Mold Test Kit for Home - 12 Simple Detection Tests,Test HVAC System,Home Surfaces,& Indoor Air Quality Testing Kits,DIY Mold Detector at Home,Includes Detailed Mold Identification Guide,air Tester

The instructions are reasonable, but there are some things I want to EMPHASIZE.Once you are growing your mold cultures, PROTECT YOURSELF, when handling the sample dishes/plates. The instructions say to do so, but in a generic way. I didn't pay enough attention.The instructions say, after collecting/exposing the samples, to "seal" the lids onto the plates (agar sample dishes) "to prevent accidental opening". I thought the "accidental opening" was the important part, a didn't fully appreciate the "seal" part. I just put on two short pieces of tape, one on each side. The lid was not SEALED to be sample dish/plate.The instructions say to incubate the samples in a dark, warm place. I just put them back in the box. But I took them out of the box, 3 different times, to see how they were developing, The first two times, I didn't wear a respirator-or-N95 mask. I think I should have. I quickly stared to have allergic reactions. I think I exposed my self to several samples of proliferating, virulent molds, the second time being worse than the first.I decided that spores could be getting out of the covered BUT NOT SEALED plates, when I was checking the samples. I went back, this 3rd time wearing an N-95 mask, and put a piece of tape, all around the entire edge, sealing the lid to the base. I continued the incubation.There are sample photos in the instruction book to help identify what ever might be growling. I didn't find them to be particularly helpful. None of them looked like what I had, in general. And, specifically, several of mine had colors - all the sample photos were gray.BUT, they offer to analyze any photos you e-mail to them. I did. They did. I had a little trouble taking clear photos with my cell phone. I ended up taking the covers off the plates, to get clearer photos. I wore an N-95 mask. I hope that was enough, to avoid yet another exposure.I emailed 4 photos, with a collection of about 14 different mold samples growing. They wrote back, IN ONE DAY, identifying 5 specific molds, and 1 additional mold family. Several of these 6 were not even in the booklet. Kudos for the identification service.I've had mold sensitivities for decades. In this case, I was testing a rental property my brother owns, to see if I might safely buy it from him, to live in. Nope. No way. Not at all.This kit saved me from making a mistake that could have had serious health consequences for me - exacerbating the problems I'm already experiencing. Even if the identifications are less that 100% accurate (I have absolutely no reason to doubt the accuracy, at all), the fact that so many molds grew on the plates is really all I needed to know. But I like details and specifics.Read and follow the INSTURCTION about how to DISPOSE of the plates. SERIOUSLY. You need to kill the molds before disposal. Don't just toss them. No one else need you to share your nasty molds with them.The kit came with 12 sample plates, 2 bags of 6 plates each. I used 6. The instruction say once you open a bag to use the plates in 2 to 4 weeks. I'm assuming the unopened bag has a long shelf life, and I can collect another 6 samples, somewhere, sometime.UpdateI have now used the second bag of 6 plates. The first bag has a single shrink wrap around the set of 6 plates, but, each plate was individually taped shut. The second bag had 3 shrink wraps, but the individual plates were not taped shut. For the first set, I had to cut open the individual plates at time of use. Meh, no big deal. But the second set more-or-less forces me to use all 6 at one time., since I am sure the lids are not air tight, and contamination could get into those plates. The instructions give instructions for short-term storage of unused plate, once you open a bag of 6. Not sure if that applies to taped or un-taped plates.I vote for taped plates. Seems less likely to get contamination and therefor bad readings.End Update.I am VERY pleased with this product. It did exactly what I needed.Be sure to PROTECT YOURSELF from growing samples.

The kit is pretty straight forward to use. Just open up the Petri dish and place in the room(s) that you want to test. Or you can use the cotton swab if you have specific mold that you can see. Once you let the dish sit for an hour, put the lid on and seal it in a plastic bag. Then just put in a dark place for a few days to see what you have grown. I tried my best to compare the mold growth to the pictures in the mold guide, but I wasn't sure. So I emailed photos to the company and they are very responsive. In less than 24 hours, I got a entire mold report back with all 6 of the rooms I tested. Report said exactly which mold I had in which Petri dish, explanations of that type of mold and suggestions on what to do to get rid of it. This has been the most responsive company I every encountered on Amazon, not to mention how easy and well the product worked. I would give 6 stars if I could.Most of my mold turned out to be 4 strains of Penicillium and 3 strains of Aspergillus.

This product worked well and the customer service was wonderful. I ordered the kit and it arrived quickly. When I opened the package, I at first thought it was defective or had leaked. Yes, it was very wet when opening the petri dishes, but I think that is to keep the medium from drying out. I carefully dried the outsides off with a paper towel and they were perfectly usable. Instructions are included and easy to follow. I used 3 indoors in different areas and one outside as a sort of control. After 2 days we did had some mold growing (but much less than there was in the outdoor one!). I consulted the included identification guide, but wasn’t really sure which mold it was so I emailed a picture to the company’s email included in the guide. They responded within 24 hours with identification of a common indoor mold. I would highly recommend this brand because of the support from their customer service department for help with identification.