MOLD…Should you be concerned? 
 
THE STORY: I recently represented a client on the sale of his home.  The buyer had a normal home inspection, which cost about $300 and is always a good idea. They also paid about another $125 for a radon inspection and $300 for a mold inspection.  The inspector used a cheap dime store radon test kit.  The results were "yep...you got radon and you got mold".  The mold test showed some "spores" but the inspector said it may not be mold but possibly tree or plant pollen.  The buyer requested the seller mitigate the radon and "determine the cause of mold, fix it and "scrub the air".  SCRUB THE AIR!? What the heck is that?  Mom used to "scrub" behind the ears of my brothers and sisters.  She wasn't big enough to scrub mine.  I wouldn't put up with that nonsense.  
  
 A prudent person would want a professional radon test and a professional mold test before spending $1500 to mitigate.  To pacify the buyer, who now thinks he is buying a Love Canal house, my client yielded to the threat of losing his buyer and is paying for radon mitigation and is having the air scrubbed. 
 
I'm not making light of mold.  It is a serious condition in some houses.  However, on this particular house, the sump pump has run about three times in 21 years.  Mold likes damp, dark places... like around the sump pump or corners of your basement where overflowing gutters, misaligned downspouts, or improper grade directs water to the basement wall.  Concrete block, being porous, actually wicks water from the outside to the inside wall where it evaporates leaving on the block some white stuff I call "white stuff" (the real word is "effervescence").  
   
Professional mold mitigators look like Neil Armstrong in a space suit and use a breathing apparatus to avoid inhaling the mold spores.  Sometimes it may be necessary, but I wonder if it's not just part of the show.  One can not charge as much if he uses a $.59 face mask, now can he? 
 
THE FIX.  Keep water away from basement walls.  Paint interior of block with a good basement paint.  Keep moisture out of the air with a dehumidifier.  Clean areas of concern with bleach, or hire a professional mold inspector who uses professional equipment.    
 
MORAL TO THE STORY Use professional inspectors.  The cheapest price is not always (or ever) the best choice. Check periodically for mold.