We collect air samples
A pump draws a measured amount of air through a sealed sampling cassette. We take samples inside the house and one outside, so the lab has something to compare against.
Air sampling, often called mold testing, compares the mold spores in the air inside a house with the air outside on the same visit. We collect the samples. An independent, accredited laboratory counts and identifies the spores. You get the lab's report and a short summary that puts the indoor and outdoor counts side by side.
We looked at 77 of our own mold air sampling jobs from March to early November 2026. In 74 of them, every indoor sample had a lower total spore count than the outdoor sample taken on the same visit. In 3 jobs, the highest indoor sample was above the outdoor count: about 1.7 times, 2.7 times and 13 times as high.
Outdoor air changes a lot through the year. Among these jobs, the typical outdoor count was about 1,500 spores per cubic meter in March and about 16,000 in August. That is why our sampling includes an outdoor comparison sample: an indoor number on its own doesn’t tell you much. These are our own jobs, not a survey of Charlotte homes, and an indoor count below the outdoor count does not show that a house is free of mold.
| Highest indoor count compared with outdoor count | Jobs |
|---|---|
| Below outdoors | 74 |
| Above, up to 2 times outdoors | 1 |
| Above 2, up to 5 times | 1 |
| Above 5 times | 1 |
Our own lab reports, March to early November 2026. One more job is left out because its outdoor sample came back almost empty, so there was nothing to compare against. These groups simply sort the indoor-to-outdoor comparison; they are not an official standard, because there isn’t one. Every house is different.
A pump draws a measured amount of air through a sealed sampling cassette. We take samples inside the house and one outside, so the lab has something to compare against.
The samples go to an independent, accredited laboratory, which counts the spores and identifies the types of mold in each sample. We don't analyze the samples ourselves.
You receive the full lab report plus a short summary that puts the lab's indoor and outdoor counts side by side. We can send it to your agent too, if you'd like.
Spore levels change with the weather, the season, the time of day and what is happening in the house. A result describes the air where and when we sampled. It can't predict what the air will be like later.
Air sampling doesn't look inside walls, under floors or behind finishes, and it doesn't tell you where mold is growing or why. An indoor count below the outdoor count does not show that a house is free of mold.
We collect samples and report the lab's results. We don't remove mold, and we don't sell remediation.
No. Air sampling measures the mold spores in the air at the spots and times we sample, compared with the outdoor air. It does not search the house for mold, find where mold is growing, or tell you what caused it. North Carolina’s Standards of Practice do not require home inspectors to determine whether mold is present. Mold Air Sampling is a separate service, limited to collecting samples and giving you the lab report and a summary of its counts.
No. There are no federal limits or standards for airborne mold spores, and the EPA and CDC do not set a number. Your summary puts the indoor and outdoor counts side by side so you can see how they compare.
Usually not. The EPA says that if mold growth is visible, sampling is usually unnecessary: the priority is to find and fix the moisture problem and clean up or remove the mold.
Most of our jobs are one indoor sample plus one outdoor sample for comparison. You can add more indoor samples, for example one on each floor or one in a room you are concerned about.
The lab usually reports within a few business days of receiving the samples. We send you the lab report and the summary once it comes back.
You get the lab report and the summary of its counts. The comparison alone does not show whether mold is growing in the house, where a moisture source is, or whether remediation is needed. We do not remediate mold. Buyers can talk with their agent about next steps during the due diligence period.
Air sampling can be done on the same visit. See what a full inspection covers.
What our own radon tests found around Charlotte, county by county.
Samples collected by us, analyzed by an independent accredited lab.