Mold testing: when it is worth paying for, and when it isn't

There are no universally accepted standards for acceptable indoor mold quantities, which is why public-health guidance does not recommend routine testing. If growth is visible, the money is better spent on remediation and correcting the moisture source.

Testing is genuinely useful when the source is hidden and the odor persists, when a problem recurs after previous work, when a third party requires independent verification, or when post-remediation clearance is part of the scope.

Whoever performs sampling should not be the same party paid to remediate the result, unless clearance is explicitly handled by an independent firm.

Any report should be read against moisture readings. A number without a moisture context tells you very little about the building.