The cost can vary greatly depending on the specifics of the dwelling and situation. On average, a professional mold remediation can cost anywhere from $500 to $6,000 on average for a larger job. Depending on the severity of the problem, and the space in which the mold is in, we have seen situations in the tens of thousands for a professional mold remediation job.

  • Attic Mold
  • Basement Mold
  • Crawl Space Mold
  • Drywall & Concrete
  • HVAC Systems
  • Bathrooms
  • Air Ducts

The media continues to shine an increasingly bright spotlight on the dangers posed by mold in indoor places. This includes homes, but also an alarming number of commercial properties, retail spaces, and even restaurants have been found to have minor, modest, and sometimes even severe mold problems.

These days when a home or property owner hears the word mold, it can often evoke fear and downright panic. Mold has been attributed to a wide range of health problems. The airborne spores and other byproducts are known to cause respiratory irritation and distress. For people with allergies, asthma and other chronic respiratory health problems, this could mean a worsening of existing symptoms, as well as a frequency of flareups.

For some individuals, the presence of mold can also increase problems with chronic inflammation conditions. This is especially true for black or so-called toxic mold.

With all the information and even some conjecture, buzzing around about the topic there is a need for more information.

What Is Mold?

First of all, it’s important to understand what mold is. It exists in nature and has existed since long before the dinosaurs were tromping around. It’s technically classified as a fungus, which means it has some plant traits and even a few animal traits. It doesn’t need sunlight to generate energy like plants do, yet it doesn’t actively go out to seek food as animals do.

It is so prevalent in the natural world that there is no way to fully eliminate it short of incinerating the Earth’s atmosphere. So, it’s never going to go away. The trick is in understanding its preferred environment and then making changes to prevent it from gaining a significant foothold in your home or commercial property.

Even beyond the obvious and disconcerting health risks, mold can also damage buildings and affect their structural integrity. Left unchecked mold that colonizes in your house over the years can lead to decay issues in wood as well as other cellulose components. This could even start to affect the structure, resulting in expensive damage which could also end up decreasing the value of your property.

Do I Need Professional Mold Testing?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency notes that if you have a visible mold problem, that testing is usually not necessary. However, there might be other areas beyond the easily noticeable areas that could also hold significant areas of mold. Even if you manage to physically remove visible mold, there might be much more hiding in other less-obvious locations. This could include things like basement crawl spaces, behind the drywall of your home’s wet wall, inside your HVAC system, or even in the porous areas in the fiberglass insulation in your attic.

The cost to test your home or other structure for mold can vary based on the type of mold testing that needs to be done. This might consist of swab or surface testing small areas as well as things like air cell or air quality testing, which might include bulk testing. Figure anywhere from $200 – $600.

It’s important to bear in mind that there will always be some degree of mold spores present in your home. This is natural and shouldn’t immediately be alarming. What mold testing professionals are looking is an abnormally high level of mold spores and related byproduct in concentrations that could be detrimental to your health and may also result in property damage.

The cost for a professional mold test can vary depending on the size of your home, as well as the number of surfaces that need to be tested and the general extent of the mold infestation. Professional mold testing can also tell you what type of mold is present, such as the always disconcerting toxic black mold.

If you are concerned that there might be mold in hard to see places in your house, it’s a good idea to seek out professional mold testing services. This is especially wise if you have experienced a flood, or a leak in the recent past or you have issues with ongoing dampness in certain areas of the house. This might also be accompanied by the smell mold inside your home or other structure.

How Much Does Professional Mold Testing Cost?

The cost can range widely. In general, the larger a home is the more it will cost to thoroughly test it for the presence of mold. Ballpark figures for the various costs are:

  • Swab testing: $200 to $300
  • Air cell testing: $250 to $350
  • Swab testing and air cell testing together: $400 to $600

What Is Mold Remediation?

Some mold testing services only test for mold, they don’t necessarily offer remediation, repair, or professional cleanup service. When mold is found in your home, you shouldn’t be so cavalier as to think you can handle it yourself. In fact, chances are good that you could disturb the mold colony so badly that it releases more spores into the air which could lead to more colonies developing in the future. It could also expose you to a very high level of spores, and other mold byproducts which could have an adverse impact on your health.

Mold remediation is a type of specialized professional services that essentially treats and removes mold colonies, with minimal impact on the surrounding area.

The mold removal process involves three distinct phases.

  • Phase 1: Killing the mold
  • Phase 2: Removing the dead mold
  • Phase 3: Protecting and preventing future mold growth problems

The mold remediation process typically starts by containing the work area and apply negative air pressure through a HEPA filter and air purification process. This helps to prevent mold cross-contamination. Then an EPA-registered antimicrobial mist is applied to suspend and kill all living mold spores.

This process is then repeating until all affected building surfaces have been treated. At that point, the materials will be bagged and properly disposed of. This phase of the process might also include treating cavities and underlayment as well as dehumidifying specifically moist areas.

Once all traces of mold have been killed and extricated from the site an EPA-registered protective sealer will be applied. Then clearance testing will be performed to confirm that all mold presence has been remediated.

The cost of remediation has too many variables to provide any sort of hard and fast numbers. How large the affected area is will weigh heavily on the cost to remediate it. Also keep in mind that there may be additional costs associated if something like a large area of severely compromised drywall needs to be removed, or a piece of wood has been compromised beyond repair.

Some insurance policies do have clauses when it comes to mold remediation and repairs related to damage caused by mold. They tend to vary from one provider to the next, and many have complicated clauses related to who is responsible. If the mold problem was related to an unrepaired water leak or a flood and you didn’t take out a flood policy, the mold remediation may come completely out of your pocket.

If you did have flood coverage, or some other natural disaster was responsible for the infiltration of water and mold into your home, your provider may have allowances to help reduce the burden of the cost to you.