rely on noninvasive inspection for an answer to what lies behind closed walls. "Exposure to airborne contaminants is unhealthy and inadvisable," Michael Bowdoin, a microbiologist in Houston, says in Indoor Environment Connections. Because there is no way to reference safe limits of contaminants in the air we breathe, invasive methods of inspection are highly recommended for conclusive evidence of the presence of mold.
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- Photo Credit 32 year old bathroom image by Russell Espinoza from Fotolia.com bathroom image by nutech21 from Fotolia.com wet background image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com Blue sky background with clouds image by Nicky Jacobs from Fotolia.com
