Should I test my home for mold?
The Arizona Department of Health Services does not recommend testing as the first step to determine if you have a mold problem.   Reliable sampling for mold can be expensive, and requires equipment not available to the general public.  Residents of individual private homes must pay a contractor to carry out such sampling, as it is not done by public health agencies.  Mold cleanup is usually considered one of the housekeeping tasks of the private citizen, along with roof and plumbing repairs, sweeping and house cleaning.  Another problem is that there are few available standards for judging what is an acceptable quantity of mold.  In all locations, there are some outdoor levels of molds.  If sampling is carried out, an outdoor air sample needs to be taken at the same time as the sample indoors, to provide a baseline measurement.  Since the susceptibility of individuals varies so greatly, sampling is at best a general guide.  The simplest approach is: if you can see or smell mold, you have a problem.  Once you know the problem exists, follow the procedure given next.  Unless the source of moisture is removed and the contaminated area is cleaned and disinfected, mold growth is likely to recur.