Every circumstance is different, and different mould species grow at different rates under different requirements. Generally, as a rule of thumb, we tell our clients that mould can start to “appear” after three days after a known moisture event such as flooding or leaking.

IECL technicians will be able to ascertain whether a mould growth is recently grown, or has taken months to grow.

We do not offer our DIY home mould detection test kit for sale in Bunnings. The air sampler which is inside the DIY package is offered for hire and not for sale. Which means the air sampler must be returned when sending back your samples for analysis.

For more information visit our DIY mould test kit page.

This is not recommended–Or more precisely, more has to be done than just this. When you kill mould, this is not enough, you must physically remove it from the surface as well. Dead cells only become foodfor mould spores that are inevitably in the air, causing more growth to appear.

Additionally, the source of the problem must be stopped as well. In this case, IECL can help identify the contributing factors that cause mould growth. There may be mouldhidden away somewhere, there may be high levels of moisture in particular building materials or perhaps the environment in which you live has unusually high levels of humidity or mould. All these need to be taken into account, to help you identify what needs to be done about the mould.

Yes, that’s correct. There is always a “balance” of mould ecology in the air. Specifically speaking however, certain contributing factors may cause the balance to favor an unhealthy amount of mould spores. Particularly in contained indoor environments, this can cause very poor indoor air quality that can cause sickness and long-term health effects. Having good indoor air quality is about ensuring that there is a healthy balance.

We tend to find that when there is mould in the house, there is a moisture issue present. This may be a leaking pipe, loose roof tile, rising dampness from the soil, a past flooding event, leaking shower pan etc. There are other possible contributing factors like naturally high humidity, or other nearby sources of mould. In either case, IECL can help you to identify the source of the mould, and give recommendations on how to fix it.

The most common concerns for any office workspace are generally three things, unclean HVAC/AC systems, Mould/moisture problems, VOC’s. If you want your workspace to have great air quality, look at these three first, as they tend to be the most common.

Yes, mould is still a risk to health even if it is not in the main living areas of a house. High levels of mould growing in walls or ceiling cavities can still lead to high levels of mould spores inside living spaces as buildings almost always have small gaps and cracks that allow airflow between areas. Additionally, mould toxins (mycotoxins) can pass through several common building materials such as plasterboard into living spaces and lead to health issues.

To find out all about the ideal indoor relative humidity, please see this helpful article.

For 10 tips for preventing mould growth in carpets, please see this article.

To learn about the potential hazards of steam cleaning carpets, please read this article.