D-I-Y Mold Test Kits

Building managers and homeowners alike are generally on a tight budget, and therefore, unexpected expenses can be a strain.  To save on costs, many of us try to tackle certain projects ourselves.  For minor plumbing or cabinet repairs, this may be feasible.  However, when dealing with more complex issues – such as potential air quality or mold situations – the do-it-yourself approach usually ends up costing more in the end, be it monetarily or in the loss of occupant comfort or health.

Several organizations and analytical laboratories market do-it-yourself (DIY) mold test kits that consist of a Petri plate.  The growth medium (“agar”) in these plates is specifically formulated for certain types of fungal (mold) growth.  The premise of the sampling technique is to set the plate on a horizontal surface, and allow mold spores in the air to settle onto the plate and grow.  Hence, these are called settling plates.  (Other DIY collection methods, such as taping the plate over an air supply diffuser, are also common.)

Professional environmental consultants do not use these sampling techniques due to several inherent deficiencies:

1. 1.  Fungal spores from various species have different sizes and shapes.  Depending on their size, spores may remain suspended in the air anywhere from minutes to hours. In fact, it may take a full day for the small spores of fungi commonly associated with water damage to fall just 6 feet.  As a result, settling plates rarely provide an accurate representation of the mold species present in the air.

1. If the air is in motion, very few spores may fall onto the plate.  Because one cannot control air movement, the level of mold growing on the plate will not be representative of actual conditions and in fact, will oftentimes be misleading.

1. 2.  Determining the concentration of fungal spores in the air is simply not possible using these sampling techniques.  Without drawing a known quantity of air toward the plate, it is impossible to determine the concentration of mold in the air.

2. 3.  Nonviable (dead) spores, which could make up more than 90% of the total spore load, will not be detected.  But spores, like peanuts, can cause health effects whether dead or alive.

These inherent flaws have been extensively documented in the scientific literature.  However, the marketing documents for the DIY mold plates fail to mention these rather significant limitations and deficiencies.  Remarkably, one laboratory goes so far as to recommend that homeowners automatically call a “certified inspector” from their exclusive list to conduct a site visit and to perform additional sampling if any mold grows.  Of course, some type of mold (almost) always grows on the settling plates, unless you live in a sterile bubble!

Based on our considerable experience, the best advice if you see mold, smell a musty odor, or experience adverse health symptoms in your home that you believe are related to dampness, is to contact a qualified environmental consultant to discuss your situation.  Most professionals will provide no-cost initial phone or e-mail consultations.  If a consultant isn’t willing or able to discuss your situation prior to suggesting you invest in his or her services, call someone else.

Did you know...

...If you see mold, smell a musty odor, or experience adverse health symptoms in your home that you believe are related to dampness, you should contact a qualified environmental consultant to discuss your situation.

...Some type of mold (almost) always grows on settling plates, unless you live in a sterile bubble!

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Cassidy Kuchenbecker