There are plenty of do-it-yourself (DYI) mold test kits advertised online. Some mold test kits are pretty cheap and one is naturally likely to buy a cheap one thinking that they are saving money. If a mold test kit is said to give you results instantly, it’s most likely not worth your money.
How to Choose a Mold Test Kit
The best diy mold testing kit is one that helps you to collect the samples yourself (instead of spending money on a professional) which you then send to professional microbiologists to analysis them for you. Before buying a mold test kit online or from a store consult a laboratory for advice on the most suitable kit for your situation. There are basically 2 types of DIY mold test kits. One for sampling visible mold growth and the other for sampling air.
Sampling for Visible Mold Growth
Use the Clear Scotch Tape or Black Mold Test Kit to find out what types of molds are present on a surface such as on the wall, floor, ceiling or personal possession such as shoes and clothes. Clear Scotch Tape or Biotape Mold Test Kit allows non-destructive sampling of visible mold growth.
Sampling for Mold in the Air
Use the air quality test kit to sample for airborne mold spores. The air quality test kit is comprised of 2 components. The air sampling pump such as the QuickTake 15 or Biopump plus and the air sampling cassettes such as the Air-O-Cell or Allergenco d cassettes. The pumps are for rental.
You use the DIY Air Quality Test Kit:
- when you want to use exactly the same equipment as the professionals to test the air you are breathing
- to find out exactly what types and how much mold is in the air you are breathing
This kit is the most accurate air mold test kit. Your results will be reported as number of mold spores per cubic meter of air. The DIY Air Quality Mold Test Kit can be bought (including 1 Day pump rental and laboratory analysis of 3 testing cassettes) for $182.00 (plus shipping and handling).
How to Use the Air Quality Mold Test Kit
To perform an air quality test is very easy and does not require any special training. Regardless of whether you are using QuickTake 15 or Biopump plus the steps of collecting an air sample are very similar.
- Place a mold testing cassette onto the QuickTake 15 or Biopump plus. You can hold the pump while it takes the sample or you can place it on a tripod
- Follow the easy instructions that come with the kit to set the sampling duration and start the pump
- After the sampling time is over, usually 5 or 10 minutes, the pump will then turn itself off and beep.
- Remove the cassette and label it
- Move to the next room that you wish to test and repeat the above steps. Note that you cannot use a single cassette to sample multiple rooms
- After collecting all the samples complete the sample submission form and deliver or ship them together with the rental pump to the laboratory for analysis
Sample Analysis and Reporting
The samples are analyzed at Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL) by highly qualified microbiologists. MBL is an accredited laboratory for analyzes of mold and bacteria samples from building environment. The microbiologists analyze the samples to identify the types of mold present in the air and will present you with a detailed report including a count of the mold spores per cubic meter of air.
Using the DIY air quality test kit is the most cost-effective option that provides an accurate and reliable laboratory analysis, and is available for only $182.00 including pump rental and 3 cassettes. Additional cassettes are available for $66.00 each. Complete details on how to use the DIY Air Quality Mold Test Kit are included in the kit.
How to take samples of mold growing on surfaces
You can take a sample of mold growing on surfaces such the walls, ceiling tiles, and even on personal possessions such as clothes and shoes using clear scotch tape or Black Mold Test Kit. The test kit comes with 3 BioTape Slides to help you take 3 samples of visible mold growth. Instructions on how to use the kit are included in the package.
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