Several years ago, I rented an apartment in a beautiful part of town, in one of the most expansive zip codes in the United States, at a very reasonable price. It was an apartment on the lower level of the building. When I initially walked the apartment, I did notice a slight musty smell, but I disregarded it, thinking it was nothing and I could probably air out the place. But when I moved in, I started feeling sick, my eyes were always watery and itchy, I sneezed and coughed a lot, and I felt fatigued when I was at home after an hour. But when I left the apartment for 20 minutes, the symptoms went away, and I felt good. I finally had my apartment tested for mold, and test results revealed a very high concentration of several types of mold spores. I had allergenic, pathogenic, and toxigenic mold. Fortunately, I could get out of my lease and get into another apartment with much healthier air quality.
How to test for mold in the air
If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms, you should order a mold test and inspection. There was no visible mold in my scenario, so I ordered a mold air test to capture all the mold spores present in my apartment. A consultant came in with an electric pump with an attached cassette media called a mold trap. The test was conducted in my bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen. He also ran a moisture test in each of those rooms, which showed a very high moisture level, meaning that there was likely a lot of water damage. The whole inspection took about an hour, and within a few days, I received the results, and it was indeed bad news.
How much does mold testing cost?
If you want to get a mold test to determine if your home has mold, I recommend hiring an excellent industrial hygienist or a mold inspector. Their service usually costs $150 for a service call and $50 per sample. You’re probably going to spend $300, but it will be well worth it. The professional will conduct a thorough inspection and give you great advice.
Same day mold testing
5 Micron provides mold testing service with a 2-day turnaround time for the result, including recommendations. We also offer same-day results as an option. Contact us for a no-obligation-free quote.
Where to send mold samples for testing
Mail in samples to the following address:
5 Microns Inc.
7100 Fort Dent Way #100
Tukwila, WA 98188
IMPORTANT-MUST READ FIRST: All mail-in samples must have a tracking number and include our general chain of custody form to be processed. If the chain of custody form is missing, your sample(s) will not be accepted and processed. Drop-offs MUST have the COC form inside your package but not in the sample bag. DO NOT MAIL YOUR SAMPLES BY FIRST CLASS MAIL. Send your sample(s) via USPS Priority Mail, UPS, and FedEx. It is essential to closely follow these directions so our asbestos testing lab can promptly process your sample(s).
*PLEASE NOTE FOR ALL DROP-OFFS: All samples must be dropped off at the back of the office building located at 7100 Fort Dent Way Tukwila WA outside the Tabor 100 Office and placed inside the black drop-box pictured below. Do not take your samples to the front desk. The front desk will not accept drop-offs over the counter, NO EXCEPTIONS!
5 Microns Inc. Sample Drop Box
