POSTED: 10:19 am MST February 26, 2008
 
PHOENIX -- Mold is more common in Arizona than in most states, and getting rid of it can cost thousands of dollars. With very little government regulation, how do consumers know which companies to trust?
 
A CBS 5 investigation uncovered several companies willing to charge thousands to get rid of something that could have been cleaned up with a wet cloth.
"The hardest part is that I lost everything because of their incompetence," said homeowner Denise Stine.
Stine thought she had it bad when she learned black mold was infesting her home, but the situation got worse when she hired a remediation company to get rid of the mold.
 
"The remediation companies are supposed to follow a standard that's supposed to clear mold and it really doesn't work," Stine said.
CBS 5 found a number of complaints against remediation companies, so 5 Investigates tested a house to make sure it was mold-free, then applied mascara to a bathroom wall in a smudge that looked like mold.
 
Hidden cameras rolled as, one by one, the remediation experts spelled big trouble.
"Cardboard all the vents, ducts, lights, mirrors," one technician recommended. "Anything that could have mold seep into the corners."
"Well mold, pretty much the only way to get rid of it is to remove it," another technician said.
Getting rid of this particular problem was not so difficult -- all it required was a wet cloth.
 
Home inspector Dennis Nobley says diagnosing mold requires more than just looking at black marks on a wall.
"Any type of water staining, a musky odor, a moldy odor would be an indication that there might be a problem," Nobley said.
Environmental consultant David Gilpatrick says there's moisture in any wall.
 
In this case, the alleged mold was in the bathroom, so the remediators should have checked the opposing wall in the kitchen, moving the refrigerator out to check behind it and then checking another wall inside the pantry. Most importantly, they should have tested the smudge.
The first company, Dry Force, immediately quoted a price to remove the drywall two feet in either direction of the mascara.
"Some price not to exceed $1,500 to $1,700 for the whole thing," the technician said.
 
"There's some moisture in these walls as well," the technician said of another wall in the bathroom. "Anything that is wet can grow mold."
Gilpatrick, however, had not found moisture levels high enough for mold growth.
 
Investigative reporter Tammy Leitner informed the technician that the smudge was mascara, not mold.
"We charge somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000 a day for a two man crew for work like this, so if it is mold, that's going to be our price," the technician said.
"Right, but you're missing the point," Leitner said. "That's not mold."
 
The next appointment was with The Rejuvenators.
"We love mold," the technician said.
The technician took a quick glance at the smudge, then headed upstairs to check the air ducts. Soon after, he quoted more than $1,000 for air filters, sanitizers and anti-mold chemicals.
The owner of the company said the technician was there to clean air ducts, not mold, but 5 Investigates called the company specifically to check the alleged mold in the bathroom.
 
Only one company, AM/PM Water Damage, offered to test the mascara in the bathroom.
Not one of the technicians moved the refrigerator or investigated the pantry before offering to knock out walls and charge thousands -- all signs that consumers like Stine may not be alone.
 
Stine had mold in her house and paid a remediation company to remove it; instead, they spread the mold throughout her entire house.
"I had pieces here that are really old and I'll never see again," Stine said.
Consumers who think they may have mold should first have it tested. The test usually costs between $100 and $400 and it takes a couple days to get the results back.
 
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