More on mold: Do your homework

The competitive world of mold remediation has some hot-button issues, and a recent story in the Inter Lake brought a couple of those to the forefront — certification and third-party testing.

In the previous story, one mold inspector suggested that his mold testing certificate, from the American Council for Accredited Certification, is the only legitimate one.

But others working in the field, such as Jonathan Carpenter, owner of Mold Wranglers in Whitefish, dismissed that notion.

“There are a lot of different certification organizations out there,” he said. “Some very well-respected ones besides [the ACAC]. They all have strengths and weaknesses.”

Carpenter is certified by the Mold Inspection Consulting and Remediation Organization.

Bill Corwin, owner of Corwin Environmental Consultants Inc. in Lakeside and another ACAC-certified mold expert, agreed that the certifying organization didn’t matter as long as there was adequate training and the job was done properly.

Finding out whether a job was done properly raises the second hot-button issue — third-party testing.

David Quinn, a local mold inspector, has been an outspoken opponent of companies that do their own testing. But that isn’t an issue for every company in the Flathead Valley.

Some remediation companies say third-party testing isn’t always necessary, though it can provide reassurance for customers who want to be confident that the work they are getting done is both necessary and effective.

Carpenter said it depends on the job and on a customer’s personal choices.

“Since the government says you don’t have to do this, some people don’t do it,” he said. “That’s where a lot of the issues come up. I always give the customers the option of testing, and sometimes we do our own tests, just for our own personal knowledge.”

Carpenter said that, in his experience, fraudulent self-testing isn’t a concern in the Flathead. At least not anymore. He said before the housing bubble burst, shady companies were extorting people nationwide.

“One of the biggest issues is just education,” he said. “The media has helped toxic black mold scare a lot of customers. These companies would come in and charge $15,000 for mold removal when it wasn’t necessary. It’s sort of died down since then.”

Another local business owner, Dave Brandt of Flood Co. LLC in Columbia Falls, agrees with Quinn’s argument in favor of third-party testing because it provides a safety net.

“I find it completely a conflict of interest unless you have a third-party testing,” said Brandt, who is certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification.

 Nonetheless, Brandt says he doesn’t think there is a widespread problem of fraud in the industry locally.

“I don’t know anyone in the area issuing false tests, but there is always the question. [Testing] doesn’t need to happen every time, but even if you can’t see the mold anymore, there might be spores on the wood or wherever.”

While Brandt is adamant in his own third-party testing business practice, he realizes the costs of testing can be prohibitive. A small corner with mold may cost $200 to totally clean, Brandt said. 

Adding a test on top of that could bring the price up to $300. For larger jobs, it can obviously be more. And if you get third-party testing done both before and after the job, that increases the costs again.

For that reason, Brandt and Carpenter always give customers the option of testing first, rather than requiring it, because sometimes it just isn’t necessary.

The owners of Complete Restoration in Evergreen, also certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, said they believe third-party testing is the only acceptable way to do business.

In the end, it’s up to consumers to make savvy judgments about how they handle potential mold infestations in their homes. Can they afford testing, particularly third-party testing? The general consensus seems to be this is a good investment for customers.

Does the certificate matter? Not particularly, but customers should ask to see certifications and do some independent research if they have doubts.

Carpenter said he believes the best way not to be scammed or ripped off is simply to be an informed consumer. Ask to see test results, observe testing or the remediation itself.

“The more a consumer knows, the better off they’ll be,” he said.

Calls to several other local remediation companies went unreturned.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.