A Do-It-Yourself Mold Test Kit Can Save You Money

Having a professional inspect and remove mold from your home can be very expensive. You might want to purchase a do-it-yourself mold test kit and save yourself some money. These kits will test for the most common types of molds found in the average suburban structures. You can have a family member experiencing allergic reactions such as rashes, respiratory distress, sinusitis or rhinitis it may be because they were exposed to mold. If you use a mold test kit it can confirm if mold is the culprit.

Before spending a huge chunk of change paying a professional to inspect your house for mold and take samples for testing, you can invest in a do-it-yourself mold test kit. Most kits will test for five to ten of the most common molds that are found in the majority of suburban homes.

Who Would Want A Test Kit?

Mold test kits for do-it-yourselfers are ideal if you are fairly certain that you have mold in your home but want to know the specific type. In addition, if you or a family member is experiencing allergic reactions such as rashes, respiratory distress, sinusitis or rhinitis, the results from a mold test kit can confirm your suspicions about mold being the culprit.

Some people live in particularly humid areas or places where moisture is a problem so they may want a mold test kit as a diagnostic tool for monitoring mold. If you are in the market for a new home, apartment or rental property, you can take your own samples with your mold test kit and get your own results, which can then be compared to an official inspection report.

How A Test Kit Works

Most test kits will have a good supply of clear plastic sample bags or microscopic slides so that you can obtain samples all over your home. The slides typically come with a clear piece of adhesive tape on them that you peel off. Then using the adhesive side, you place the tape on areas you believe are affected by mold and then place the tape back onto the slide.

You should label each slide or sample bag that you plan to send off to a lab from your mold test kit. A questionnaire is typically included with each kit that will help provide background for where the samples where taken. All of this information paired with the sample test is used to create a mold test report at the lab.

Interpreting The Mold Test Results

Most people have no idea how to interpret lab results but luckily most environmental labs that provide the reports also include a glossary as a guide. In addition, you can also call the lab once you receive the results of your mold test and ask them to help explain them in layman’s terms. Using the report, you can then decide whether the expense of a professional mold mediator is warranted or whether you can tackle the job of eradicating your home of mold.

While mold test kits are a great tool for self-diagnosing your home, if you are concerned about your health as well as your family’s, then always invest in a professional. They have the proper certification, tools and testing available to them plus they are equipped to provide you with a number of treatment options while a lab only gives you the results of a mold test.

Mold test kits for do-it-yourselfers are good if you know that you have mold in your home. These kits are less expensive than hiring a professional to test your home. Some people live in humid areas where moisture is a problem. This is when a do-it-yourself mold test kit can come in handy as a diagnostic tool for monitoring mold. If you are thinking about buying a new home you can take your own samples with a do-it-yourself mold test kit and get your own results. Then you can compare your results to the official inspection report.