Concerned about airborne mould in your home, rental property or office, but not ready to arrange a complete on-site inspection?
Our professional DIY mould air test kit rental allows you to collect air samples yourself using the same type of equipment commonly used by indoor environmental professionals. After sampling, you return the cassettes to Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories for analysis and receive a quantitative PDF laboratory report.
The kit is designed for homeowners, tenants, landlords, property managers and small business owners who want objective laboratory information about selected indoor areas.
View the DIY Mould Air Test Kit
Professional Air Sampling Made More Accessible
Many inexpensive home mould kits consist of an agar plate that is left open in a room. These settle plates collect particles that happen to fall onto the growing medium and detect only organisms capable of growing under the incubation conditions used.
Our rental kit uses a professional air-sampling pump and laboratory-prepared spore-trap cassettes. The pump draws a measured volume of air through each cassette, allowing the laboratory to report estimated fungal concentrations per cubic metre of air.
This provides more useful information for comparing selected indoor locations and an outdoor reference sample.
What Is Included in the DIY Mould Air Test Kit?
Your kit includes the essential equipment and materials needed to collect professional-quality air samples:
- A professional Bio-Pump Plus air-sampling pump on rental
- Pump charger and carrying case
- Your selected number of laboratory-prepared air-sampling cassettes
- Clear, step-by-step sampling instructions
- Sample identification and laboratory submission forms
- Instructions for returning the pump and collected samples
- Laboratory analysis of the cassettes included with your order
- A quantitative PDF laboratory report delivered by email
Laboratory analysis is included in the displayed kit price. Optional interpretation services may be selected when ordering if you would like a more detailed, plain-language discussion of the results.
How the DIY Mould Air Test Kit Works
1. Choose the Areas You Want to Test
Select one sample for each distinct indoor area you want to evaluate and include an outdoor reference sample.
For example, testing a basement, main floor and upper floor would normally require three indoor samples plus one outdoor sample.
2. Receive the Equipment
The pump, cassettes, charger, forms and instructions are shipped to your address. The kit is designed so that a person without previous air-sampling experience can follow the collection procedure.
3. Collect the Air Samples
Place the pump at approximately breathing height in each selected location, attach a new cassette and operate the pump according to the supplied instructions.
A typical sample takes approximately 10 minutes to collect. Sampling conditions, activities in the room and visible dust should be documented because they may affect the results.
4. Collect an Outdoor Reference Sample
Outdoor fungal spores commonly enter buildings through doors, windows, ventilation systems and normal air leakage. An outdoor reference sample helps the laboratory compare the fungal profile found indoors with conditions outside at approximately the same time.
Indoor results should not be interpreted solely by deciding whether the total indoor concentration is higher or lower than outdoors. The types of fungal structures present, their relative proportions, moisture indicators and building information should also be considered.
5. Return the Samples and Rental Equipment
After sampling, clearly label each cassette and return the samples, pump and accessories to the laboratory according to the supplied instructions.
6. Receive Your Laboratory Report
Our laboratory examines each cassette by microscopy and reports the fungal categories observed and their estimated concentrations per cubic metre of air.
Your PDF report can be shared with a contractor, landlord, property manager, environmental consultant or other professional involved in evaluating the property.
What Information Will You Receive?
The standard laboratory report normally includes:
- The fungal spore categories observed in each sample
- Estimated concentrations reported per cubic metre of air
- Total reported fungal structures for each location
- Indoor and outdoor results presented for comparison
- A concise laboratory comment describing important observations and limitations
Depending on their appearance and condition, some fungal structures can be identified only to a group or category rather than to an individual species.
When Might Air Sampling Be Useful?
Air sampling may provide useful supplementary information when:
- There is a persistent musty odour but no obvious source has been located
- A building has a history of flooding, leakage or unresolved moisture
- You want to compare conditions in different rooms or floors
- You need preliminary documentation of selected areas
- You are evaluating areas before or after mould remediation
- You want laboratory information before deciding whether to hire an on-site professional
If visible mould or an active leak is already present, finding and correcting the moisture source should not be delayed while waiting for air-testing results.
What Air Sampling Cannot Tell You by Itself
A mould air test is a screening and documentation tool. It does not replace a complete inspection of the building and its moisture conditions.
Air sampling alone cannot:
- Prove that a building is mould-free
- Declare an indoor environment universally safe or unsafe
- Confirm that hidden mould is present or absent
- Locate the exact source of fungal spores
- Determine the full extent or age of mould growth
- Diagnose symptoms or assess an individual person’s health risk
Results represent the areas and conditions present during the sampling period. Airborne concentrations can change with weather, ventilation, occupant activity, cleaning, construction and disturbance of settled dust.
Who Is the Kit Designed For?
- Homeowners: Investigate selected areas following water damage, dampness or persistent musty odours.
- Tenants: Obtain laboratory documentation that may assist discussions with a landlord or property manager.
- Landlords and property managers: Respond to indoor-air concerns and compare conditions across selected units or rooms.
- Home buyers and sellers: Obtain preliminary information about selected areas of a property.
- Small offices and businesses: Investigate specific areas where moisture or indoor-air concerns have been reported.
For litigation, insurance claims, large commercial investigations or situations requiring formal chain of custody, sampling by a qualified independent professional may be more appropriate.
Choose the Right Number of Samples
As a general starting point, select one cassette for every indoor area you want to test and one additional cassette for an outdoor reference.
- One indoor area: Two samples in total
- Two indoor areas: Three samples in total
- Three indoor areas: Four samples in total
- Four indoor areas: Five samples in total
Separate samples may be appropriate when areas have different floors, ventilation zones, moisture histories or visible conditions.
Get Professional Laboratory Information Without an On-Site Sampling Appointment
The DIY mould air test kit combines professional sampling equipment, clear collection instructions and accredited Canadian laboratory analysis in one convenient rental package.
Select the number of areas you want to test and order your kit online.
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