6 Reasons To Avoid DIY Mold Testing Kits

6/17/2021 (Permalink)

DIY mold testers often fail to deliver reliable results.

Reasons To Hire A Mold Removal Specialist

You've seen them in La Mirada, CA, tempting you to buy them from hardware store shelves. Mold testing kits promise to inform you of the existence of destructive spores within your home. Unfortunately, these DIY mold testers often fail to deliver reliable results. Here are six reasons why you should hire a mold removal specialist to perform a fungal analysis instead.

1. Overall Inaccuracy
This is the biggest reason to avoid using a personal mold kit. Their accuracy is so bad that Consumer Reports has issued them a rating of Not Recommended.

2. Damage Potential
Variables such as getting knocked around during shipping can negatively alter a mold tester's performance. A lack of expiration dates makes it even more difficult for users to determine whether a mold testing kit will give reliable results.

3. No Accreditation
Most commercial home testers come without certification. They are not recognized by any accredited agency and critical data points are often omitted from their readouts.

4. Dead Spores
Home testing kits only focus on living spores. Any deceased spores inside your home will go undetected. This opens you up to thinking there is no mold problem when one actually exists.

5. Skimpy Data
Most mold kits offer little information other than a positive or negative hit. Other forms of testing can be much more enlightening. Hygrometers, infrared cameras, and digital moisture meters give a better sense of where an issue exists and how to tackle it. There's no substitute for a professional wielding these tools.

6. Black Mold
Even though this form of fungus is particularly dangerous, DIY mold testers can have trouble identifying it. It is critical that black mold be caught and removed as quickly as possible.
Mold testing is a task that should never be taken lightly. Off-the-shelf testers are simply inadequate. Hire a mold contamination expert to verify mold's presence, or lack thereof, inside your residence.