I paid $1100 and ended up with 1) two indoor mold tests, which each took 10 min and cost $150 (plus an outdoor one as a control, which they charged another $150 for), 2) an unsolicited 'pitch' for selecting their company to do some unnecessary remodeling (when all I wanted was mold testing), and 3) some advice. The inspector said not to worry about remembering, since he'd write down his recommendations. I offered him to sit down at the end of his visit and write it all down, but he declined. His notes arrived several days later, and only covered around 1/3 of what we had talked about. I wrote to the owners to say that I thought I had overpaid for their service by a lot, and they never replied. read more

I have worked with Graham at least 3 times since 2020. I lived in an apartment in SF with toxic mold for 2+ years, which made me extremely ill to the point where I was disabled. It took me about 2 years to fully recover, so I am extremely hesitant to rent anywhere that has the faintest musty odor. I first hired Graham in Fall 2020 when I was in a cute Berkeley duplex that had an odd odor in the living room. I hired him again when I moved into a condo rental across town that I only realized had water damage after I'd moved in, because it had been tenant occupied when I toured it and their possessions hid much of the water damage. I most recently hired Graham in 2023, after historic heavy rains caused water damage to a window in the Edwardian SF rental I was living in. I had him come by after the window leaks were repaired but before the repair person closed the wall up. Graham gave me the piece of mind that the repair was done correctly and that the apartment otherwise was in good condition with respect to his area of expertise. Graham has always been professional, extremely knowledgeable, thorough, and helpful. I have recommended him to several friends and anyone else who mentions the slightest concern about mold or water damage in their home. read more

I called Bay Mold as my tenant discovered some mold in a closet. I spoke to Theresa who answers the phones and she was pleasant and friendly. I explained the issue and that told her that I wanted to test the area for mold to make sure there wasn't anything that my tenant needed to be concerned about. It was durning the holidays so there was a lot going on and we never got anything on schedule. After the holiday, I reached back out and asked if we can get on schedule and we did. The day Graham, her husband was supposed to meet me, Theresa told me that he got Covid and couldn't come. I understood and we rescheduled. Again, I got a message that Graham was going to the doctor and could not come. Finally Teresa contact me and thanked me for my patience and I got a new reschedule date. The appointment happened and I never heard back from graham or Theresa until about a week after the appointment. Graham asked for payment and asked me for 3X the amount that was agreed to by Teresa. I politely explained that was not what Teresa told me the cost was and that I would not pay 3X the amount! I then called Teresa to ask what the issue was and why Graham was asking for so much after we agreed on an amount. She told me she would talk to Graham and get back. She never got back, nor did Graham. I texted several time to no response. I will say that Graham is elderly and little "loose" with his business. He's like the sweet old grandpa who wants to be very helpful, but unfortunately he doesnt realize that he is not helpful. Don't use these people as they as my experience was very bait & switch. Plenty of other businesses that are professional and by the book. read more

This is my second time using Bay Mold and Teresa and Graham were just as wonderful to work with. They helped me out of a jam five years ago when I discovered severe water damage and mold in my Oakland home. Graham handled the moving and remediation for me and it felt like working with family. He even tried to help me find a place to stay after I walked away from the home and before I got my new place. Last week, I thought I smelled mold in the garage and I called someone local. Big mistake. They came out and somehow a simple question about a garage sink turned into a crazy estimate for $21k and a freakish warning that mold was urgently spreading under the house. So I called Graham. He came and went under the house and said, "You got scammed." No water damage, no mold, no remediation necessary. You can imagine my relief. He found the smell coming from my washing machine seal and recommended I replace it with a top loader. He also gave the whole house a good inspection. I respect their honesty and the fact that they are in this business to help people, not exploit people. They don't overcharge, they're competent, and they take care of you. read more

I used this company to remediate mold. They are professional and nice, but I can't say they provided any benefit to me or my household. Here's why: I had a minor leak from my kitchen sink. I asked Graham before he did the work if he would fix it. He said, "the last thing I am going to do after removing mold is leave a leak." The pipe from the disposal to the air gap was leaking, so he replaced it. The pipe he bought did not fit, so he and Mark jammed it onto my air gap, displacing it. They bent the pipe they used so much that no water can pass through (please see photo). I called Graham the first time we ran the dishwasher to tell him the air gap was leaking, and he said "all I did was change the pipe. Have you been grinding celery?" I sent him a picture of the pipe he used and how it is causing the problem, and asked him to come fix it. He said he would. I follow up with him and get no answer. I email Teresa and she said they only changed the pipe as a courtesy to me and did not charge me for it and I should get someone else to fix it. A courtesy? I paid them $2500. There is something about about the experience that felt very predatory. I was struggling with an allergic reaction and could not place the cause. It turned out not to be the mold. Of course, no promises were made, but Graham told me about another family whose son has Lyme disease, and how they rebuilt their whole house. We were both desperate. FWIW. Think twice. read more

Bay Mold - Badly fitted pipe by Bay Mold. - Environmental Testing Near Me

Graham is literally one of the nicest and most honest good hearted people I have honestly met in my life. I moved to a new place that I started suspecting had mold in it. I am already very chronically ill with a lot of health problems going on so this was a really big deal to me and I was really stressed. Luckily I got a hold of Graham. He was so incredibly helpful and caring. He is one of those rare people that wants to really help people and always do the right thing even if it doesn't benefit him. He first spent a lot of time educating me on how mold works, the process to detect it, test it, look for it and etc over the phone. He asked me all these questions to evaluate whether I really had a mold problem or whether something else was negatively affecting my health at this new place. He gave me all this great advice, while really looking out for my best interest. He concluded that I most likely didn't have a mold problem and gave me all this valuable advice on other things I should do and mold blood tests I should get done to see whether I am sensitive to mold and which kinds of molds. He really knows what he is doing from both not only detecting mold but from a technical scientific perspective on how everything with mold works, how to prevent it, and etc. Luckily for me he happened to be staying not to far from my area so he even offered to drop by my place the next morning on his way home to quickly look at my place and evaluate whether he sees any signs of mold. To my surprise he actually came and checked my place out and even cleaned the signs of mold he saw under the sink. He didn't even charge me and refused to take any money from me when I offered. His ultimate advice to me was to move due to other factors at my place like being located right next to the highway. It's hard to believe that nice people like Graham exist in this world, that truly want to help other people and look out for their best interest. As a chronically ill person, usually all that people ever do is take advantage of my sickness and desperation to make money off me and lead me down rabbit holes. I am very grateful to Graham and really appreciate him going out of his way to really help me, and saving me from spending a lot of time, money, and effort that I ultimately would have had I not met him. Meeting people like Graham gives me faith that there are still good people out there, and he is the kind of person that should truly get a lot of business because he actually cares to really help people better their health. If I ever do have a mold problem, I will surely get it fixed by Graham :) read more

I called today with a concern about my apartment and Theresa was super responsive and helpful, fielding my questions and relaying information from her husband. Hugely positive, informative and supportive experience and I would reach out to them again in a minute! read more

This review is long overdue. We were facing a nightmare scenario with mold in our property. After consulting several remediation companies with no real consensus on how to fix the issue or if we even had a mold problem, we found Bay Mold. They are honest, kind, and have years of experience in dealing with mold. Needless to say, our mold issue has been resolved, and we could not be happier with our experience with Bay Mold. Graham - You are the best! read more

I called Bay Mold for a consultation and they were beyond helpful! They gave amazing advice on how to clean the mold off of our window cills and were very clear with their instructions. I could tell that the lady that I talked to was very knowledgeable and was a pleasure to talk to. 10/10 recommend.! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Graham from Bay Mold! I was getting light-headed in my new home in SF. I knew it smelled musty, so I asked him to come by and check out the place. He helped me learn how to live in the foggy SF and minimize mold and mildew build-up. He's truly fantastic. And most importantly, he said we didn't have any signs of a mold problem, so given my symptoms he went out of his way to get a gas detector. Turns out we had a gas leak. Fixed the leak the next day, and I feel great again. Graham, cannot thank you enough for finding this and making my home safe to live in. read more

I've learned that You Must use a Test Only company! It's the only one that will hold up in court. Never use companies that also do the work. They gave motives to make more money! read more

I was in need of a company to guide me through the process of a mold situation reported by one of my tenants in San Francisco. Bay Mold did an outstanding job from start to finish and through timely communication put my mind at ease. Graham and Theresa both were a pleasure to work with. From investigation, testing, consultation and remediation the entire job went very well and as scheduled. Thank you Bay Mold read more

After a heavy weekend of rain, one of the portable buildings that my employer uses in San Francisco developed heavy leaks. In cleaning up the mess we found that there had been small leaks over a long period of time before the heavy rain exposed the problem. I called Teresa at Bay Mold on a Wed. and Graham was at the portables on Thurs. testing the air and looking at the problem areas. The resultant report, received a week later, showed no mold. These folks were very responsive and reasonably priced. read more

My husband and I rented an older home with some mold issues six months ago. We've been working with the landlord to resolve the issues, but we noticed I was continuing to have some respiratory problems that started when we moved in. We didn't know whether or how much to invest in continuing to try to fix the issues, given that we adore our cute, unique space. We called Bay Mold to talk through the problems and find out what they recommended. The woman who answered talked us through the probable causes, based on her extensive experience with mold in the Bay Area. She explained the testing they could do to conclusively identify the causes. She told us possible treatments we could do on our own if we wanted to stay. And she was willing to share with us, when we asked her point blank, that she would leave if she were in our shoes. She told us that long term respiratory irritants caused by mold can turn into asthma. This was a longish call in which she gave us extensive advice at no cost and she seemed more than willing to help us. After getting off the phone, we realized we wanted to take her advice and move out, so we called back and asked if she had tips about how to move without contaminating a new place with mold, which we read could happen. She gave us quite a bit more good advice: * Check wooden furniture to make sure it's not moldy. Clean with Murphy's oil soap and little bit of water -- test first on portion that is not exposed to view to make sure it won't harm the varnish. * Clean and vacuum everything - dust attracts mold * If weather permits, exposure to infrared through being out in the sunlight will kill mold * Wash all clothing and bedding with borax detergent - sold at Target ** Smell the washing machine first, and if it smells moldy, run a load without anything in it with borax. Make sure rubber gasket isn't moldy or dirty, and if it is, clean it before washing. ** Toploaders are better - don't use front loaders - everybody gets moldy clothes from those She also gave us tips about what to look for to find a mold-free rental: * Low humidity * Good ventilation * Insulation (she said 60-70% of the calls they get are about moldy items in closets in uninsulated homes) * No carpet * No cold spots - evenly distributed temperature * Forced air heating (versus a furnace, etc), which will help with ventilation and minimize the likeliness of cold spots, which attract mold * Dual pane windows are a bonus * Do not want aluminum frames on windows--vinyl or new wood windows are desirable. Avoid gappy old wood * New construction tends to be less prone to mold Finally, she gave us tips about keeping our home mold free in the future: * Keep everything clean and dust-free (mold can cling to dust) * Lacquer bare wood to decrease the likelihood of mold growing on the wood * Keep mattresses and beds up off the floor on a bed frame, not touching the wall. * Make sure your vacuum cleaner doesn't use bags - it's defeatist to vacuum and then have the dust come out when changing the bag We feel so much more peace of mind about our decision after talking with her, and we really appreciated that she advised us on what she saw as the best course of action, even though that course would mean foregoing Bay Mold's for-fee services. We appreciated the personable, generous advice she shared. If we ever have to go forward with mold testing, we will be so glad to give Bay Mold our business. read more

OK, so it's a little hard to find a lot of reviews for Mold Inspection on Yelp! so I thought I would increase the tiny number by 1. I found these guys on Google and went to their website to read about them. Without existing Yelp! reviews to reference, I oftentimes feel like I'm super vulnerable and quite a risk-taker when calling a company cold, but I took my chances (livin' on the edge! Woo hoo!). Bay Mold was able to schedule a mold inspection for a home we're buying with only a couple of hours notice and on the same day! Graham met me there at 7 pm, too! He was not only extremely professional and funny, but he gave me about a thousand tips on how to prevent mold in the house. He also gave me general renovation tips as the home is in need of some cosmetic work. I only wish I had brought a pad of paper to jot notes down. At any rate, he was very, very thorough, ridiculously knowledgable, and not afraid to get into the dirty, crusty areas of the house that I would never dare go into (yet). Mold inspections aren't cheap, so I heard, and Bay Mold is no exception. The inspection alone put us out $400 (and that's with a discount coupon of $100) so his normal price is $500. Not terribly high for an inspection but it's the tests that cost a lot. To test the different rooms for mold (and one would do this if you smelled a moldy smell as I did or if you see clear signs of leaks), it's about $100 per test. They have to get a "comparison" sample from outside, so you have to at LEAST get two tests - one for outside, one or more for inside. Since I smelled dampness and mold in the house, I didn't want to take my chances and ordered 3 inside tests. The results take only a couple of days to get back to us and they tests for a few different scary kinds of mold and fungus, too, I think. They also do remediation (which I think is a fancy word for mold removal or mold killing) so we won't have to find another mold person to do that if we end up having a problem. All in all, a risky call that paid off for us. I would highly recommend them to anyone buying an old house - and anyone with allergies like mine. They service all of the bay area but are actually located in San Jose and Folsom, if my memory serves me. Oh, and you don't even WANT to know what he said about tampons stored under a bathroom sink. Let's just say I'm never doing that again. read more

Graham from Bay Mold was terrific. He and his wife and son were very professional, fair, upfront and took care of what I thought might be a mold issue in my house. I would highly recommend them to anyone. read more

I made a 12pm appointment with Bay Mold. I took the day off to meet them at the house. 2pm comes, no sign of anyone. Called their office, no answer. 3pm, 4pm, 5pm...no answer. Someone finally called me back around 6pm to apologize for the 'mix up' and reschedule. I don't get enough vacation days to waste this way. No stars for you. read more

Yea, yea, yea. I had a tenant from Arizona that was convinced she had the toxic black mold in her cottage that she rented from me. No, it was not black mold. Been in the property management business for over 40 years now and have NEVER even had a mildew problem much less a black mold problem. Of course her "black mold" turned out to be the everyday household mold that grows when heat meats condensation with no air circulation. Graham tells her that's what it is and then asks her if she wants him to swab it he can do that. When I made the original appointment I told the gal I didn't want to pay an extra $120 to have the household mold tested to confirm that it was indeed household mold. Graham played right into the tenant's fear. In fact Graham spent more time talking to the tenant then he did talking to me. Asked where she was moving, what kind of house she purchased, and then spent another twenty minutes telling the tenant how to "mildew" proof her new home. Really?! I'm the one paying the bill here. He needs to learn how to do his job, not talk so much and not take half an hour talking to the tenant! Can't wait for the official "lab result" from the swabbing. Wonder what that's going to look like? The minute he walks out the door with the "official" swabbing how do you know that he's not going to submit somebody else's "swabbing" to get more business? One hundred twenty dollars for a swabbing is a joke. Where do they send the sample to be tested and more importantly how do you know that they're sending the swabbing from your job??? Too loose here these mold inspecting companies. No oversight on what they really do and do any of us really know that they know what they're doing. Not rocket science here. Total cost of job - $395 read more

I found Bay Mold through yelp, based on its ratings. My experience with their service did not disappoint! I reached someone on the first call and she had me give a brief description of the "mold problem" I thought I had. Upon listening, she assured me that it sounded like the mold I needed to take care of was just an allergen-type mold and not toxic. An appointment was booked for a consultation with Graham just a few days later. Quite flexible! Graham arrived not only on-time, but he called ahead of time and offered to come earlier if it worked for me. He was very professional and friendly. We walked around the garage (area in which I needed inspection) and he put my mind to rest. It turns out it was just allergen-mold from the recent rain water that had collected in the garage. He listed several things that we could do to not only get rid of the mold, but to try and keep it come coming back. Additionally, he offered some other advice on how to store certain items in the garage in the future, i.e. the proper way to store paint cans, paper products, etc. In all, a great experience and I would call them again without hesitation. read more

Bay mold sent Graham over and he was the best ever. We had a problem with mold in our new house and he was able to squeeze us in earlier than quoted. Graham did a full house inspection and took air samples of the house as well as give us some insight as to why we were having leaking/condensation problems with the house. Graham used his many years of experience to go over every little nook and cranny of a problem we had. Without a doubt Bay Mold is professional, courteous, and thorough. If you ever have an issue with mold then contact these guys and you won't be sorry! read more

Wonderful honest company. They spent a half hour on the phone with me and my wife discussing our problem. No scare tactics, no bull. We followed their suggestions and solved the immediate problem. We will be having them do the small amount of professional project that is still required. read more

I had a tenant report black mold in his apartment. I called Bay Mold to inspect. The inspection and subsequent lab test results determined that it was in fact the common mold allergen caused from lack of cleaning in conjunction with natural window condensation. I was very pleased with the service from Bay Mold. They were thorough, patient, and very detailed in explaining the situation to the tenant. They never tried to sell me on services that were not necessary. I appreciated their quick response, professionalism, and integrity. read more

I called to check my daughters room for mold after we found black spots on the walls. I never got a call back, It has been a week.

You can not go wrong with bay Mold! Graham and Teresa really, really, know their stuff! They are on time, personable, and extremely good at what they do. They know mold and how to get rid of it. I would recommend them to everyone, everytime. read more

They truly care of about the families they see. I am truly impressed with the service we received. The inspection was so thorough including the air samples. The report was very easy to understand. They spent so much time with us. I am so pleased that i was able to find this family company. Graham has so much knowledge and gave us some great recommendations. Highly recommend! read more

We found a mold spot in the house we were going to buy. The pest inspector was telling us it was probably dirt. But we felt insecure about it and needed a second opinion, so we called Bay Mold. They gave us a lot of good information over the phone and they were very flexible about setting up an appointment. At the inspection date, the inspector did a great job and gave us a lot of information we would never have known. We found out that there was actually a lot of mold in the place, and we are glad that we could include this in our buying decision. read more

Recently I had Bay Mold come out to check out some dark spots that recently developed on the ceiling of a rental unit. The technician was friendly and thorough. He knew immediately that the black spots developing were mold allergens. He quickly alleived the tenants worry and gave different solutions to remedy the situation from reoccurring. He also took a swap of the area to be analyzed at a laboratory. The results came back to be mold allergens just as he had stated. I would highly recommend them to anyone concerned they may have an unhealthy mold growing. read more

I would agree with what the first review said about Graham being thorough and friendly; however, since the inspection he has not returned any of my phone calls. I even called looking for a quote from them on cleaning my moldy room and they did not return my call. I would think a company would seek out work in this economy not refuse to call people back. Our inspection was two weeks ago and I have called three times since then. He called me back once and his phone cut out before I could ask anything; needless to say he did not call back. When going through a situation as terrible as mold in your closet and on you clothing you hope a company will give you some continued customer support, especially after a $500 half hour inspection. I am left cleaning all the mold myself with very little direction. Again the first person was right make sure you take notes because if you don't you will be shit out of luck later when you have a question. read more

I called Bay Mold with a question about moss/mold growing on our house. They took the time to chat with me and explain it to me. They then talked me through exactly what to do to remove it and prevent it from coming back. All of these suggestions did not involve their services. But, they took the time to help me and give me solutions, even though it did not make them any money. That is hard to find these days. They are a lovely business, and when we do need mold services they are now the only people I would call! read more

I just called about some mold on the windows of our rental unit and she alleviated my concerns over the phone! So appreciative of her not hyping up the problem like some other service providers had. Definitely trust worthy! read more

There was mold reported by our tenant and Graham did a thorough inspection of the unit. His report was complete and timely and the lab results were as Graham expected. Teresa in the office, responded to my voice messages in a timely manner and we were able to schedule an appointment. We weren't able to schedule the appointment as quickly as I would have liked, it's a busy time of year for mold. However, the service and professionalism provided was worth the wait. read more

I highly recommend Bay Mold! My young daughter developed a terrible, chronic cough and because she has a slight mold allergy, we wanted to determine if mold in our home was the cause. I contacted several companies before choosing Bay Mold because I wanted to make sure that I received high-quality service. Both Teresa and Graham went above and beyond to provide exceptional service. Graham was not only very professional and experienced but flexible and friendly. After a thorough inspection of our home, he identified nasty mold under our kitchen sink and later returned to remove it completely and rebuild the floor under our sink so that the problem wouldn't happen again. Additionally, he offered a lot of good advice and suggestions to help make sure our home was safe. My daughter's cough completely cleared up within a few days and we couldn't be more pleased! You may be deterred by the fact that their message box is often full and they prefer to communicate by text, but I assure you that they are legit! read more

Can't say enough good things about my experience today with Graham. I needed advice on a small issue with my kitchen and bathroom and after walking me through exactly how to take care of it (cheaply and easily) he spent another 20 minutes inspecting our home and offering helpful suggestions, with no fee expected. He clearly has a wealth of knowledge and experience and I learned a ton as we walked through our house together. Definitely would recommend. read more

I called and called, no one answered the call. and then I left a voicemail asking them to call me back as soon as possible. Two days left, still, no one called back. read more

Bay Mold was pretty good. They came out and did a visual inspection, pointing out everything they could think of that might cause mold problems, and providing helpful advice for ways to curb them. They took some samples and emailed the results the next day. I had some questions, which they answered thoroughly, but I did have to bug them to get back to me. The only complaint I really have is that it was very pricey, but I didn't shop around, so maybe mold inspections are just really expensive. read more

Bay Mold was the only company that told me that all the doors and windows in the house had to be closed for 12 hours prior to attain a valid air sample. Two other companies were willing to just wing it which might have led to some false positive levels which wouldn't have been good. When I told them my tenant also wanted as asbestos report Teresa told me that Graham didn't have that certification and I canceled the appointment. She then spent at least an hour researching asbestos standards and forwarding her results to me. Another company evaluated the asbestos. I hired Bay Mold to do the mold. Graham was very persnickety going over the house for 2 hours with his tech flashlight and getting down on his hands and knees about 6 times to see under and behind things. He showed me the most common places mold grows and advised me to keep things away from exterior walls and to keep windows open during the day and closed at night to mitigate mold. The test came back that one type of mold was higher in my house than outside. Some companies might have used that "to go to town on an expensive mitigation rampage" while Graham noted that the level of that mold was preternaturally low outside my house that day, that my house's mold scores were lower than many SF homes and no action was indicated. I found Teresa and Graham to both be competent, honest, decent, sincere and fair. In short about as good as it gets. Oh yes, the report was completed 1/2 hour before the 46 hours within which it was promised. Another company told me a report would take "5 work days". There you have it. - Dr. Gary read more

Graham and Teresa at Bay Mold are awesome. We hired them a couple of times for tenant mold concerns. They put both us as property managers and tenants at ease with their professional experience and reporting. Highly recommended! read more

Being a first-time home owner is nerve racking, and can be extremely overwhelming and full of stress! When it came to doing all of our different home inspections, the last one that we decided to do was the Mold Inspection for piece of mind, and we are sure glad we had it done with Bay Mold! From start to finish, we were very pleased with the service that we received....We felt confident that the job was going to be done right, and Graham was wonderful, very professional and full of very useful knowledge. For the duration of the inspection, he explained step-by-step, what he was looking for, and ways to prevent future problems in the house, and also cheap, clever, and inexpensive do-it-yourself ways to make any necessary repairs as well. When the appointment was finished, I felt like we got a mold inspection AND a full home inspection as well, and the results were back extremely fast (appt was Thurs. am, results back Sat am) compared to several other companies who stated that it would take at least 5 to 7 business days. Thanks again Theresa and Graham, we will definitely be referring friends and family to you in the future, keep up the excellent service :) read more

I was freaking out because there was a bad odor in my bathrooms, so I was sure I had mold running rampant. I had visions of having to tear out bathrooms, laundry room ,etc. Graham inspected every place possible for mold and discovered no moisture. The culprit, a dead rat in the space above my laundry room. I am so relieved. If I ever have a mold problem, I will definitely call Graham for help. Now I have to call someone for rat retrieval. read more

I'm very happy with Graham from Bay Mold. He came out very quickly when I called in a panic because I discovered mold in my bedroom. He was knowledgeable, competent, professional, and gave GREAT advice. Most importantly, he didn't try to sell me unnecessary mold remediation work. I'd recommend him to anyone! read more