The Trouble with Home Mold Testing Kits

7/28/2022 (Permalink)

If you have seen signs or are concerned about mold in your home, you may be tempted to purchase a home mold testing kit. However, these kits have some caveats you should be aware of.

Techniques

There are many options for DIY mold testing out there, but most of them require precise methods to yield results that may not mean anything. Only if you know what you are looking for will a test kit be useful to you. These kits have many limitations:

• Some can only test a small, specific area at a time
• Some only indicate the presence of mold, not the type
• Others can only detect certain types of molds in certain types of areas
• Some require additional fees to send out for lab results

Results

Mold is everywhere. It is natural for mold spores to be floating through the air in your home and outside. There are hundreds of thousands of types of molds, some less desirable than others. How are you supposed to discern whether the mold found in your home is within expected levels or not? How are you supposed to know which type of mold you should watch out for? A mold kit will not be able to tell you that.

Alternatives

Unless you know what you are doing, it is recommended to hire professional mold testing services if you are concerned with mold in your home. They have better equipment, can test more areas of your house, and can interpret the results for you. Going this route will ensure that your mold testing will be accurate and timely. Mold is no joke, so it is best to treat it seriously.

Mold testing is best to be left in the hands of professionals, like SERVPRO. If you do purchase a home testing kit, be sure to do some research first.