MOLD

Mold Inspections

Inspection (visual + moisture + conditions): find suspect growth/conditions, likely sources, next steps.

Mold Testing

Testing (sampling): when sampling adds value (real estate baseline, hidden suspect areas, confirmation).

Mold Assessments

Assessment (NY DOL project rules): when it’s a “project” and you need the formal plan/scope.

🧭 Which Mold Service Do I Need?

🏠 Buying or Selling a Home?

You likely need:

👉 Mold Inspection

  • Visual inspection

  • Moisture testing

  • Identify conditions that support mold

  • Recommendations for next steps

  • Optional air sampling for baseline

✔ Most common for real estate transactions
✔ Often done with a home inspection

Call 607-262-9082 to schedule.

You likely need:

👉 Mold Inspection (with targeted testing if needed)

  • Determine moisture source

  • Evaluate affected area size

  • Identify whether it may qualify as a NY “project”

✔ Testing is useful when results will change a decision
✔ Not every situation requires lab sampling

Call 607-262-9082 and/or text me any pictures, and I can help start the process.

Under New York State Department of Labor Article 32 rules:

You likely need:

👉 Mold Assessment / Protocol

  • Written scope of work

  • Required for qualifying mold “projects”

  • Assessor must be independent of remediator

  • Post-remediation verification available

✔ Required when area ≥ 10 sq ft
✔ Required when hiring a contractor for a mold project

If you’re not sure how much area is involved, I can help you estimate it during the visit. Please call 607-262-9082 for more information.

Testing can be done separately, but:

  • It does not identify moisture sources

  • Results must be interpreted in context

  • Often best paired with inspection

If you’re unsure how large the area is or what service applies,
Call or text photos to 607-262-9082, and I’ll point you in the right direction.

More information on mold:

Mold Basics

Fungi (mold) are present nearly everywhere. In an indoor environment hundreds of different kinds of mold can grow wherever there is moisture and a food source like organic substrates. They can grow on building and other materials, including: the paper on gypsum wallboard (drywall); ceiling tiles; wood products; paint; wallpaper; carpeting; some furnishings; books/papers; clothes; and other fabrics. Mold can also grow on moist, dirty surfaces such as concrete, fiberglass insulation, and ceramic tiles. It is neither possible nor warranted to eliminate the presence of all indoor fungal spores and fragments; however, mold growth indoors can and should be prevented and removed if present.

In New York if you have an area of mold 10 square feet or larger, it is considered a project.

If you hire a professional for a mold problem that is a project, they must be properly licensed by the NY Department of Labor and are required to perform a mold assessment. The assessment will contain the plan to remediate including estimated cost and timeline. By NY Labor Law, Article 32, the company that performs the assessment is not able to perform the mold abatement. This is to help protect the consumer by providing checks and balances to the process. I provide independent assessment/protocols; I don’t perform the remediation on projects that require separation.

Once the abatement is completed, an assessor is required to inspect the job to be sure the plan was followed properly. That assessor will sign off if completed properly and the project will be closed.

As a licensed NY mold company and licensed assessor, FLX Home Inspection Services does inspections, testing, and provides assessment plans as well as post abatement inspections.

  1. Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposures include allergic reactions, asthma and other respiratory complaints.
  2. There is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture.
  3. If mold is a problem in your home or school, you must clean up the mold and eliminate sources of moisture.
  4. Fix the source of the water problem or leak to prevent mold growth.
  5. Reduce indoor humidity (to 30-60%) to decrease mold growth by:
    • Venting bathrooms, dryers and other moisture-generating sources to the outside
    • Using air conditioners and de-humidifiers
    • Increasing ventilation
    • Using exhaust fans whenever cooking, dishwashing and cleaning
  6. Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.
  7. Clean mold off hard surfaces with water and detergent, and dry completely. Absorbent materials such as ceiling tiles, that are moldy, may need to be replaced.
  8. Prevent condensation: Reduce the potential for condensation on cold surfaces (i.e., windows, piping, exterior walls, roof, or floors) by adding insulation.
  9. In areas where there is a perpetual moisture problem, do not install carpeting (i.e., by drinking fountains, by classroom sinks, or on concrete floors with leaks or frequent condensation).
  10. Molds can be found almost anywhere; they can grow on virtually any substance, providing moisture is present. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods.

Home buyers have different concerns. For some, It may be electrical or plumbing. For others perhaps the roof or HVAC. And there are those whose greatest concern is the indoor environmental conditions of the home. After all, most of their time will be spent there.

FLX Home Inspection Services is a licensed NY Mold contractor, and Ellis is a NY licensed mold assessor and licensed mold supervisor.

FLX uses a nationally recognized and certified lab for testing who offers:

  • Air samples (spore trap)

  • Surface samples (tape lift / swab)

  • Bulk samples (materials)

We provide multiple types of testing to help you feel confident and rest easy. 

If your buying a home and would like some air sampling to test for mold spores, please give me a call at 607-262-9082. We can talk over the process.  Air samples usually require 5 minutes per test location (minimum of 2 required) and can be taken at the time of a home inspection.

Same day services are available under certain conditions. Most results are available next working day.

The most common environmental test FLX performs associated with home inspections is Radon. More information is available HERE.

Other environmental testing our lab does:

AIR TOXIS: Testing services for VOCs in air, water and soil, and consumer products. We also provide chamber studies for consumer product off-gassing analyses to understand what products are emitting and comply with regulations.

WATER ANALYSIS • Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) • Total Coliform w/E. coli screen • Fecal Coliform • Enterococci • Pseudomonas aeruginosa • Microscopic Algae Screen

LEGIONELLA • Standard ISO 10-14 Day Culture Test • Rapid Legiolert 7 Day Culture Test • Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) Test (identifies L. pneumophila, L. pneumophila serotype 1 and Legionella spp. in one qPCR test) • Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) (identifies Legionella strains for infections source tracking and outbreak investigations)

BACTERIA • Bacteroides (sewage screen) • DNA Sequencing • PCR • ID and Enumeration of Culturable Bacteria • Nosocomial Pathogens (MRSA, C. diff) • Sewage Contamination in Buildings • Mycobacteria • USP <797> • Iron-Related Bacteria (IRB) • Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB) • Slime-Forming Bacteria (SLYME) • Biofilm-Associated Bacteria (Group: IRB, SRB, SLYME) • Denitrifying Bacteria (DN) • Nitrifying Bacteria (N) • Heterotrophic Aerobic Bacteria (HAB) • Endotoxin Testing

AQUATIC MICROBIOLOGY • Phytoplankton identification • Chlorophyll a, b, c • Algae Toxins • Cryptosporidium and Giardia (EPA 1623.1) • Microscopic Particle Analysis (MPA)

VIRUS AND PATHOGENS • SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), N1 and N2 Markers

SPECIAL PROJECTS • Antimicrobial Testing • Product Resistance to Mold and Bacteria • Time-kill Studies • MIC/MLC Testing • UV – kill Studies • Disinfectant Effectiveness

HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS (HAIS)

If you have an interest in any of these tests, please call 607-262-9082 or email me at: flxhomeinspectionservices@gmail.com.

Schedule a Mold Assessment

Pricing is available here.

More information on our services in Ithaca, Trumansburg, Watkins Glen, Geneva, and the greater Finger Lakes region of New York.