Mike,
I did mold inspections and remediation recommendations for about 4 years. What you are describing sounds fairly benign. When I did inspections, it was usually because there was visible
water intrusion either from water line leaking/breaking, or poor manufacturing allowing water intrusion. If there is a concern about mold, the first thing I would do is look for water damage near the roof line, near the floor, or below any pipes that might be leaking. Water can travel an amazing distance if it finds a way into the house, but usually you will notice discoloration, swelling of materials, or a musty odor.
When I would test, it consisted of drawing a volume of sample air into a little device that captured all the particles in the air onto a microscope slide. I would do triplicate tests outside as a control, then triplicate samples indoors with all of the windows and doors closed. These slides were sent to a lab where someone looked at them and did the counts. An outdoor test is essential because the levels can be very high under certain circumstances such as
hay operations, high winds, etc.
I didn't see the infamous Stachybotrys (black mold) or Aspergillus in the list, so that's good since these are the two of the most common toxic molds. All houses have a variety of mold spores and bacteria wafting around to some degree. This is not a bad thing since that's how I got my wild sourdough starter to start. Kitchens that have done a lot of
wild fermentation of breads, cheeses and pickles will develop a signature profile of microbes that is very useful for continued fermentation of these products.
If your wife is concerned with these results, I'd suggest doing the same tests outside and inside during the same time period. I'll bet you a nickel that the outdoor ones come back with higher counts. I've seen that a lot in homes that condition their air or don't have windows open much. Without a control test, the ones inside won't tell you much, especially since the more toxic ones associated with water damage are not present.
Have you had any "water events" lately that would cause this concern? For the most part, mold needs a fairly wet environment (water leakage, condensation, etc.) to thrive so finding the water source and stopping it is the first step. If you do have water damage and mold, then remediation is more involved that just bleach so I won't go into it now since I'm not sure that what you have going on isn't just a typical household microbe profile.
Also, the pink substance on the shower curtain is a bacteria, Serratia marcescens, and grows on soap residue. It's a good idea to scrub that off if you can and it will come back so it's just an ongoing cleaning process.
I hope this helps. It's hard to give a definitive
answer with so many variables.
2
) except maybe in the root cellar. It also tested high due to being damper and having untreated wood in it (primarily Candida). We'll be removing all those shelves and rebuilding with metal shelves.
