MoldHelpUSAMost mold questions start with a clue rather than a visible patch: a smell in one room, a stain that keeps coming back, or a home inspection report that mentions moisture. The guides in this section help you decide what that clue means and whether paying for testing makes sense.
If you are still at the "is it mold?" stage, begin with signs of mold in a house and a musty smell in the house. Both walk through where moisture usually hides and what you can check yourself with a flashlight and a little patience.
When you suspect something behind a wall or under a floor, what a mold inspection includes explains what a professional looks at, how moisture mapping works, and what a written report should contain. How to test for mold compares home kits, air samples, and surface samples, and is honest about when a test adds little because the growth is already visible.
Two situations come up often enough to get their own guides. If a company offers to look at your home at no charge, read free mold inspections first, so you know what is usually included and what to ask. If you are buying or selling, do home inspections check for mold explains what a standard home inspection covers and where a separate mold assessment fills the gap.
A useful way to read these guides is in order of cost. Looking and smelling are free, a moisture meter is cheap, and lab testing is the step to save for questions you cannot answer any other way: whether growth has spread inside a wall, whether a cleanup actually worked, or what to tell a buyer or an insurer. Whatever the result, the fix is the same in the end. Find the water, stop it, and dry or replace what got wet. A report that names the moisture source is worth more than one that only lists spore counts.
Inspection & Testing Musty Smell in the House: Causes, Where to Look, and How to Get Rid of It A musty smell almost always means moisture and microbial growth somewhere in the house. Here is where to look, what else causes it, and who to call. 
Inspection & Testing Free Mold Inspection: What You Actually Get and What to Ask Before You Book A free first visit is usually a visual check and a quote, not lab testing or an independent report. Here is what you get and what to ask before you book. 
Inspection & Testing How to Test for Mold in Your Home: Your Options and When You Can Skip It If you can see mold, you usually do not need a test. Here is when testing helps, the main types of tests, what DIY kits can tell you, and what it costs. 
Inspection & Testing Do Home Inspections Check for Mold? What Buyers and Sellers Should Know A home inspection notes visible moisture and possible mold but does not test for it. Here is when to add a mold inspection and what to do if mold turns up. 
Inspection & Testing What Is a Mold Inspection? How It Works, What It Finds, and When You Need One A mold inspection finds mold and the moisture feeding it. See what happens during the visit, when sampling makes sense, how long it takes, and who can do it. 
Inspection & Testing Signs of Mold in Your House: What to Look, Smell, and Check For A musty smell, stains, peeling paint, and a recent leak are common signs of mold at home. Here is what each one means and where hidden mold tends to grow.