Mold Inspection

Footprints Property Inspections gives Northeast Ohio homeowners and buyers honest answers about mold in their home. Real testing, plain-English results, and a clear path forward when something feels off.

InterNACHI Certified Mold Inspector
InterNACHI Certified Master InspectorASHI Certified InspectorCertified Mold Inspector

Mold you can't see is still mold

A musty smell in the basement. A headache that only shows up when you're home. A patch of carpet that always feels damp. These are the calls we get most often, and they almost always lead to the same question. Is there mold here, and is it making us sick?

We don't guess. We use moisture meters, thermal imaging, and air sampling to find what your eyes miss. That includes the spaces behind walls, under flooring, and inside HVAC ducts. If mold is present, we find it. If it isn't, you get the peace of mind that you weren't imagining things.

Your home inspection didn't include mold testing

A standard home inspection looks at what's visible during the walk-through. Mold inside walls, in the attic insulation, or growing on the back side of finished basement drywall almost never makes that list. If your report mentioned "moisture staining" or "evidence of past water intrusion" and stopped there, that's by design. Mold testing is a separate service with separate equipment.

That's where this inspection comes in. We come back to the property with the right tools, take air and surface samples, and send them to an accredited third-party lab. You get a written report that names the species and the concentration. Not a guess.

Older Northeast Ohio basements work against you

The housing stock around Copley, Akron, and the rest of Summit and Medina counties leans older. A lot of these homes were built before modern foundation waterproofing, and the freeze-thaw cycles we get from November through March put real stress on basement walls. Pair that with humid summers and you have conditions mold loves.

That doesn't mean every basement here has a problem. It means a basement here deserves more than a glance. We pay close attention to corners, behind storage, around the water heater, and along the joint where the wall meets the floor. That's where it usually starts.

What the test actually tells you

You get more than a yes or no. The lab report identifies the type of mold, the spore count inside the home, and how those numbers compare to a control sample taken outside. That comparison matters. Mold spores are in outdoor air everywhere. The question is whether your indoor levels are higher, and which species are showing up.

From there, you know what you're dealing with. Some types call for simple cleanup. Others call for a licensed remediation company. We walk you through what the report says in plain English, and because we don't do remediation ourselves, you get an honest read.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a mold inspection if my home inspector didn't flag any?
A home inspector looks at what's visible during the inspection window. They aren't running air samples or cutting open walls. If you smell something musty, have unexplained respiratory issues at home, or saw moisture staining noted in your inspection report, a dedicated mold test is the right next step. It's a separate service with separate equipment.
How long does the inspection take?
Most jobs run between one and two hours on site. That includes a walk through every level of the home, moisture readings in problem areas, thermal imaging, and the air or surface samples we collect. Lab turnaround for the samples is typically three to five business days. You get the written report once those results are back.
How much does a mold inspection cost?
A flat quote covers everything before we book the appointment. Pricing depends on the home's size and how many samples we need to run. Lab fees are included since every sample goes to an accredited third-party lab. Once we know the address and a bit about what you're seeing or smelling, we can give you a straight number with no surprises later.
Can you find mold inside walls without tearing them open?
Usually, yes. Moisture meters detect elevated water content behind drywall, and thermal imaging picks up the cool spots where wet material sits. Air samples capture the spores circulating through your home regardless of where the source is hiding. We can pinpoint the area without demolition in most cases. If we hit a spot where the source genuinely needs eyes on it, we'll tell you that too.
What happens if you find mold?
You get a written report that names the species, the spore concentration, and how those numbers compare to a control sample from outside. Smaller surface mold often comes off with proper cleaning. Larger problems or certain species call for a licensed remediation company. We don't do remediation ourselves, which means we have no reason to oversell what you're dealing with.

Service Areas

  • Summit County (Akron, Copley, Fairlawn, Bath)
  • Medina County (Medina, Wadsworth, Brunswick)
  • Portage County (Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro)
  • Stark County (Canton, North Canton, Green)
  • Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Geauga Counties

Schedule Your Mold Inspection Today

(330) 760-2245
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