Mold Inspections & Air Quality Testing

Do you know how safe the air is inside your home? A cost-efficient indoor air quality/mold testing assessment from USA Home Inspectors can test the air quality of your San Diego area home, whether you are buying a house or getting ready to list one on the market. Request a quote by calling

(619) 289-8387.

Mold spores are everywhere.

They’re inside, outside, on hard surfaces, and in the air. The problem occurs when these mold spores encounter moisture and begin to grow. While our bodies can tolerate small amounts of exposure, a large concentration of mold often becomes a health hazard. Fearful that mold may be prevalent in your home? USA Home Inspectors offers two inspection types: a basic mold sampling or a full, comprehensive inspection. Whichever you choose, you’ll have the information to make educated decisions to protect your health and that of your loved ones.

Indoor Mold and Your Health

Mold sounds a little scary, and with good reason. Not only does the presence of mold in your home impact your investment considerably, but unabated mold exposure for long periods of time may result in serious health issues.  The first step in creating a mold treatment plan is a mold test from a USA Home Inspectors certified specialists. 

We care about you and your health, which is why we are the only company in San Diego that does not offer remediation services.  We only provide impartial, practical professional opinions about the threats and concerns you face upon the discovery of mold in your home, equipping you with the information you need to make informed and responsible decisions.

Air Quality Testing

While a homeowner may need mold inspections regularly, these tests are crucial to protect both the buyers and sellers during real estate transactions. At USA Home Inspectors, our certified mold specialists test the air in your home using state-of-the-art mold equipment.  If any mold presence is obvious during our sampling phase, we swab the area by hand and send it to our lab partners.  We then immediately send the gathered air sample to a leading ISO-certified analytic lab for expert results. 

Our Mold Testing Process

A Certified Mold Specialist will meet you at the property to conduct a visual assessment of your home. We use a variety of equipment- including moisture meters, humidity readers, thermal imaging, and general inspection equipment to assess the overall condition of your property. At the competition of their assessment, the inspector will give you a professional opinion as to where there is potential organic growth in your home, and go over the sampling plan with you. Our mold assessments are completely free and take about 30 minutes to complete.

  • Air Handler: This area typically can have a lot of mold growth especially if it unmaintained and/or the filter has not been replaced with a HEPA filter.

    Roof & Attic: A common spot for water entry through roof leaks.

    Exterior Walls: Another common entry point for water intrusion.

    Plumbing Systems: Using thermography cameras and their knowledge of construction, inspectors can find possible water leaks inside the walls.

  • When the inspector arrives, they conduct an exterior sample first. This air sample is known as the control which is used as a comparison for the air quality inside the home. Each sample takes about 10 minutes to complete.

    Next, the inspector will conduct interior samples of the home. The number of interior samples to be taken depends on the size of the home, and the results from the mold assessment completed a few days earlier. We typically recommend 1 sample for every 1,000 square feet of space.

  • Basic Mold Samples: If mold spores are visible, a swab test is conducted. We send the swabs to an ISO-certified lab to identify the type of mold and whether or not the mold is living.

    Air Quality Testing: We use a small machine that acts like a vacuum to suck in air in the designated sample room. These air samples are then sent to an ISO-certified lab to identify the presence of mold in the home. If the results come back positive for mold, we will schedule a complete mold inspection to identify the source of the water leaks, and take additional swab samples to identify the living species.

  • We send our The lab results are typically received anywhere from 24-72 hours (depending on work days and shipping). Then, the spore counts of each sample along with its corresponding spore identification are evaluated and compared.

    To know if there is a mold issue in the home, the general consensus is if there is a higher amount of mold spores inside the home than outside, then there is a mold issue inside the home. Using the results, the inspector can give recommendations of next steps to either remediate or state there is no concern for mold inside the home.

  • Mold in homes can be a costly and dangerous problem, particularly when infestations of toxic black mold occur. The symptoms and health effects of black mold exposure and black mold poisoning cover a wide range of health problems, but understanding the indicators can help keep you and your family safe.

    Toxic black mold, or Stachybotrys chartarum, as it's known to scientists, can release spores as it feeds on organic materials in common household materials like drywall, carpet, insulation or sub-flooring that have been exposed to moisture. These spores, if ingested or inhaled, can cause a range of unpleasant and even dangerous symptoms in humans.