Do DIY Mold Tests Work?

8/20/2022 (Permalink)

Learn Why These Kits Are So Much Less Accurate

A business or commercial property owner might be tempted to try to save money by using a do-it-yourself or home mold test. Learn why these kits are so much less accurate than laboratory analysis of samples gathered by an indoor environmental specialist at a building in Maryland Heights, MO.

DIY Tests Detect Mold Spores
Airborne mold spores are present indoors and outdoors. A positive result on an amateur mold testing kit can indicate the presence of spores in air. These tests cannot identify growth or the toxicity of fungi.
Professional mold testing involves the collection and submission of samples from a building with a known or suspected mold infestation. A test may assess whether spore concentrations are high enough to suggest hidden mold growth or determine whether an infestation is toxic.

Lab Testing Identifies Species
There are anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 types of mold. The positive identification of any species must be left to scientists in a lab. It may be necessary to cultivate spores from samples to determine which species of mold is present and pursue the best cleanup method.
Depending on when a property owner calls an indoor environmental specialist, testing may be used to determine if an infestation is present prior to removal and cleanup or after remediation to confirm all mold has been removed.

Professional Testing Is the Best Option
Consumer mold tests range in price. Any money a building or business owner spends on a DIY kit to test for mold is wasted, as professional sampling and laboratory cultivation and analysis are necessary to determine mold species and toxicity.
An indoor environmental specialist can take the samples necessary to detect mold growth and identify species of fungi. If hidden mold is growing within the walls of a commercial property in Maryland Heights, MO, an inspection and mold test are the best ways to assess the severity of the infestation.