East Tennessee’s only Home Inspector Using a  Particle Counter!   

                                     How We Use a “Particle Counter” to Help You:

• Our Particle Counter “instantly” measures the number of mold sized spores in the air.* 
• Reduces Your Cost for mold sampling. 
• Fast! Helps find hidden mold without having to sample large numbers of areas and wait for lab testing results 
• Accurate! Measures concentration of mold spores & particles to find high growth areas without disturbing building structures.*  
• Free Demonstration with every mold sampling or investigation.

         *Particle counters (PC) are not a substitute for mold sampling and testing. They are an aid in reducing 
          the number of samples needed and to find hidden mold sources. Each PC test takes 3 to 10 minutes.

 Mold is everywhere, whether it is in the form of growing mold bodies (colonies) we can see or the microscopic spores ("seeds") that fly to far off destinations attached to the body of a bird. Mold is necessary to change (or "rot") organic matter like a dead tree back into the soil from where it started. Mold is also harmful because some species contain small amounts of toxins that can cause health issues for humans and pets. These "mycotoxins" exist in some molds whether they are alive or dead.

Why "Free" is NOT FREE...

Many inspection or remediation companies in this area offer "free" inspections or “low cost” sampling. This means they have a financial interest in finding mold that may require expensive remediation. Only a government agency offers free health inspections. Doesn’t it make sense that a company who needs customer sales to provide income must be using a “free” service to try and sell you something?

Best Choice Inspection has no affiliation, and does not receive commissions from mold remediation companies. We give you a fair, accurate, independent inspection or investigation with no preconceived ideas that you will need remediation.

Why Do You Need a “Clearance” Test?  

Mold spores are the primary part of a mold growth that causes health issues. They can only be seen through a microscope. Removing only the visible portion of mold growth or treating a building area with biocides does not remove all the mold spores. To determine if the air you breath is clean, an unbiased Indoor Air Quality Professional (IAQP) should perform at minimum air sampling test for spores not removed during remediation.*  Only an IAQP who is not associated with the mold remediation company should perform a clearance test. Using the same company as performing the remediation is like having a restaurant employee performs the health inspections as a substitute for a State Government health inspection. If you are not comfortable eating at such a restaurant, why should you be comfortable with breathing air cleaned by a company with a conflict of interest in doing the clearance test.

Best Choice Inspections has no conflict of interest from both removing mold and testing for mold. We are an inspection company only, are unbiased, and use only nationally recommended methods to sample for mold spore contamination. We provide you a detailed report from a mold laboratory accredited by the American Indoor Health Association. You can feel safe knowing the true status of the remediation work.

* Finding excessive mold spores during a clearance test does not necessarily mean the remediator has performed poor quality work. Mold spores are microscopic and sometimes additional remediation is required to clean the air.

Does Spraying the Air With a Biocide Solve A Mold Problem? 

Answer: Yes and No.

Yes, if the source of the mold was already removed during remediation and mold spores were cleaned off a building’s structure and contents, then a fog or mist with a safe biocide can remove airborne spores that could not be otherwise removed during remediation. However, there are several problems with fogging or misting biocides into indoor air.

First, if there was no mold or mold spore removal done before misting/fogging, the biocide only treats the visible spores in your building. And it may or may not keep mold spores from reproducing.

Second, it may not neutralize the allergens or toxins in the spores, which causes future health problems to you. Basically, a mold spore can be “dead” but still contain harmful allergens, toxins, or asthma triggers. Some remediators are promoting “grapefruit seed extract” as the answer to mold allergen problems, without first removing the cause for the mold problem.

Third, this substance, as well as other biocides, is usually short term solutions. Other less expensive methods can accomplish the same purpose without you breathing yet another foreign, indoor substance.

Best Choice Inspections can provide you a written, step-by-step plan for safely removing mold from your house and to keep it from returning. We give you a list of local, proven mold remediators who use cost effective and safe means to eliminate your mold problem. Doesn’t it make sense to have peace of mind in finding a mold remediator you can trust?

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.

You can't see radon. And you can't smell it or taste it. But it may be a problem in your home.

Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That's because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer. In fact, the Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths. If you smoke and your home has high radon levels, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

During building air quality inspections we often find evidence of cats, dogs, mice, birds, and other animals who have been frequently present in a home even though the human occupants didn't know it - either because the animal was the pet of a prior owner (chinchilla hair in photo below left at How to Test) or a nocturnal visitor to the food bins (mouse hair in photo below right at How to Test).