065 - Interview with our "Mold Testing Guy" - Ben Kunze of Golden Environmental LLC

In a recent podcast interview, a pediatrician friend of mine asked "Wait, who is this mold testing guy you keep talking about?" When I told him about Ben Kunze of Golden Environmental LLC, he was jealous, and rightfully so - there aren't many mold-testers out there who are as good as Ben, as honest as Ben, and who care about the people they serve as much as Ben. We REALLY, REALLY value having him here in Central Illinois, he has also become my friend and occasionally he kicks my butt on the mountain bike trails :)

If you are local, you should call Ben. MOST of my podcast audience is not from Central Illinois, but I still think this episode will be helpful and educational to hear what a GOOD INSPECTOR LOOKS FOR. I just had someone in my practice who had Ben out to her house, he found some really, really important puzzle pieces that needed to be addressed - but her house had been previously inspected and remediated more than once, but she was still experiencing weird health symptoms. She was MAD at the previous inspectors, but she was so grateful for Ben!! Unfortunately, we hear that quite often.

Ben Kunze has a great purpose-driven story. He was intrigued by mold and indoor air testing after a family member was experiencing health concerns that led them to discover mold, and he took on an apprenticeship under Martine Davis, a well-known mold/environmental inspector out of Wisconsin, then began his own testing business, which grew into a full-time job. Since then, Ben has tested over 1000 homes. 

When you've inspected 1000 homes, you start to notice trends, patterns, common themes, mistakes, etc - and that is what this episode is all about - what Ben has seen and what YOU should be looking out for in your home. Ben's job is literally to snoop around your whole house - the roof, gutters, windows, plumbing, basement, attic, bathroom, etc. I am embarrassed to admit that Ben has been into places in my house that I have never even been! He spends several hours at each job visually inspecting, taking pictures, measuring humidity levels, and taking lab samples when indicated, and then he provides the results of course, but also gives an EXTENSIVE and DETAILED written report covering everything from lab values that were found to remediation considerations and priorities.

I tell people that Ben has two questions he asks when he's looking at a home/building:

1. If I were water, where would I go?

2. If I were mold, where could I grow? 

His knowledge and experience are amazing, his service is amazing, and I've personally seen him impact hundreds of people's lives and their health journeys, and that's the point of this episode - it's a great conversation that covers a lot of important topics, and my hope is that it can be really helpful for someone who is trying to navigate the sometimes-overwhelming world of mold, mold testing, mold remediation, air quality in general, and environmentally-acquired illnesses. 

As always leave a rating, a (good) review, or send this to someone you care about!