It is clearly understood that mold spores are found in the environment. To identify the mold inside or outside, mold testing kits are frequently used by the people. They are not much reliable because of many reasons. Among them major are:

Inappropriate Shipping and Handling of the Sample:

Most of the time, a sample taken for mold detection may not be adequately collected, sealed, and shipped to the laboratory. According to the standard operating procedure (SOP), each detection kit has a specific requirement for sampling. In addition to mold tests, we should also know about Mold Cleaning Tips.

Improper Handling of the Detection Kits:

For Mold detection, kits are placed on the shelves or hard surfaces. When they opened it for mold detection after use, it may not be tightly closed. Subjecting media may be contaminated that affect the accuracy of the results.

No Expiry Date Labeled on Kits:

Most of the mold detection kits are not correctly labeled by their expiry date. When consumers buy, he doesn't know how old this kit is? Without labeling, these kits are just a waste of money, and the consumer may get inconclusive results.

Misleading Marketing of the Mold Testing Kits:

Another issue with the mold testing kit is, most of the time, it has not been mentioned on the kits that specific mold is detected by which type of kit and people also don't know the kind of mold, which may cause the wastage of money and time.

Dead Spore Identification:

Direct sampling, plate method, or detection kits are to account for the live spore only. Mold testing kits are not identified the dead spore, which may affect the health of an individual.

No Control Sample in the Mold Testing Kits:

A known control sample is must be present in the mold detection kit to validate the results. Control provides the comparison between the test results and known values, which help in the quantification also.

Rarely Accredited Laboratories:

Laboratories that developed mold testing kits are rarely accredited from any certification, which affects the reliability of the kits. All kits are not specifically based on the spore characteristics of mold.

Mold Test Kits do not Provide Accurate Results

We don't advise using mold testing kits because they don't provide accurate results. Mold samples can be given false positive or negative results because of their sensitivity or specificity errors. Like some time vial of the kit may leak over or may unopened package is moldy. Sometimes no expiry date is mentioned on the packaging, so having old media may affect the accuracy and reliability of the kits' results.

Can You Use Home Mold Test Kits Instead of Mold Inspection?

Mold inspections kits are not much accurate as of the professional mold inspector. Because most mold testing kits don't have 100% sensitivity, specificity, and reliability. Another problem with mold testing kit it only detects and analysis the presence of mold inside the home. If there is moist fruit or vegetable be found for a week or more, then mold may grow on it, which doesn't mean the house has a mold problem. It may lead to a false-positive result.