People wonder why there is such a high value on testing and writing a scope of work by an indoor environmental professional. A person might think why they would have to spend hundreds of dollars to test or verify what’s out there, where if I spend ten dollars at the local home improvement store, I can buy a home mold testing kit. There are a few rationales for hiring an IEP to do mold abatement work. One of them is that the kit just says you have mold.
A mold testing kit may seem like a huge cost saving compared to an IEP, it’s not really a cost saving. A mold test can only help you determine if you have mold in your home, but now how to solve the problem or tell you what the numbers mean. The test covers the basics of what an IEP does, and even then it doesn’t do it correctly. An IEP because of their specialized team can determine exactly where the mold comes from in the home, and they can write a scope of work. This scope of work is valuable to a mold removal company because it can show what steps need to be taken, along with the techniques that need to be used. Another critical factor is that home mold tests are not accurate.
When using a home test kit, a person needs to be careful about the test results themselves, they are usually not a trained environmental scientist, whereas as an IEP they are trained scientists. Not being a trained scientist means that you are more likely to need to be careful how you test, as there could be cross contamination. In addition, the mold test for its simplicity, shows all areas of the home and not the room in particular. The IEP can pinpoint exactly where the problem is and how to fix it with the help of a professional mold removal company in a comprehensive manner.
Another important factor to remember is that the responsibility without an IEP rests with you as the homeowner that the home has removed all mold in accordance with IICRC guidelines S520. Also, if the property owner were to sell the property, they could move the property without any mold-related problems. This is important to keep in mind in today’s highly litigious society, where people file a lawsuit without even thinking twice. All of this adds to the value of having an IEP.
The IEP covers important areas that a simple home mold test cannot cover. First there are the tests, which are much more accurate than equivalent home tests. Second, they can advise the mold removal company on how to handle remediation work and where it needs to be done through a written scope. Third, they can appear before a court of law as expert witnesses to protect you from potential litigation.