For more extensive commentary on mold scams and fraudulent practices be sure to visit our Mold Inspectors Blog where you can interact with an AMI Certified Mold Inspector and other industry professionals.

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The simple truth is:

• Anyone in the mold removal business offering mold inspections (either for a fee or for free) is doing so for one reason only - to find mold removal jobs. Their inspections are specifically designed to drum up expensive mold removal work. If and when they actually do find mold, the problem and the work they claim is necessary to fix it is often grossly exaggerated. But even worse, sometimes there really is no mold problem at all. Sometimes an expensive mold remediation job is sold just because of a water stain. That may be hard for most honest people to imagine, but it happens every day. For more information on this scam and actual examples of folks who have fallen prey to it, check out The Mold Inspectors Blog.
   
• Also, any mold inspector offering a few free mold samples with every inspection does so just to get a foot in the door so they can sell you a lot more samples that you probably don't need.

Mold removal (also known as mold remediation or mold abatement) is a very profitable business and engaging in both mold inspections and mold remediation is a serious conflict of interest. The potential for fraudulently creating thousands of dollars in bogus mold removal work is tremendous and - unfortunately - an every day occurrence in this industry.

This is the oldest mold scam going and its easy to pull off because most consumers (like you) don’t know enough about mold to realize when they’re being bamboozled into work that often grossly exaggerated, and in some instance, may not even need to be done.

REMEMBER: You do not want a mold inspector who is looking for mold removal jobs. They always find (or create) what they’re looking for.


Convenience can cost you.
Most people prefer to deal with one contractor for everything because its convenient. But when it comes to mold, that convenience can end up costing you thousands of dollars in bogus repair work. It is simply not worth the risk. A mold inspection should be completely unbiased. Mold inspectors should have no personal interest in how an inspection turns out, nor should they ever profit from what they find, either directly by doing the removal themselves, or indirectly by referring work to their friends for a kick-back.

Avoid the scam.
The only way to ensure you will get an unbiased inspection report and avoid this mold scam is to hire a Certified Mold Inspector who does not perform mold removal work.

Tell us your experience.
If you have any experience with this mold scam we want to hear from you. Tell us and others by posting your story on our Mold Inspectors Blog.

For more information on how to avoid this scam visit the Certified Inspectors Blog[return to top]

REMEMBER:

1. Post-remediation clearance testing should never be performed by a mold removal contractor waiting to get paid for his work. This is no different than a student grading his own final exam. Many mold remediation contractors even offer "FREE" clearance testing. Some will include it in the price of the job. But it is never in your best interest to let a contractor grade his final exam. With hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on the line and no way to charge you more if it fails, it is highly unlikely that a mold contractor will fail his own work.
    
2. Post-remediation clearance testing should always be done after all the mold has been removed but before any re-construction work begins so the inspector can visually see that there is no mold left on the remediated materials.

Avoid the scam.
The way to avoid this scam is the same as Mold Scam #1. Have you post-remediation survey and clearance test performed by a Certified Mold Inspector who does not work for your remediation contractor.

• Is mold growing or has mold growth occurred indoors
• What conditions were and/or are the likely cause
• What areas of the structure are effected
• What conditions are still likely to promote further mold growth
• What steps should be taken properly address your mold issue

For more information on how to avoid this scam visit the Certified Inspectors Blog [return to top]

The one important detail most people never knew.

Viable Mold
Molds are living organisms that require food and water to stay alive. Take away one or the other and mold dies. Molds produce two things; enzymes to digest organic matter and spores to reproduce. Outdoors mold is a vital part of our ecosystem. Without it we would be neck-deep in dead plant matter and other organic materials. But indoors mold can be a real problem when it starts digesting organic materials like lumber, drywall, cabinets, and other personal property. As long as mold has a food source and a water source, it can live indefinitely and cause significant damage to anything it comes in contact with.

Non-Viable Mold
When mold loses its food or water source it dies or goes dormant. At that point, the good news is it can no longer cause any further damage to your property. The bad news is, as mold dies it dries out and starts to release spores into the air at a highly accelerated rate, and mold spores – dead or alive – have the same affect on people and animals. (READ THAT AGAIN!)

So, if dead mold is just as harmful alive mold – what would be the point in killing it?

Mold spores are organized into three groups according to human responses;

1. Allergenic
   Most likely to affect those who are already allergic or asthmatic
    
2. Pathogenic
   Serious health effects in persons with suppressed immune systems
    
3. Toxigenic
   Capable of causing serious health effects in almost anybody

Dead mold may provide your property with some reprieve. But there is clearly no upside to killing mold when it comes to the potential health risks associated mold exposure – dead or alive. For that reason, the goal of mold remediation never to kill mold – it is always to remove mold.

Who Promotes the Idea of Killing Mold and Why? Follow The Money

Mold-Killing Products
So who would have you believe that killing mold is a good idea and why? Anyone making money selling products and services that kill mold. Search Google for ”how to kill mold”. What you will find is 500,000 web sites selling products that supposedly “kill mold”. Check out the cleaning products isle at your local grocery store and you’ll find a number of mold-killing solutions to choose from. And of course there’s the home remedies that have been around for years, like bleach, vinegar, baking soda, etc. But even if a remedy or a retail product works, the question that begs asking is, “what is the point in killing mold?”

Mold-Killing Services
If you spend a few dollars on a mold-killing solution, the most you’ll be out is a few dollars. The real mold-killing scam, however, is the thermal or ”high-heat” treatments being passed off as mold remediation by some contractors. Can extreme heat kill mold and other indoor contaminants? Yes. But again, the question to ask is, “what is the point in killing mold?”. Whatever technical catch phrase they come up with to sell their concept, killing mold is not mold remediation. Remediation means removing mold. In the simplest of terms, if mold is properly remediated (removed) there should be nothing left to kill.

Other products and services being sold as mold-killers are Ozone air purifiers and high ozone treatments. Ozone is a colorless, toxic gas with a noticeable odor. When inhaled in relatively low amounts, ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, damage the lungs and irritate the throat.

Regarding contractors who sell high ozone treatments as a method of mold remediation, the truth is - the amount of ozone it takes to kill mold will kill you too! But even if you check into a hotel for a few days while they while they fill your house with lethal doses of deadly gas, the best you can hope for in the end is dead mold. And just like high heat treatments, remediation will still be required to remove it.

As for ozone products, manufacturers and resellers of Ozone Generators sold as air purifiers claim that these products help to kill and control mold. However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), these products may very well add to indoor air pollution and even make indoor mold conditions worse.

Several brands of ozone generators have EPA “establishment numbers” on their packaging. This is NOT an EPA approval or endorsement. It is nothing more than deceptive marketing designed to intentionally mislead consumers. The only purpose of an EPA establishment number is to help the EPA identify the specific facility that produces the product.

THE DISPLAY OF THIS NUMBER ON OZONE PRODUCTS DOES NOT IMPLY IN ANY WAY THAT EPA HAS FOUND THE PRODUCT TO BE EITHER SAFE OR EFFECTIVE.

FROM EPA’s WEB SITE:
Q: Are Ozone Generators Effective in Controlling Indoor Air Pollution?
A: Available scientific evidence shows that at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants. Some manufacturers or vendors suggest that ozone will render almost every chemical contaminant harmless by producing a chemical reaction whose only by-products are carbon dioxide, oxygen and water. This is misleading. The EPA does not certify or endorse any air cleaning devices or recommend air cleaning devices or manufacturers.

For more information from the EPA regarding the use or effectiveness of ozone generators, please visit their web site at: www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html

For more information on how to avoid this scam visit the Certified Inspectors Blog [return to top]

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