When testing earns its keep
- A musty smell with no visible mold anywhere
- Allergy or asthma symptoms that ease when you leave the house
- A leak or water damage in the last few months
- Dark spots you can't identify - mold, mildew, or just a stain
What happens when you call
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Tell us what you're noticing. 30 seconds - smells, symptoms, or spots.
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You're connected with a local mold inspector while you're on the line.
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The inspector confirms your appointment and sets a time that works for you.
Why test before you tear out
Not every stain is mold, and not every mold problem needs demolition. Air and surface sampling tells you what's actually growing and how far it's spread - so you fix what's real instead of paying for what isn't.
And when it is mold, testing still earns its keep: lab results document the problem for insurance, set the remediation scope, and give you a clearance benchmark to verify the job actually worked.
Local to Cook County
Chicago basements are deep and usually finished - and much of Cook County drains through combined sewers that back up into them during heavy rain. Freeze-thaw cycles burst pipes in uninsulated exterior walls, ice dams push meltwater under roofs, and a dead sump or ejector pit turns an ordinary storm into a flooded basement in an hour.
In the Chicago area the coverage that surprises homeowners most is sewer backup - it's only covered with a water/sewer backup endorsement, an add-on many policies skip despite the combined sewer system. Check your declarations page before the next heavy rain.
Serving Chicago, Evanston, Cicero, Oak Park, Skokie, Berwyn, and all of Cook County.
Mold testing questions
Do I really need testing, or just removal?
If mold is visible and the moisture source is obvious, you can often go straight to remediation. Testing earns its keep when mold is hidden, symptoms don't match what you can see, or you need documentation for a claim or a real-estate deal.
What does the inspection include?
A moisture survey of the suspect areas, air and surface samples sent to an independent lab, and a written report with what was found and what to do about it.
Is mold testing covered by insurance?
Testing may be covered when it's part of investigating a covered water loss. Coverage depends on the cause and your policy's mold exclusions, endorsements and limits. A covered water loss does not automatically establish coverage for mold testing.