Most "free mold inspections" are performed by companies that also sell remediation. The inspection is a sales call, and the inspector is paid when mold is found. That is not a claim about anyone's honesty — it is just how the incentive works. We removed the incentive by refusing to do remediation at all.
What do you actually need?
Pick the line that matches your situation. We will tell you which test fits — including when the answer is that you do not need one.
I can smell something musty but I cannot find it
Air sampling is the right tool
Odour with no visible source is the single most common reason people call us, and the one case where laboratory air sampling genuinely earns its cost. Microbial growth releases compounds you can smell long before anything becomes visible, usually from inside a wall, under a floor or in a crawl space.
I can see visible mold or staining
You may not need us at all
If the patch is under about ten square feet and you know what caused it — a fixed leak, a bathroom with no fan — clean it yourself and correct the moisture. Testing rarely changes what you would do. Call us if it keeps coming back, if it is larger than a doormat, or if you need documentation.
Someone in the house has symptoms
Test the building, see a doctor about the person
The pattern worth acting on is symptoms that ease within a day or two of leaving home and return when you come back. We can tell you definitively whether the building has a mold and moisture problem. Whether it is affecting a specific person is a question for their physician.
I am buying or selling a property
We work to your closing date
Independent testing during your inspection contingency gives you documentation you can negotiate with — and because we do not sell remediation, our report is not an estimate in disguise. Tell us your deadline when you call and we will schedule around it.
There has been a leak or flooding
The 48-hour clock matters
Materials wet for more than 48 hours should be assumed to have microbial growth. If drying is still in progress, independent verification matters — a restoration company assessing its own drying work has an obvious conflict of interest.
A landlord or insurer is disputing it
You need neutral documentation
What settles a dispute is dated photographs, moisture readings and laboratory results from a party with no stake in the outcome. Illinois has no mold-specific statute, which makes independent third-party evidence more important, not less. We report what we find, to whoever hired us.
Remediation was done and I want it verified
Never let the contractor grade their own work
Post-remediation verification should always be done by someone who did not perform the removal. We test independently against published criteria and issue a pass or fail you can put in your records, hand to an insurer, or show a buyer.
I have a remediation quote and want a second opinion
Have the scope checked before you sign
A remediation quote was written by the company that profits from its size, and nobody independent has checked the extent, the water source, or whether the work is needed at all. An independent review routinely changes the scope — sometimes down, occasionally up, and either way you know.
Flat-fee pricing, published
Not a range you cannot compute. Laboratory fees and the 48-hour report are included in every tier, and there is no travel surcharge to any of our 54 towns.
The Visual Survey
A professional read on what is there and what is feeding it.
- Full interior and accessible exterior visual survey
- Moisture meter readings on every suspect surface
- Thermal imaging of walls, ceilings and floors
- Humidity and dew point readings by level
- Identification of the water source
- Written report with photographs within 48 hours
- No laboratory samples
+ 4 more — see the full comparison
Best forGrowth you can already see, with a cause you already know and have corrected. You want an expert opinion on extent and cause — not a laboratory number.
Book thisThe Standard Inspection
The answer most Metro East homes actually need.
- Everything in the Visual Survey
- Two indoor air samples plus a same-day outdoor control
- Independent accredited laboratory analysis
- Species identification and spore counts
- Results interpreted in plain English
- Laboratory fees included — nothing billed afterwards
+ 3 more — see the full comparison
Best forNo visible growth but a smell, symptoms, a home purchase, or a dispute that needs documented proof rather than an opinion. This is our default recommendation unless your situation says otherwise.
Book thisThe Comprehensive Workup
For larger homes, several problem areas, or a hard deadline.
- Everything in the Standard Inspection
- Four indoor air samples plus outdoor control
- Rush 24–48 hour laboratory turnaround
- Fifteen-minute phone walkthrough with the inspector who attended
- Priority scheduling
+ 2 more — see the full comparison
Best forMulti-level homes, more than one suspect area, or a real estate or legal deadline where waiting three to five days for laboratory results is not an option.
Book thisSee what decides your exact figure, plus bundles and everything else →
What we test for
Mold Inspection
A full visual and moisture inspection of your home with a written report, photographs and a clear answer.
$349 Visual Survey · $599 with lab samplingMold Testing & Lab Analysis
Air and surface samples analysed by an independent accredited laboratory — with results you can act on.
$599 flat, laboratory analysis includedIndoor Air Quality Testing
Beyond mold: humidity, particulates, VOCs and ventilation performance measured room by room.
$399–$599Post-Remediation Clearance Testing
Independent verification that remediation actually worked — performed by someone who did not do the work.
$299–$499Radon Testing
Testing is recommended for every Metro East home. A 48-hour continuous monitor with same-week results.
$149–$249Asbestos Testing
Sampling and lab identification before you renovate an older Metro East home.
$249–$499What you actually receive
Every inspection ends in a written report with moisture readings for every suspect surface, annotated thermal images, laboratory results compared against a same-day outdoor control, and a plain-English explanation of the water source. It is written to be handed to an insurer, a landlord or a buyer's agent.
An illustrative report extract. Yours will be specific to your property.
Every report identifies the water source, not just the growth — that is the finding that decides what a repair actually costs you. It includes moisture readings for every suspect surface, annotated thermal images, and laboratory results compared against a same-day outdoor control.
It is written to be handed to an insurer, a landlord or a buyer's agent, and it arrives within 48 hours.
How an inspection works
We talk first, free
Describe what you are seeing and smelling. If we do not think you need us, we will say so on the phone — that conversation has cost us jobs and earned us referrals.
On-site survey, two to three hours
Full visual inspection, moisture meter readings on every suspect surface, thermal imaging, and humidity readings by level. We are looking for the water source, not just the growth.
Sampling only when it changes something
Air samples with a same-day outdoor control, or surface samples on visible growth. If lab work will not change what you should do, we tell you to skip it.
Written report within 48 hours
Photographs, readings, lab results and a plain-English explanation of what is happening and what to do about it — written to be read by an insurer, a landlord or a buyer's agent.
Independent referral, no kickback
If you need remediation, we name contractors we have seen do good work. We take no fee for that, which is why the recommendation is worth something.
Where mold hides in Metro East homes
Our housing stock creates specific, predictable problems: mid-century ranches on unconditioned crawl spaces, pre-1920 Alton and Belleville homes on stone foundations, and tightly sealed new subdivisions in Glen Carbon and Maryville where humidity has nowhere to go. Select an area to see what we look for.
Mold in the Basement
Basement mold is almost always a moisture problem, not a cleaning problem. In the Metro East the usual…
Mold in a Crawl Space
Crawl space mold is the most common hidden source of musty air in Metro East homes, particularly under…
Attic Mold
Attic mold is a ventilation failure, not a roof leak, about eighty percent of the time. Warm moist air…
Bathroom & Shower Mold
Surface mold on shower grout and caulk is extremely common and usually not a health emergency — it is a…
Mold in HVAC & Air Ducts
Mold in an HVAC system matters more than mold anywhere else in a house because the system distributes…
Mold Behind Drywall
Mold behind drywall is the category that most often needs professional detection, because by definition…
Mold in Carpet & Padding
Carpet that has been wet for more than 48 hours should be assumed to have microbial growth in the…
Mold Around Windows
Mold on window frames and sills is condensation, and condensation is a humidity problem. When indoor…
Serving 54 Metro East towns
Based in Edwardsville, within about 45 minutes of every town we serve. No travel surcharge inside the standard service area.
View all 54 towns and counties →
Common questions
How much does a mold inspection cost in the Metro East?
A mold inspection with MUSH in ROOM is a flat fee: $349 for the Visual Survey, $599 for the Standard Inspection with laboratory air sampling, and $899 for the Comprehensive Workup. Size adds $80 for a second level and $160 for a third. Laboratory fees and the 48-hour report are included in every tier.
Why don't you offer mold removal?
Because a company that both diagnoses and treats mold profits from its own findings. Staying test-only removes that incentive entirely. It also means we can perform independent clearance testing on other contractors' work, which a remediation company cannot credibly do.
Does Illinois license mold inspectors?
No. Illinois has no state licensing or certification programme for mold inspectors or remediation contractors, and the Illinois Department of Public Health does not certify them. That makes voluntary credentials such as IICRC and ACAC, and a company's independence, far more important when choosing who to hire.
How fast can you come out?
Most inspections are scheduled within two to four business days, and we hold slots for real estate inspection deadlines and active water events. Written reports are delivered within 48 hours of the visit.
Do I need testing if I can already see mold?
Often not. If you can see a small patch and know what caused it, cleaning it and fixing the leak is usually the right answer. Testing earns its cost when you smell mold but cannot find it, when symptoms track with time at home, when you are buying a property, or when you need documentation for a dispute or insurance claim.
Get a straight answer about your building
We test, document and verify. We never sell remediation, so we have no reason to find a problem you do not have.