A moisture meter is a handheld device used for the detection of moisture in surfaces like flooring, drywall and ceilings. These precise tools help to non-invasively detect the presence of active or residual moisture within a building material.

When water is present within an organic-based material like drywall or wood, mold can form within 24 to 48 hours. Finding an active water source in your home can be the first step in resolving a serious issue!

Our moisture meters do not penetrate the material. Instead, they use a rapid, non-invasive method (usually radio frequency) to determine the relative moisture level below the surface of a material. This allows them to scan large areas relatively quickly without causing any damage to your property.

Perhaps our most impressive piece of equipment, an infrared camera makes inspecting for mold faster, safer, cheaper and more accurate than most other methods. Our inspectors no longer need to crawl into every corner of your home, looking for black mold or leaky pipes leading to mold. Using an infrared camera, they simply scan the area in question and wait a few moments for the camera to produce a thermogram.

A thermogram is a display of colours representing the various heat signatures of all objects and surfaces in the camera’s view. Red indicates warmer temperatures, while blue indicates cooler temperatures.

As long as the technician behind the camera is a certified thermographer who is able to interpret the results properly, he or she can pinpoint exactly where moisture and humidity levels are higher than normal, which puts you at risk for mold.

What’s more, we’ll do zero damage to your beautiful home. Because the infrared camera is so precise, there’s no need to break down walls or lift floor boards to find problems.

A hygro-thermometer is a device that measures both the temperature and moisture content of air simultaneously in order to calculate relative humidity (RH). Warmer air absorbs more moisture, so the relationship between temperature and relative humidity is a direct one. And the higher the relative humidity, the greater the chances of mold.

We use robust, highly accurate hygro-thermometers in every mold inspection to give us a better understanding of your indoor environment and to determine whether conditions are favorable for mold growth.

Hygro-thermometers also measure dew point, the temperature at which moisture in the air will condense and form dew or frost. This is important because it shows how much moisture is in the air. The higher the dew point, the more saturated the air is with moisture. Obviously, when trying to prevent mold, we want to keep humidity to a minimum, which is why it is important to monitor not just temperature and relative humidity, but also dew point.

Particle scanners are used to assess air quality by counting and sizing the number of particles in the air. A reading taken from a room with a mold problem typically reveals a high number of particles that are 2 to 20 microns in size. These handheld tools are therefore very useful in determining the amount of pollutants inside a building and in understanding the cleanliness level in a controlled environment.

At Goodbye Mold, we perform a particle scan as a precursor to an air quality assessment, to help identify areas where air sampling may be beneficial.

Air sampling pumps are used when you want to test your indoor air for the presence of various pollutants like asbestos, mold and other fungi. While there are many makes and models of air sampling pumps, they all generally do the same thing: collect samples of indoor air at various flow rates and compress it into a small cassette. The sample is then immediately shipped to an accredited laboratory for detailed analysis, which reveals the type and concentration of microorganisms present in the air sample.

At Goodbye Mold, we use air sampling pumps for viable and non-viable testing for mold and asbestos. This is one of the best ways to assess indoor air quality and identify today’s most common contaminants.

Our instant swab test for mold is a simple test that takes only seconds to perform and give results. We use swabs to help assess the potential for biological contamination on surface areas. These tests also serve as indicators for laboratory analysis sampling and/or establishing disinfection recommendations.

The inspector collects a sample by rolling the swab gently over the suspected surface. He then returns the swab in the tube and twists the cap firmly shut. Within seconds the results are ready, showing whether or not the surface tested has mold growing on it. Although instant swab tests provide very quick results, they cannot be used to spectate mold types, understand toxicity levels, or establish hazard levels on surface areas. Any type of positive reaction to instant swab tests are only indicators of potential issues.

That said, mold swabs are perfect for testing hard-to-reach areas or for wet surfaces that cannot be tested using a tape lift.

A tape lift is a method used to test a specific area for mold. To collect a sample, we press the adhesive side of a piece of tape over the area in question and gently pull it off. Samples collected using the tape lift method are sent to an accredited microbiological laboratory for testing. The results provide information on the types and concentrations of mold present on the sample.

Similarly to swab tests, tape lifts for mold cannot be used to assess the overall health of the indoor environment as they provide information only on the surface tested.

Specialized filtration equipment allows us to capture microscopic mold spores out of the air. We utilize powerful “air scrubbers” and HEPA vacuums to prevent the spread of these mold spores while the mold remediation is in process.

Air scrubber operates off the principle of negative airflow. Negative airflow is simply removing air from an enclosed space faster than it is replaced.

When property set up and at work in a room, building, home, basement or other space, powerful fans suck ambient air (and the mold spores contained in it) into an air scrubber. A series of filters remove particulates of various sizes from the air. A HEPA filter is responsible for trapping mold spores. Finally, the purified air is exhausted outdoors or returned.

Personal protection equipment, or safety equipment, is essential in every mold inspection and mold remediation. Every jobsite has the potential for danger, we may unexpectedly uncover a hazardous material like asbestos and black mold.

In order to guarantee the safety of our inspectors and technicians, we make it a rule to wear protective gear such as respirators, full-body suits, gloves, goggles and hard hats at jobsites no matter how big or small the project is.