Are Home Mold Test Kits Reliable

How Do You Test For Mold

There are a couple of different ways to test for mold. Some tests check for mold on a particular surface. Other tests check for mold spores floating in the air. Sampling the air for mold can help you find hidden mold. For instance, if there is mold in your heating and air conditioning ducts, you may not be able to see it, but every time you turn on your furnace or air conditioner, mold spores will blow out into the room. A mold tests that samples the air for mold spores should let you know mold is present somewhere nearby. Youll still need to track down the exact location, though.

There are mold tests homeowners can buy and use themselves its not necessary to hire a professional to test your home for mold. However, the do-it-yourself mold tests are very limited and may not provide accurate results. Improper handling can give incorrect results as well.

Mold Armor Diy Mold Test Kit

Complete with a petri dish and mold-growth medium, this Mold Armor kit is suitable for testing indoor air, ventilation systems and surface areas that show visible mold growth. This kit shows the presence of mold after being exposed to the air, but a $40 test fee is required to find out what kind of mold youve got.

Moldcheck Mold Test Kit

This mold test and retest kit is designed to help you find the location of a source of hidden mold contamination in your home. This is a search kit. This type of kit does not identify the molds, it guides you to the source of the contamination by sampling the mold in each room.

This do-it-yourself home mold test kit contains multiple tests designed to test many rooms or test and retest several suspect rooms. The different mold colors and numbers of mold collected will allow you to easily compare and find the room with the most likely source of the mold contamination.

Pros of the MoldCheck Mold Test Kit

• These mold testing kits allow you to test the air, surfaces, AC ducts, fabrics, and an outdoor control.
• Each of the ten mold test films will support all the typical molds found growing on water-damaged wet building materials such as wood, sheet rock, insulation paper, glues and paints, etc.
• The kit contains a thoughtful-helpful mold investigation guide and a mold clean up guide.

Cons of the MoldCheck Mold Test Kit

• MoldCheck does not have a lab that analyzesthe results. They do have suggestions on where you can send your samples.
• Additional fees if you do send samples to alab.

Average Price of the MoldCheck Mold Test Kit

It runs around $49.95 for 10 tests.

Purchase the MoldCheckMold Test Kit Here

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Reasons Mold Test Kits Waste Your Money

Mold growth on painted wall.Source: Eurofins EMLab P& K

“In some samples, the vials with media leaked over entire kit. In one, an unopened kit was moldy. No expiration dates on the kit old media could affect the accuracy and reliability of the results. Label claims that kit can identify toxic mold, but the report the lab sends can’t tell you this. One unused plate came back positive for mold growth, indicating contamination at some point not very reassuring for post remediation use.”

Hidden mold growth behind wood baseboard.Source: Eurofins EMLab P& K

Should You Buy The Healthful Home 5

The Healthful Home 5-Minute Home Mold Test is easy to use and it does actually produce the results in around five minutes. You’ll know whether or not spores are present in your home immediately, but will need to send away for a lab analysis if you require more detailed information, which adds to the cost. The sample area can be limited too, so consider this when choosing your test kit.

Also Check: What Cause Mold On Ceiling

How We Evaluated The Best Mold Test Kits For Home Use

While we didn’t test these kits ourselves, we did compare their supplies, testing methods and support features to determine which were the easiest to use. Since mold can greatly impact you and your loved ones’ health, we gave more points to kits that require shorter incubation times and have faster lab turnaround.

We also checked to see what kinds of testing methods each kit offers. Typically, kits that offer more testing methods scored higher in our comparison since they give you more options to work with.

We gave more points to kits that could detect a larger number of growths, including yeast, mold, fungus and bacteria. Kits that let you take HVAC samples and outdoor tests and that allow you to submit physical samples scored higher since they were more inclusive. Scores were also higher for kits that provide professional supplies like petri dishes, swabs, sample bags and adhesive strips.

Similarly, the amount of support offered by the company influenced our rankings. If there are multiple customer contact options and multiple ways to find answers to questions, including a FAQs page and video tutorials, companies scored higher.

While we didn’t score testing kits based on their prices, we did determine whether or not a product’s price was warranted. The total cost of a mold testing experience includes the initial price of the kit and the price of the lab analysis. Some products cost very little initially but are expensive if a lab test is needed.

Best Home Air Quality Test Kits

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Did you know that the air quality in your home can be worse than the air in any one of the worst polluted cities? Several air pollutants could be harming you and your loved ones, and you may not even know it. There is a variety of test kits and monitors to help you determine what pollutant is prominent in your home so you can take steps to reduce it. Our reviews and guide below will help you choose the best home air quality test kit or monitor to ensure you and your familys health.

Also Check: Remove Mold From Carpeting

Pets Smoking And Crafts

If you have pets, a smoker in the home, do crafts that require glues or have other concerns regarding air quality. Regardless if you have symptoms or not, it is good to regularly check your air quality from time to time to make sure that the air you breathe is safe. After checking your air quality, you may become interested in a top-rated air purifier for pets or an efficient air purifier for smoke.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, consider an air quality test to make sure they arent caused by pollutants in your home:

• Nausea
• Hypersensitivity and allergies
• Dizziness

If you have allergies and know the symptoms you experience when they are triggered, and you notice them increasing at home, its time to do a test of the air quality in your home. Unfortunately, most of the symptoms from bad air quality are similar to a common cold or flu, and many people brush them off. However, if they continue and no medication is working to reduce the symptoms, they are most likely caused by polluted air.

Professional Testing For Mold

We recommend having a professional come in and conduct testing for mold if you arent sure youve located all the mold in your home or if youre having health problems that might be related to mold. Most professionals that do mold testing are actually engineers and they are trained to conduct mold tests with precision to ensure accurate results. They also know where to test for mold in order to make sure all the mold in the home is located. Their tests can tell you what type or types of mold is growing in your home, information which may help your physician in formulating the best treatment plan if youre suffering from mold-related health problems. A certified mold tester can also tell you the expected and safe levels of mold in the home and let you know if the levels in your home are unusual or unsafe. For a list of certified mold testers in your area, follow the link.

Additional Reading:

Home Mold Test Kit Reviews – Although the home mold testing kits are generally inaccurate and the results vary greatly due to improper testing techniques and handling, we get questions about them every week. To answer those questions we have published our reviews of the most popular home testing kits for mold.

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Organic Vapors Test Kits

There are many test kits available to test for VOCs and chemical concentration in your air. Most of them can cover 40 organic chemicals and 50 VOCs. It is crucial to determine the quality of the air in your home as even the most innocent looking household cleaners could be making you sick.

If you experience dizziness, fatigue, headaches, kidney or liver problems, or other symptoms, you may want to consider checking the levels of VOCs and chemical concentration in your air. The kits are simple to use, and results are relatively quick once collected and sent to the lab.

Here Are Some Tips For Choosing Home Mold Test Kit

Are you stressed out by finding the perfect home mold test kit? When considering the purchase of home mold test kit in general, have you ever felt uncertain about what model to select?

It’s sometimes enough to know that you’re not alone. is often difficult to find for many people. Our aim is to help you find it!

This page is obviously regarding Cheap home mold test kit Reviews which is why you’ve come here. If you want to make an informed decision, find a trustworthy source with many options before you commit.

Obtaining information can be done in several ways â using online buying guides, independent product reviews you find across the internet, word-of-mouth recommendations, forums where users share their experiences, and even YouTube channels. Research is the only way to find the best products.

Correct? Does it always seem too hard to accomplish that? For that reason, we have gathered a list of the top home mold test kit products on the market, for your convenience.

Our list was compiled based on what led us to do so? Specifically, what motivated us to put this guide together?

We first gathered product information from reliable sources using the algorithms we had created.

Both Artificial Intelligence and large amounts of data volumes were used to validate all collected information.

Based on these quality/price ratios, the artificial intelligence then selected the most excellent product on the market!

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Mold Inspection Network Diy Mold Test Kit

Before we continue with this review, we want to make sure you are aware that this kit is to test surface mold when you have pinpointed where it is. There are different types of mold, and usually, the best way to attack it is knowing exactly what kind of mold you are up against. This is where this kit comes in handy.

This is a straightforward, fast, and safe kit that comes with a quick start guide and booklet. With it, you will collect samples to find out what mold or mycotoxins there are. Although the kit price includes all lab fees, it does not include shipping or preprinted envelope.

Once youve collected the samples using the tape lifts, you put the samples in an envelope and send them to the lab. You will get fast results via an illustrated data report that you will receive via email. If you have questions an expert consultant is standing by to explain the findings from the data.

The kit includes 3 surface tests and everything needed to collect the samples. Keep in mind that due to local laws, Texas residents must pay $24 extra for lab fees. Although the lab has more than 50,000 processed tests, it is not certified.

Pros:

• The price of the kit includes lab fees and 3 surface tests.
• Expert consultation to explain the results from the samples collected.
• Easy to use, fast results, and proper instructions.

Cons:

Petri Dish Style Test Kits

As the name implies, these mold test kits utilize a petri dish as the test media. The petri dish contains a substance conducive to mold growth . Once the lid is removed, mold spores in the ambient air can settle on the growth plate. Typically the dish is kept open for 1 hour and the lid is replaced.

Over the next 48 hours, the mold spores are allowed to grow inside the petri dish. Depending upon a variety of factors, you may find absolutely nothing or a flourishing mold colony.

This is where it gets tricky.

Problem 1 No quantifiable data

Lets say the petri dish is covered with a thick layer of mold. Does this mean your home has highly elevated levels of mold spores? Well thats where the analysis becomes a bit fuzzy. How do you quantify the growth? Moderately moldy vs. really moldy? A lot of fuzz vs. really fuzzy? Theres no way to pull quantifiable data from the growth.

Several of the companies offering petri dish style mold test kits do provide a follow up lab test. The lab will send you a report detailing the type of mold found growing on your sample. The results, while interesting, provide little actionable data. The type of mold is of very little consequence. What matters is whether its growing in your home. Every home has mold spores .

Mold test kit with moderate growth.

Problem 2 Theyre highly dependent upon the molds growth rate

Heavy mold on test kit

Molds competing for space on a petri dish.

Problem 4. Unstable test kit media

Pros

Recommended Reading: Mold In The Bathroom Ceiling

Home Mold Laboratory Viable Mold Test Kit: Easiest To Use

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

The Home Mold Laborator Viable Mold Test Kit provides accurate results. It also happens to be one of the easiest test kits to use, since the supplies are ready to use right out of the box and don’t require any preparation. However, bear in mind that because the supplies are prepared ahead of time, these mold test kits have expiration dates, which you will want to keep note of.

You can use this kit to detect dangerous growth colonies like black mold, but it cannot detect bacteria or fungus. There are three different testing methods you can use. All three testing methods require that you incubate samples for three to seven days to make sure you give time for slow-growing mold and yeast to appear.

Should you find mold growing within this time frame, you’ll want to send a sample to the lab for analysis. This company charges $50 per sample that you submit, which is more than some other companies. Additionally, it can take up to eight days to get a sample back from the lab, which is longer than most other companies.The easiest sampling method requires that you leave a petri dish in a room for an hour before sealing it up and letting it incubate. The second has you use a swab to determine whether the visible mold that you find in your home is alive or not. The last and most difficult testing method requires that you place a test kit on the air vent farthest away from your central air system.

Why Trust Us On Mold Test Kits

We have been reviewing mold test kits for over 11 years. For our most recent evaluation, we spent over 30 hours comparing each kit’s testing methods, included supplies, ease of use, prices and certifications. We wanted the number one option to detect black mold and other dangerous growth colonies while still being easy to use.

Additionally, we wanted our best overall pick to offer fast results and fast lab turnaround times so you could respond quickly to any threats to you and your family’s health. The most highly ranked test kits in our lineup are AIHA certified and offer professional staff to help you get support via phone and email.

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Are Home Mold Test Kits Reliable When Testing For Mold Spores In The Air

The difference between testing mold air samples and mold surface samples is that air samples can be taken and analyzed in a variety of ways. When testing mold spores in the air, I would say to leave that up to the professionals, as they would have to have the understanding of building construction, water sources, and other factors that may not be apparent to many people, such as condensation occurring in a poorly ventilated attic, poor drainage on the exterior of a building, or cracks in the foundation.

Surface samples can be taken in a variety of ways. The three most common methods are:

So, to sum it all up, Are home mold test kits reliable? Yes! Give you and your family a sense of security and know first hand whether or not there is mold present..